Meet Paula

Meet Paula

Paula came to Wilson Commencement Park mid-2019 from New York City with her two sons. She was a victim of domestic violence and feared for her life. Paula escaped with only the clothes she and her children were wearing. After an eight hour trip, Paula arrived in Rochester and immediately found herself and her children in a shelter. 

At the shelter, she heard about Wilson Commencement Park and within two weeks, Paula moved in. With the help of case managers and generous friends from Wilson Commencement Park who donated clothing, furniture and other items, Paula soon had an entire apartment of furniture.

Wilson Commencement Park played a role in Paula’s success journey by providing her with a new beginning. “Everything here has been good and positive”. With one of Paula’s goals being to become completely self-sufficient and independent of DHS, she began looking for a job and within a few weeks secured a position at a local hospital. Her sons enjoy our youth programs and look forward to going every day after school. Her sons have also participated in our Wilson Commencement Park summer program and even attended our week-long, overnight camp.

“I am not taking this second chance lightly. I will do whatever it takes to make a better life for me and my children. You saved my life and the lives of my children. Wilson Commencement Park has provided the boys and me with the resources we needed to strive toward self-sufficiency and we’ve been doing just that.”