Barbara Comito, former marketing director
The program turned out not to be a good fit, which is what led him to the Mission. “I started doing drugs because I didn’t like where I was and the house I was in and the people there, so the owner of the house brought me here.”
3 min read
Exploring Something New
Beverly Bergstrom is a front desk volunteer for our Spokane administrative office. She and her husband had donated to UGM for years, and one day,...
UGM helps people with a wide variety of needs—everything from stretching the food budget through an occasional meal to our long-term residential recovery programs. Twenty-year-old Vitaliy Silver didn’t have an addiction to drugs or alcohol; he was just lost.
Adopted from Russia at age 11 into a big family, Vitaliy struggled to find direction. Seeing that he needed something they couldn't provide, his parents sent him across the country to a program for troubled kids. The program turned out not to be a good fit, which is what led him to the Mission. “I started doing drugs because I didn’t like where I was and the house I was in and the people there, so the owner of the house brought me here.”
Shortly after his arrival, Vitaliy learned about the Job Corps—a government-run program that teaches a trade to kids in need and helps them find a job - and decided that's what he wanted to do. UGM’s Social Services Manager Dean Whisler worked alongside him to help get him into the program. Even though Dean had never helped anyone get into the Job Corps before, he could see that Vitaliy would be a good fit: “The bottom line is, he is an incredible worker. He is very shy and very humble.” With landscape design as his goal, Vitaliy will move to Astoria, OR and join the Tongue Point Job Corps.
Reflecting on who he has become since coming to the Mission and deciding to join the Job Corps, he now appreciates what he has and where he is going. He has mended the relationship with his parents and understands how lucky he truly is. “I was adopted into a big, rich family, but I never really took the time to look at what I had. Then I got here and was like, whoa, I had a lot of things that a lot of people don’t even think about having. I got closer to God and started praying every day and so then I got humbled.”
~Elisabeth Roginski, UGM staff writer intern
6 min read
Another Year of Change
As we reflect on 2024, we celebrate another year of change. You partnered with us as we navigated challenges, embraced new opportunities, and made...
3 min read
A Warm Haven: Stephanie's Story
This winter season, nothing means more to those without a home than a warm meal, safety and shelter, and the promise of a brighter future. Your...
Trace - Homeless
Union Gospel Mission : October 5, 2015
Trace spent 15 years intermittently homeless, fluctuating from employed to unemployed, living on the streets or in an RV without heat, running water...
Victory in 2013
Barbara Comito, former marketing director : January 16, 2013
We are just coming off of a GREAT New Year’s Eve party that was “off the hook” with fun, food, gifts, games and a challenging message. The food was...
From Mere Survival to Chasing Dreams: Tyler’s Story
Genevieve Gromlich, former Content and Communications Manager : September 23, 2021
“Meth makes you really fidgety, hyper-focused on the smallest things. So, I picked at my face when I was using...and I gave myself sepsis.” Tyler was...