Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Luisa, 20 Years at House of Ruth: Part 1

Luisa has worked at House of Ruth for 20 years and has experienced both good and bad, triumph and failure, joy and sorrow, and moments that made her realize what she was made of.

In 1991 or 1992 while Luisa was childcare coordinator, there was a 15 year old girl who became a client of House of Ruth. Her name was Pearl, and she had a baby at the age of 14 who was the consequence of rape from a gang member. The father was a minor too.

Her boyfriend at the time wanted her to move out of House of Ruth and go with him to wherever he was going. He came to the porch and was calling her. She came out and they were arguing on the porch. Luisa and Sr. Judy came out. Sr. Judy brought the girl inside and locked the door, locking Luisa and the young man out.

Luisa knew her job was to convince him to let the girlfriend stay. “If you really loved her you would want what’s best for her. If you love her, you should leave.” The young man wasn’t convinced. He became frustrated and angry and threw his fist through the window. Then he fled.

The staff at House of Ruth called the police, and the man was caught just after that. They had followed the trail from the blood, since the young man’s hand was cut up from the glass. After this incident and the one above, the rules at House of Ruth changed. They did away with the visiting hours and the place became a confidential location.

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