Liz Murray's life story, going from a homeless girl in New York City to winning a scholarship to Harvard University, has been made into a movie, with her memoirs recently published.
But Ms. Murray said what makes her the happiest is not her fame, but being able to help people as she did last night as keynote speaker at the Neighborhood Properties Inc. annual dinner at the Dana Center on the University of Toledo health science campus, formerly the Medical University of Ohio.
Neighborhood Properties offers housing services in northwest Ohio for those suffering from mental illness.
Ms. Murray's parents were infected with HIV. Her mother also suffered from schizophrenia before dying.
She said one of the most valuable lessons she tries to teach is that every life has value and everyone can contribute.
"The real poverty is mental poverty," Ms. Murray said. "It's a struggle where you think you don't make a difference no matter what you do. I would encourage people and tell them they do matter. Everyone matters, and everyone has a contribution to make. Everybody is impaired by something and feels different from other people."Ms. Murray said the movie, Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story, showed the dark side of her life as a homeless youth, but she recalled many good times as well. She said she found love in her friends at schools and managed to graduate and win a scholarship from the New York Times and acceptance into Harvard.
She said her essay generated a lot of press and a special on the ABC newsmagazine 20/20. The publicity from the show's broadcast led to the movie, which was done by Lifetime in 2003.
"You open up my P.O. box, and mail would pour out at your feet from movie companies and book deals," Ms. Murray said. "Even actors and famous people are sending you letters, and you're sitting there saying, 'How did this happen?' I picked an agent, and Lifetime seemed to really care about the movie."
Ms. Murray said adjusting to college life was difficult because of her experience.
"Coming from a survival situation, college was too theory-based for me at first," Ms. Murray said. "I got there and they said, 'Read all of these books.' I was saying, 'How do you put food on the table? How do you live?' Where I came from, money came from a mailbox when it was welfare time."
She said the barriers she overcame helped her move on, and she tries to use those experiences to help others.
"I realized I was different when I was younger and noticed the other kids didn't have lice in their hair or holes in their clothes," Ms. Murray said. "Then you get to Harvard and there's Parents Day and watching the students come with their parents unpacking their bags.
"There were many times I realized I was different, but what was far more interesting was how similar we were. I'm so much like you and you like me. When that sunk in, all that other stuff just became details."
Chuck Thayer, outgoing executive director of Maumee Valley Habitat for Humanity and past president of the Neighborhood Properties board, was given the community leadership award.
Neighborhood Properties employees Fred Glover and John Whitlow received the Local Hero Awards for their work with the homeless. Katie Phillips and Beth Cromly were recognized with the Recovery and Advocacy Awards for their work at the Thomas M. Wernert Center.
Kathy Monroe, Kimberly Simmons, and LaToya Wells won awards from the spring poetry contest.
Contact Clyde Hughes at:
chughes@theblade.com
or 419-724-6095.
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