ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, December 2, 1996 TAG: 9612020007
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: the good neighbors fund
SOURCE: BETSY BIESENBACH STAFF WRITER
It took Willie Phillips 41 years, but he is a man who is finally at peace with himself.
Phillips came to Roanoke Area Ministries' day shelter last winter, after he moved here from North Carolina to start a new life for himself.
For two weeks, while he was living at the Rescue Mission, RAM provided him with hot lunches and bus fare to get to work until he was able to rent a room. Some of the money for the bus fare came from the Good Neighbors Fund, which is sponsored by The Roanoke Times.
Phillips is quiet and soft-spoken. He peers out at the world through a pair of large-framed glasses.
He spent his childhood in foster homes and institutions. He was abused by the people around him, and he abused himself with alcohol and drugs. He's lost jobs, lost friends, lost a marriage.
But even though he has been clean and sober for six years, it wasn't until he arrived in Roanoke that he was able to put his past behind him.
"I used to believe my problems followed me," he said, "but actually, I brought them along with me."
Now he has a job he loves - driving a bus for RADAR, which provides transportation for the elderly, handicapped and others who need special services.
Although he has no benefits and works just enough hours to scrape by, "this is the first time in 10 years I've had a job where I feel like I'm helping someone else."
Phillips has been working steadily since he was 11 years old and delivering groceries for a store in Richmond.
He can do carpentry work, and he enjoys cooking - something he's been doing since he was 5. He has worked in both fields, although he has no formal training in either.
Shortly after arriving in Roanoke, however, he injured his hands while working as a cook, and he is no longer able to lift anything heavy.
Luckily, he said, "I love to drive," and the RADAR job seemed perfect.
Phillips credits his "higher power" and the support and encouragement of RAM's staff with helping him reach his goals.
Although he likes his job, Phillips doesn't want to drive a bus forever. "My expectations for myself are higher than that."
At one time he said, he owned a car detailing business, and he'd like to get back into that.
Whatever he ends up doing, he said, "I'm happy now. I'm not mad at the whole world anymore. Today, I like who I am."
Checks made payable to the Good Neighbors Fund should be mailed to The Roanoke Times, P.O. Box 1951, Roanoke, Va. 24008.
Names - but not donation amounts - of contributing businesses, individuals and organizations, as well as memorial and honorific designations, will be listed in the newspaper. Those requesting that their names not be used will remain anonymous. If no preference is stated, the donor's name will be listed.
LENGTH: Medium: 61 linesby CNB