When Sergeant Irene Chavez rang the bell at Mercy Home’s Girls Campus, she was not expecting to be greeted with party streamers, colored balloons and steak and potatoes.
“I just wanted to stop by,” gushed Irene over the phone from her station in Texas. “I was so surprised they had thrown a birthday party for me with decorations and my favorite dinner.”
Home on military leave, Irene visited long-time staff member Monti for a quick hello. The two caught up, exchanging stories of life at Mercy Home and beyond—and Monti remembered Irene’s birthday was just around the corner. Monti urged Irene to make a second visit—and in the meantime, started secretly organizing staff who remembered Irene fondly.
It was 2004 when a 16-year-old Irene moved her belongings into Mercy Home. She was headstrong, smart and hiding away years of emotional baggage.
“Life at home was hectic. It was pretty much chaos…I had a younger brother and sister, but being the oldest, I definitely caught the worst end of things,” Irene remembered.
For years Irene had suffered abuse at the hands of her own mother. Her violent situation at home only distracted her from what was truly important to her—school. Always a good student, Irene enthusiastically joined a number of after school clubs ranging from math to chess groups. She pushed herself to join sports teams and exercised her athleticism from fall to spring on the football and softball fields and the basketball court.
When the violence at home escalated, Irene’s grades began to drop. “That’s when I started looking at colleges in California. I always dreamed of California. I knew I had to get everything together, grow up a little bit and leave home fast,” said Irene.
But one day, when Irene showed up to school with a swollen lip, a black eye and an arm full of bruises, she was immediately pulled into the dean’s office.
“The dean sat me down and handed me a Mercy Home brochure,” said Irene. “Right then, he gave me the option to leave home.”
Now a 23-year-old army sergeant and tactical radio operator, Irene looks back at her years at Mercy Home with a perspective much different than most.
“I think about our [therapy sessions] a lot,” Irene said. “As a military supervisor, I meet with soldiers one-on-one for counseling. Like I learned at Mercy Home, I try to get to the root of each soldier’s problems and allow them to help me understand what’s hindering their work performance. I definitely know because of Mercy Home that it’s best to just let them talk.”
While Irene’s dream has always been to join the army, she credits Mercy Home with helping to get her there. From basic shelter, food and clothing to healing therapy sessions, and opportunities to grow and expand her horizons, Irene is sure that Mercy Home helped prepare her for her new life in the military—and the woman she wanted to be.
But as proud as she is of her life as a sergeant, Irene cannot stop dreaming for her future. “In five to ten years,” she says without a hint of wistfulness, “I see myself in the Los Angeles Police Department. Finally in California.”
