Graduation of Just Bakery Class 67!

It is with great pleasure, and a hint of sadness, that we say good-bye to our stars of Just Bakery Class 67!  John and Tremaine accomplished our 12 week course and now have more skills and support to keep them thriving outside these walls.  The determination and amazing attitudes that they showed was inspirational to our incoming class, they truly are in the “no matter what” club.  No matter what, these two have found the silver lining, pushed through discomfort and continually showed their character as they kept coming back to finish out the program.  I could wax poetic about the lengths they went to, and the situations they endured but still showed up to class with positivity but I believe that reading their stories will be far more satisfying.  Here are John’s and Tremaine’s  story.

Back on the Road  John’s Story

Because of a car accident, all my family drifted apart, I lost everything.
For most of my life, I struggled with alcohol. For a while, I thought I’d beaten it until my sister came back into my life. I thought I could handle being around her while she was drinking, or I could be lucky enough not to be caught.  But that night, I ended up in a car accident, and it cost me nine years of my life.
When I finally got out, I was 57 years old, divorced, and homeless. The world didn’t look anything like the one I’d left. Technology had changed, the people I knew were gone. Every day was a battle just to stay sober, to stay alive. I told myself, “I will do whatever I can to keep off the streets.” I’ve been working on heavy labor jobs that nobody else wanted almost my whole life, my shoulder got hurt during my incarceration, I didn’t know if I’d ever be able to do the work the way I used to, I didn’t know if I could do anything else. Until one day I heard about the Just Bakery Program from one of my friends, I’ll admit, I was skeptical. I’d been through so many programs that promised a fresh start but felt like empty gestures. I’ve tried so many already anyways, why not give this one a chance?
Bit by bit, Just Bakery started to change my mind. They work on all areas of my life, employment, housing, and even just daily challenges. Housing used to be a nightmare for me, with a criminal record, doors slammed shut before I even got the chance to knock. It is Just Bakery that helped me find a place, giving me stability and the support system when everything else felt shaky. Since I’ve been in this program, I’ve gotten a part-time job, and they helped me with getting vouchers for furniture and transportation. The people are just really there for you, it’s like a family.
My favorite part about Just Bakery is the people here being so encouraging and positive, and they always motivate me to do better. They didn’t just teach me how to bake, they gave me hope. They knew the kind of pain I carried, and they still believed I could be better. That belief was everything. People I meet here are passengers on my road trip, I hold my steering wheel, and they tell me where to go. I was starting to imagine a life beyond just getting by. I saw all other people who came from backgrounds like mine graduated ahead of me, and they are all doing so well. They had savings, they had jobs, they had cars and driver’s licenses. Seeing how successful they became, I started to think, maybe that could be me, too. I could finally live a life that I didn’t want to escape from. And it was that thought that kept me coming back, kept me committed. I know I will have struggles, but just pushing through day by day, have a break, and success is there.
And so, here I am. I’ve got a little money saved up, I’ve earned back my driver’s license, and I’m finally back on the road. This time, I stop at a stop signs even when no one’s watching. This time, my family at Just Bakery would guide me down the right lanes to avoid “car accident”. Because now, I understand that there are no shortcuts in life, freedom is all about those choices, and this time, I’m the one in control.