Rasool

Rasool was born in Iraq where he lived until he was nine years old. His family moved to Lebanon, then three years later, to the United States. Rasool was scared and did not know what to expect in America. When Rasool’s family arrived in Florida, they fell on hardship. It started to affect his academics and everyday life, so he reached out to his mentor, Mike, to see if he knew of anywhere in the community where he could find housing. Mike said Place of Hope had a program called “Villages of Hope” that would be perfect for him. Rasool decided to enroll in the program and move to the campus in Palm Beach Gardens. At Villages of Hope, Rasool was given his own room which offered him support and the opportunity to grow in responsibility and independence. The team at Villages helped him find a full-time job and take the next steps to furthering his education. Rasool knew he had truly found a family. Rasool helped the team and other youth at the campus prepare for Hurricane Irma. They stayed together through the storm and made sure everyone made it through safely. Rasool felt truly at home—everyone was there for him and he wanted to be there for them as well. When asked what Place of Hope means to him, Rasool said, “The name in itself describes it perfectly; it is a place of hope.”