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The Transition House’s Darryl Barnes, Larry Henry and Kyle Hilton, and the Columbiettes Auxiliary’s Jackie Choma and Tammy Fischer at Saturday’s bicycle presentation. PHOTO/DEBBIE DANIEL
Members of the St. Cloud/ Kissimmee Columbiettes Auxiliary, a women’s group affiliated with the Knights of Columbus, presented new bicycles to two residents of the Transition House in St. Cloud on Saturday.
The Transition House is a behavioral and mental healthcare center with programs for homeless individuals and veterans.
“It’s amazing how these guys unplug from the military and come home, and they’re not the same,” said Larry Henry, a counselor at the Transition House, also referring to technological advancements.
“You know, like job applications. They’re all online now. It wasn’t like that before.”
He went on to say that some of the men have come to them after being in prison for 10 or 20 years, and the world they are re-entering has undergone vast changes. The staff at the Transition House helps them with that technology, as well as with counseling, job and housing assistance, and navigating the system at the Veterans Administration.
“I wouldn’t be where I am today without this place,” said Darryl Barnes, who received one of the donated bicycles. “Now I’m going to college. And this bike will help with my mental health and independence.”
Kyle Hilton, the other bicycle recipient, thanked the members of the Columbiettes for their generosity, saying: “This is transportation. I didn’t have that before.”
Jackie Choma, president of the Columbiettes, is a widow of a veteran and has a son and grandson who are still serving in the military.
“We do have homeless vets around in our neighborhoods, and they need our help to get their lives back,” she said. “Any help I can give to anyone serving in the armed service, I’m here to help.”
Henry said that these bikes will allow the men to get exercise and ride to local restaurants and Walmart.
“We do a lot in the community,” he said. “Some of our guys went down to the school and did some landscaping. Sometimes when people need a few things moved, they’ll come borrow some of our guys to help them. We want our guys to interact with the community, and we want people to not be afraid of these guys.”
Henry emphasized the importance of treating each resident with dignity.
“We have 87 residents, and I speak to each of them by name when I see them,” he said. “The goal is that they’re in a better place when they leave than when they came here.”
