COLUMBIA, S.C. — Donald Kirby lost his sight several months ago when he was robbed and hit over the head with a glass bottle. He was down on his luck, but then found Transitions in Columbia.
"It was a band of people to help you start over and have trust in you," Donald Kirby, Transitions resident said.
It wasn't until a few months here that he started to get his eyesight back. He was able to work, so he started serving in the kitchen. He's been working here four months.
"I just needed a place to stay, to start over and Transitions offered me that time for me to start over, to rebuild myself as a man," Kirby said.
Thanks to this center in downtown Columbia, that's exactly what Donald was able to do.
"I'm their biggest cheerleader and it feels good cause that's all that some of these people need, is a cheerleader," Catrina Davis, employee support navigator said.
Not only does Transitions provide a place to stay, food to eat and jobs, it also provides literacy classes, teaches computer skills and helps people get a birth certificate or ID.
"I'm connected with several different employers in the community that call me when they're looking for good help, so I'm connected with employers and plus I do job readiness, meaning I help people with resumes, interviewing skills, dress for success, soft skills," Davis said.
And one day at a time, that's one less person down about life and on the street and one more person whose life is changed for the better.