Dave
Dave’s journey began in his hometown of Chicago, but by 23, he was seeking something new and ventured to Arizona. It was there that he met his ex-wife, bought a house, and started a family. Life took another turn when he moved to San Diego, where he spent the next 21 years working as a bookkeeper and executive assistant for a man who owned several art galleries. But when his marriage ended and his children grew up and moved away, Dave decided it was time to revisit a dream he’d put on hold: writing and selling songs.
With over 100 original songs to his name—about a third of them praise and worship, the rest exploring themes of love and life—Dave bought a van and set his sights on Nashville. His goal wasn’t just to make money; he wanted to check off the dream of pursuing music from his bucket list. Upon arrival, he took on a series of odd jobs to avoid the confines of office work. However, as the high cost of living began to add up and with little support in sight, Dave eventually found his way to CCF.
It was here that he discovered a community like no other—one that would change his life. The people at CCF, with their diverse backgrounds and struggles, left a profound impact on him. “What’s going on here is real,” Dave says. “You have such a spectrum of people, professional people that really just got knocked out of their place in society, and then you’ve got people who are truly mentally ill, and then people who beat up their brains with drugs and then people in between. I’ve only been here three months but I’ve already seen people able to get out of this situation and into a home. That’s pretty satisfying.”
“What’s going on here is real... I’ve only been here three months but I’ve already seen people able to get out of this situation and into a home.”
When the position of bookkeeper at CCF opened up, Dave jumped at the chance. It felt like the perfect fit—he had found not only a job but a community where he could contribute meaningfully, all while continuing to pursue his dream in a new, unexpected way.