When someone loses everything — shelter, stability, health — your generosity makes it possible for Orange County Rescue Mission (OCRM) to step in, restore lives, and give hope a chance to grow again.
That’s exactly what you’ve done for Emiko. As a young child, Emiko’s father taught her the Bible and raised her to love God. But at just 12 years old, she was told her father had died.
For the next 30 years, Emiko believed it was true. Unable to ask questions, she grew up feeling angry, confused, and alone.
In adulthood, she discovered the truth: Her father wasn’t dead. Her parents had gotten divorced … but hadn’t wanted to tell her.
Emiko eventually found her father — alive, but suffering from advanced dementia. The weight of the decades she lost with him was overwhelming.
A friend welcomed Emiko into her home until she could come to OCRM — where her life was changed forever because of YOU.
Your generosity gave Emiko a place to physically heal and recuperate. She received grief support, anger management classes, and healthcare she desperately needed.
Emiko now volunteers weekly at a local senior center, where she’s discovered a passion for serving the elderly.
To you, Emiko says, “You gave me a home when I didn’t have a home. You helped me when I had no help. You restored my life and showed me there’s hope when I was losing my hope.”
Without your help, people like Emiko often fall through the cracks. But because OCRM exists, lives like Emiko’s are being transformed every day.
“He remembered me sitting in his lap when I was a child while we read the Bible. It was joyful,” says Emiko. “I wasn’t angry anymore. But I was sad. I’d lost all those years.”
Then the unthinkable happened. Emiko was struck by a car and lost 77 percent of her leg.
During three surgeries and eight months of healing, Emiko clung to her faith. When she tried to return to everyday life, she faced even more challenges. Emiko lost her job and went from interview to interview. When her savings ran out, she cried out to God.
“I thought I was done,” she says. “I was all alone.”
Just when her options were gone, hope found her.
A friend welcomed Emiko into her home until she could come to OCRM — where her life was changed forever because of YOU.
Your generosity gave Emiko a place to physically heal and recuperate. She received grief support, anger management classes, and healthcare she desperately needed.
Emiko now volunteers weekly at a local senior center, where she’s discovered a passion for serving the elderly.
To you, Emiko says, “You gave me a home when I didn’t have a home. You helped me when I had no help. You restored my life and showed me there’s hope when I was losing my hope.”
Without your help, people like Emiko often fall through the cracks. But because OCRM exists, lives like Emiko’s are being transformed every day.
