The Salvation Army’s Lawson Ministries in Hamilton is teaching people with developmental disabilities how to use the public transit system—something many of us take for granted. Twenty-one year old Richard battles with Autism and has found new freedom as a result of this program.

“I didn’t understand the danger I was in,” says Keith of his drug abuse. “I just wanted more and more.” At age nine, Keith’s mom passed away. “That’s when things changed drastically,” says Keith. The family moved. His dad remarried. Then, after seven years of sobriety, his dad returned to active alcoholism. “He was a  […]

Tom Morrison had mixed feelings about going to summer camp. Little did he know the experience would take his life in a direction he never would have imagined. “When I was six my parents sent me to The Salvation Army’s camp in Jackson’s Point, Ont., to get rid of me for a week,” Tom laughs.  […]

Becoming a new dad brought Carnot joy—and stress. While he happily embraced his new responsibilities, mounting challenges of migrating to a new country caused him to question his ability to provide for and protect his family.  He worried that he couldn’t be a dad his daughter could count on. Anxiety and Uncertainty In 2008 Carnot  […]

Baby Stuart couldn’t imitate sounds, or even smile. While his mom, Susan, knew something was wrong, she had no idea that life would be very different than she’d ever expected. “At first Stuart had no facial reactions,” says Susan. “Then red flags became more diverse. There was no babbling—no pointing— no words.” Stuart couldn’t express  […]

At age four, Stuart was diagnosed with Autism, a complex neurological and developmental disorder affecting 1 in 88 children.

“My dad beat my mom until she was a rag doll,” says 49-year-old Billy. “At times I thought he would kill her. That’s only one of my childhood memories.” Billy’s dad was drunk all the time. And his heavy drinking resulted in physical altercations. Every night Billy cranked up the volume on his radio to  […]

Thomas first encountered The Salvation Army when he was a child. As an adult, he turned to a Salvation Army food bank in Toronto to help supplement his family’s needs. Today Thomas volunteers with The Salvation Army so he can give back to the community.

“It feels a lot safer here,” says Bev who’s just recently checked into the Women’s Integrated Supportive Housing (WISH) in Calgary. The WISH centre provides support services for women such as emergency and transitional beds plus a variety of skill building programs. Prior to arriving at WISH Bev was sleeping in her car. “Coming here  […]