It’s been a long but fascinating road for Maurice. Maurice, who goes by Mo was born in Chicago and raised in Hawaii. When he leaves a meeting he offers a cheerful, “Aloha.” He attended the University of Hawaii and received his Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology. After completing his degree, Maurice became a school teacher and worked for several years in Hawaii’s schools. During this time, Maurice also played semi-professional football. When that side career left him with significant shoulder and leg injuries, he decided to come home to Illinois to receive medical care from his brother, a doctor who had recently opened a successful medical practice.
Maurice began working with his family managing an apartment building they owned on the north side. After years of enjoying a positive work environment with his family, he decided it was time to strike out on his own. He tried a variety of occupations, and found that the jobs he liked best were the ones that allowed him to work with his hands. He utilized all of the skills he had learned while managing the apartments, and a few new ones while working in construction. Today he still works as an independent contractor doing maintenance and landscaping for clients.
Maurice found Inspiration Corporation through our partnership with Wilson Men’s Hotel during a particularly difficult time in his life. After years of demanding physicality as a football player, construction worker, and UPS carrier began to take their toll, Maurice found himself in need of more extensive medical care. However, because he did not have a social security card, finding his records became more and more difficult. That is when Maurice looked to Inspiration Corporation for help. After trying a few other organizations and agencies, Maurice came to Inspiration Corporation about three months ago hoping to find someone who would devote the extensive time and energy needed to resolve a complicated issue. Maurice is correct when he observes that, “You’ve got to work with people who will open the door – not close it.”
He found a professional who would do just that in his Case Manager. In Maurice’s words, “Her reputation precedes her.” She found the correct form he needed, that no other source had been able to locate, and has been working with him to compile his documentation that will make job hunting, medical care, and virtually all services much easier to obtain. Without his Case Manager and Inspiration Corporation, Maurice says he would “still be at square one.”
Maurice is incredibly close to completing the process of finalizing his documents and securing his financial identity. In the meantime, he has made use of a variety of programming at Inspiration Corporation, including the meals program. Currently, he is enrolled in a computer literacy course at Jane Addams Resource Corporation, which he found with the help of his Case Manager, and loves it. He says he is continually surprised by how fast the time flies when he is in class and challenging himself with learning a valuable and enjoyable new skill. He is growing more confident by the day in his ability to succeed. With help from his Case Manager, Maurice is confident about his future, saying, “She can open a door, but I have to walk through it.”