"When I came here, I was a nobody. Running around getting in trouble...doing things I'm not proud of. Being here straightened me out."
Michael Danford grew up in the small Florida town of Apopka. He was the middle child out of 3 siblings. As a small kid, Michael seemed like any other child. As he grew up, he was seen as the oddball by many.
Michael and his siblings moved to Georgia with his mother in 2001 after the death of his grandmother. Growing up, Michael was seen as different because of his taste in music and clothing style. He was the kid that everyone looked at twice in the hallways of high school. Like his mother, Michael struggled with learning and found himself repeating grades in high school. With 1 year left of school, Michael dropped out.
Growing up, Michael seemed closer to his mother than anyone else. When he was an adult, this was no different. She seemed like one of his best friends besides the friends his age. After certain events, his mother started dating and neglecting her children which ultimately led to her 16-year-old daughter leaving home, leaving Michael the only one left living with her. Without a job or source of income, Michael found it hard to support himself with his mother neglecting him. "Mom wasn't doing right," Michael stated in an interview. "She would do bad things and not take care of her children. Finally one day she told me to pack my stuff and threw me out of the house." This is how Michael found himself homeless.
Michael's older brother, who once lived at the shelter, aided in helping Michael get settled into Brother Charlie's Rescue Mission. It has been roughly 4 years since Michael first walked into the mission. Since then, he has been able to work alongside his father, picking up donations for the thrift store. A former Brother Charlie's member helped Michael get started in going to a local technical college so he can finally complete high school and get his G.E.D.
Michael has been able to regain a connection with his father, earn an income, gain a sense of independence, and work on his G.E.D., since coming to the shelter. Regardless of his looks and challenges, Michael has been able to make new friends from this experience.
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