Project PLASE | Client Success Stories

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A Leader Finds His PLASE

Larry was born and raised in Baltimore but was shuffled off to foster care at a young age to escape an abusive home. In the early 1980s, he contracted HIV through a blood transfusion at a hospital but was able to manage his disease. Larry overcame his troubled youth and settled into a good career in management Larry’s career was put to a halt when he badly hurt his leg during a routine home accident. During a week stay at the hospital, Larry contracted an infection which caused him to lose his left leg, finger, and the shin bones in his right leg. After this traumatic event and a 17 month stay in the hospital, Larry was left without his livelihood, his home, and $1 million in medical bills. Larry, wheelchair bound, journeyed from an emergency shelter to a space at PLASE’s transitional facility with the support of a case manager.

Once he felt safe and stable, things really turned around for Larry.

Despite all he had been through, Larry instantly started reaching out to PLASE staff, volunteers, and other clients. Through these relationships, he became a member of PLASE’s Client Advisory Board (CAB) where his leadership and interpersonal skills bloomed. From the CAB, Larry took off! He completed the Taylor-Wilks Group’s Leadership Empowerment and Advocacy Program (LEAP) with honors and became involved in other community advocacy organizations like Jacques Initiative, Hope Springs, and Journey.

Larry believes in the power of advocacy. He backs this belief by offering himself up as an example: “before all this [the things he has gone through], my world was me, and I would have never told anyone about [my troubles], but it all changed when I learned how important it is to speak out—that is how things change.” His goals include becoming a counselor for people living with HIV/AIDS, teaching Personal Self-Management, obtaining permanent housing, and focusing on his medical needs (prosthesis, teeth, etc.).

Night of Monologues: More Success Stories on YouTube!

"For me, the Night of Monologues represented bravery, honesty and most of all, integrity: gifts from the soul" expressed Harriet Cooper, an audience member at PLASE's first Night of Monologues. PLASE hosted an evening of monologues at the Strand Theater in May, 2011 to give our courageous clients an opportunity to share their honest and heartfelt stories of homelessness and more importantly, of hope. Audience members were touched by the stories of raw emotion. The monologues and excerpts from the evening can be found on the PLASE YouTube channel. Please check out the inspirational monologues!

Want to host a PLASE speaker at your school or work? Contact our Community Projects Coordinator at 410-837-1400 X 36.


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MAIN OFFICE: Project PLASE, Inc. 1814 Maryland Ave. Baltimore, MD 21201 Phone: 410-837-1400 Fax: 410-837-6130 e-mail: info@projectplase.org

Last Modified 06/16/11 01:14