Resident Spotlight: JoAnn

JoAnn has been a resident of Senior Village for 7 years. After enduring a rough childhood in Alabama, she moved to Chicago in 1956. By 1965, she was 20 years old living in the projects with her 5 children. Everyone condemned her for her situation, but for the first time a woman in church told her she was going to be great. She went to get her GED and Associates when she was 57. She got her Bachelors when she was 68. She was ordained in 2004 and spent 20 years serving as a prison chaplain for Cook County jail.

To keep herself busy, she volunteers as a mental health drug and alcohol counselor two days a week. “The people and the drugs have changed tremendously... It’s a lot rougher, the drugs are much heavier, the addiction is bad, and it’s taking our children’s minds and souls with them.”