Rose Mary is from Chicago and moved to Iowa 20 years ago, having not been back to Illinois much since. She went to school through 11th grade, but now wishes she could go back into education…with her only limitation being the amount of computer use. Rose Mary had a few jobs here and there, but really fell in love with one in particular. Her godfather worked at a nursing home and invited her to come clean for them every once in a while. She found joy in cleaning, using it as a gateway to help others.
Unfortunately a couple months ago, her husband passed and she had a limited amount of time to pay rent. When she struggled to do so, her pastor (and one of her husband’s friends), helped her explore her options and ultimately lead her to CISS. Rose Mary came to the shelter and started work in the janitorial program, where she has enjoyed her work greatly. “I love the janitorial team, they’ve been awesome. They know how to clean using the right stuff…never just plain ol’ soap and water like some people might think” – Rose Mary
In her free time, Rose Mary likes to go to church and loves helping others. However, she is still dwelling on the loss of her husband and hopes to find peace and comfort with it soon. To Rose Mary, success means that if she can take care of people…she’ll be happy. She wants to be the best that she can be.
-The Other Side
