MISSION: Show up every day.
MOMENT OF TRUTH: A couple of years ago, Howard hit bottom after many years of drinking, using drugs and breaking promises to her six kids. “I took myself and my children through a lot while I was chasing my madness. That suffering I caused, I couldn’t live with it anymore, so I had to change it.”
BACKSTORY: Howard went into rehab and, besides getting clean and sober, poured all her self-discipline into establishing a routine-getting up, getting well and going to bed-and learning to stick to it day after day. She also joined The Cara Program, where she learned how to get and hold a job. It was the hardest work she had ever done, but she says she loved feeling in control again. In October 2003, she became a housekeeper at Chicago’s elegant Tremont Hotel. She works weekends and holidays and relishes the order she imposes, keeping the lobby and guest linens spotless.
OUTCOME: Howard, 39, has been with the Tremont for more than a year, the longest she’s ever held a job. She describes it as “a blessing.” Eric Weinheimer, CARA’s president, calls it a major milestone because for many people like Howard, sustaining the effort of going to work every day is extremely difficult, especially after years of evading such situations, whether by dropping out of school or escaping with drugs.
SIDE EFFECTS: “Today when my kids ask me to be somewhere, do something, I’m there. It feels good to be able to give back to my family, to come out of that selfishness.”
PAYOFF: “It’s time for me to show up, to take responsibility and show that it all can be overcome.”
