A Former Junkie And Thief Found A Way Out Through Free At Last Theresa Silas was addicted to crack, heroin and alcohol for 20 years. She made her living as a petty thief, stealing clothing from stores. At one time, she had more than 50 aliases, and she can't count the number of times she has been arrested. This was her life, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. On February 28, 1995, Silas was arrested again. What appeared to be just another line item on her lengthy rap sheet turned out to be Silas' greatest blessing. [continues 709 words]
Judging from the circumstances of how they met, it would be safe to say Priya Haji and David Lewis were not the most likely of business partners. It was a day in 1992 and Haji, then a troubled junior at Stanford with lots of good intentions but little savvy, was approaching drug addicts in Whiskey Gulch, handing out condoms for safe sex and bleach to clean needles. Nearby, Lewis, a recovering drug addict and ex-con who'd spent more than half his life in prison, watched her in bewilderment. [continues 2607 words]
