As reported in the June newsletter, MicroGrants Board Member Chuck Garrity operates a chapter of MicroGrants in Southwest Florida. This chapter has nine Partner Agencies that serve a wide variety of people with varying needs.
St. Matthew’s House is one of those Partner Agencies. It offers a variety of services, combatting homelessness, hunger, addiction, and poverty.
Stan Schoenewald encountered St. Matthew’s House after years of drug and alcohol use put his life into a downward spiral. At St. Matthew’s House, he became sober and began exercising.
Stan Schoenewald with his two young children
A $1,500 grant from MicroGrants allowed Schoenewald to get certified as a personal trainer. He now teaches exercise classes and runs marathons. He attributes his sobriety and other accomplishments to God. “God put the right people in my path,” he says.
Last year, eight participants in various St. Matthew’s House programs received grants from MicroGrants, across all areas of grants that we offer. We are grateful for the opportunity to be part of transformation stories like Schoenewald’s, and we are so proud of how far he has come!
This story draws on reporting from the Naples Daily News.