Marla Walls worked as a billing clerk for more than a year before arthritis pain struck her legs so badly she could no longer do her job. Two months of unemployment rendered the 53-year-old mother and her teenage son homeless this year.
Walls spent her last dollar paying for a room at the Country Hearth Inn after being evicted from her Highland Park home. On the day her money ran out, an opening came up at the Maclellan Shelter for Families.
If you go
› What: 16th annual Grateful Gobbler Walk› When: 8 a.m. Thanksgiving Day› Where: Starts in Coolidge Park› Why: To fund the Maclellan Shelter for Families and assist homeless families› To register: Go to www.gratefulgobblerwalk.org
“I knew God was going to take care of things,” Walls said.
After staying in the shelter, Walls eventually got a job as an accounts payable clerk at Electric Motor Sales on Central Avenue and landed a spot in a transitional housing program for working families.