An email from a friend

We first met Donna Kenely-Tillery when she attended A Wider Circle's adult education classes held in Southeast DC a few summers ago.  She got a job shortly thereafter, which was great, and after having lost her home and possessions in a fire, she was fortunate to find another home in Annapolis, closer to her work.  Unable to afford the new place and the items to go in it, Donna called us for help. The following is an email she sent to us subsequent to our conversation with her.

"You guys put light at the end of the tunnel. 
Give hope to those that thought there was no hope.
Make everyday comfort an important issue and strive to provide that.
You reach out to the entire population.
You don’t realize how a thing such as a bed can save a life!!
Until you’ve had nowhere to sleep or lay your head you won’t understand the importance of a bed.
When you have to use paper towels every day to wash your face a washcloth feels so good.
When a basket that  someone else did not want can be an item that you make into a magazine rack on your “neused” coffee table.
When you can say  thank you to those that have given you a second chance at furnishing your home.
When life doesn’t get any better than looking at your children sleeping in a bed instead of a car seat or the floor.
When you can get up and have a table to eat cereal at with the kids in the morning instead of on the edge of the bath tub.
No, thanks to the staff and the donations and A WIDER CIRCLE it doesn’t get any better than this!!!!!"

- Donna Kenely-Tillery