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On the night of October 23, Saint Leonard’s will honor David Harris with the 2025 Distinguished Alumni Award at the Heart of Saint Leonard’s: A Night of Fellowship. We hope you can join us. Purchase your ticket here.

David Harris is a student of history.

When you step into his office, the reading material includes the U.S. Constitution, the Magna Carta, the Bible, the Quran and books about democracy and revolutions.

Themes of freedom and change converge to form a mindset for the Intake and Housing Manager at Saint Leonard’s Ministries.

David has embodied our vision and mission for more than a quarter-century. He is the longest-serving staff member, at 27-years, and has held several roles, emphasizing that people must understand their past to find their purpose.

As a former resident on this campus, David understands the experience.
“The majority of people who come out of the institution, they don’t have support. They burned bridges with their family. They end up in a space where they don’t have an opportunity to just slow down. So they go back to what they know how to do,” David says. “It’s tough for me to see people struggle because of a lack of education because they didn’t do anything different while they were incarcerated.”

“The fact is, it’s up to you to rehabilitate yourself. And Saint Leonard’s Ministries creates the environment. If they buy into it, they have the mindset to let go of what some people refer to as stinkin’ thinkin’. You’re putting yourself down, and you’re expecting the agency to do things for you because that’s the way you’ve been doing all your life.”
“You have to want to change.”

David is usually the first person who our program residents meet before their re-entry journey begins. He travels to Illinois prisons to tell people about our offerings. He played a role in major expansions on campus, including the opening of Saint Andrew’s Court (second-stage single-room living for men) and the Michael Barlow Center (education and workforce development hub). David is also a leaders on the Capital Campaign committee to help our renovations become a reality.

“We wanted everything concentrated on this campus,” David says. “I’m happy to have been a part of that growth.” 

You probably already know that growth is a big theme here – for the people we serve, the community we build and the campus that is always adapting to what people need. The success begins with something David often says:

“Slow down before you move out there too fast.”

When people slow down, they quickly find themselves on a path to complete educational and workforce classes that prepare them for their what’s next. If you have never seen us show up and show out for a graduation ceremony celebrating that completion, you are always welcome to attend.

“When I think about the graduations we have here now, it’s one of the most beautiful things you can participate in when you see people, who have never completed anything, be so happy,” David says. “And they’re so happy to go out in the world and tell people about their experience here. And then they go on to be good neighbors.”

“Doing this work, it touches your soul because, for me, it’s looking in the mirror. I know where I came from. I know what it takes to stay motivated and help people. And I try to have some sense of where I’m going as well.”

Asked about the award, David has mixed emotions. In a good way.

“I’m proud to be receiving the award because of the time I’ve been here and invested in the agency. On the other hand, there’s a point in my life where I understood this is a calling. And the work I’ve been doing, I’ve been molded by the creator to do this work. I have to give the majority of this glory to God who has taken me through so many things, and then I’m still able to help people and help myself. And it’s not an easy job doing the work that we do. But it builds character in ways a person wouldn’t understand unless they saw it at work on a regular basis.”

“It makes me feel great to receive the award. But it makes me feel better to know I’ve been helping so many people over the years. And it’s a great honor because it’s a part of a legacy that I will have when I’m gone – that my grandkids, and people who have come through that I’ve met, will know about. The people who know me know that I do my best to go above and beyond the call of duty to try to help people. That’s the most important thing right there. Being able to know that when I leave this planet in the physical, my name will still be associated with Saint Leonard’s in so many ways. It’s a blessing to have that.”

“I’ve received certificates and awards in different ways over the years – but not like this one. I think I deserve it, but I don’t want that ‘deserving’ to overshadow my purpose of being here.”

We couldn’t have said it better. Thank you, David, for all you do for this community.