“I just love Jayde,” says Joshua Station family advocate Denise Vaughn. “She’s a wonderful person and we connect on a deep soul level. I admire so many things about her.” Tenacity. Warmth. Thoughtfulness. Caring.

Jayde is definitely making the most of her time as a resident in the Joshua Station program. “She keeps her eyes on the prize—all that she will be able to accomplish with the health and sobriety she has worked so hard for.” Denise explains, and Jayde concurs, that all this is completely new for her – being able to focus, work, and achieve. Jayde does something every single day for her sobriety. “She’s really thoughtful about how process of moving through her schooling, parenting, and her own care.”

Jayde’s consistent openness to seek out help has been essential to the progress she aims for. When her son had a stretch of behavior problems, she asked for family therapy—in addition to the work she and her son were doing individually with Joshua Station counselors. She also wanted the circle of expertise to include Denise as her family advocate and Benjamin Armas as her education liaison, so that the situation didn’t slide further. The timely intervention and loving attention resulted in genuine progress at home and grades to be proud of in school!

Jayde often expresses heartfelt gratitude for Joshua Station’s community of residents, staff, and volunteers, which is encouraging to all during challenging times. “Her gratitude is even bigger than that,” Denise says. “It’s gratitude for life itself, and she’s going for it.”