Another Hope Inspired Ministries graduate shares transformation story
Mr. Anthony Corley
My name is Anthony Cornley and I am 31 years old. Before I started going to Hope Inspired Ministries, my life was totally different. My life was up and down. In my past I did things that I regret to this day.
I started smoking and drinking at an early age. It was cool at first, but I got older and I felt I was wasting my time doing it. Smoking weed was good when I needed it, but it was holding me back from doing what I needed to do.
I stopped smoking when I met the mother of my children. I was 22. She was a big inspiration to me. She was the only female I talked to that knew me better than I knew myself. Things were going good for us and we had three beautiful kids together.
When she was pregnant with our youngest child, the doctor told her she was high risk. That meant that either she or the baby was going to live, but not both. After she delivered they both appeared to be alright, but then my wife took a turn for the worst. They put her in the Intensive Care Unit and she was on a ventilator to help her breath. She was on the ventilator for two months and didn’t make any progress and so they took her off.
My wife passed away November 11, 2009. It was very hard for me because I was losing my other half. My little boy was alright but I took her death hard. I was 27.
I started going back to my bad habits again. I was smoking weed and drinking so I wouldn’t think about what happened. One day my mom and dad went to a church to get some food. Next to that church was a place that helped you find a job and get a GED. My daddy came home and told me about it and I went and signed up the next day.
I talked to them and I was in class the next week. That was my blessing to get out of the streets and get my life together because I was also going in and out of jail. When I started school at Hope Inspired Ministries, things started to go good for me again. Michael and Leanne changed my life whether they knew it or not.
I’m doing well in class and I am learning how to control my attitude. I have been blessed ever since I started this school. One of the positive changes I have made is going back to church.
Another is I am now at my internship at Chappy’s, and taking a GED class. They like me at Chappy’s because they say I work hard and catch on fast. They have already offered me a job there when I finish Hope Inspired Ministries.
I am doing well at my GED class too. My teacher told me if I went and took my GED test right now, I would probably pass it. Things are going very good for me and I don’t even think about my bad past anymore.
I live with my mom and dad and I am raising my children. They are ages 7, 6, and 4. I’m enjoying the present and looking forward to the future. That’s why I am grateful for being at Hope Inspired Ministries, because they have made me a better person.
I want to thank my momma and my daddy and my kids for motivating me. I want to also thank Michael and Leanne and the whole Hope Inspired Ministries staff. I want to thank my mentor, Gary Mitchell, my classmates, my internship provider, Chappy’s Deli, and all of the people who donated lunches for us. Most of all I want to thank God for bringing me to where I am today. Thank you.