Debbie Fitzgerald "Miss Fitz"
Director — Crestwood, IL
I see a lot of kids come in here with such low self-esteem and they just want to give up, but then something happens and they get it. All of us at Ombudsman want to see our kids become successful. We tell each and every one that they can do it! They come here thinking that graduating from high school will never happen, but it does.
I find good in every single one of my students. Even when we don’t see eye to eye, at the end I get hugs and kisses. They tell me they actually became successful because of that diploma. They came to realize how important it was to have it, even if they went into a trade.
I find good in every single one of my students.
—Miss Fitz
One student of ours became an inspiration to all of us. He started out as a troublemaker and wasn’t the best student, but he came around and earned his diploma. After graduation, he went into the Marines and when it came time to earn extra leave he was faced with a unique opportunity. In order to receive that extra leave he would have to talk to kids about his experience. He came back to us and talked to our students; told them that without the structure he received from Ombudsman, he wouldn’t be where he is today.
It’s simple—what we do helps kids get where they want to go and to places they never thought were possible.