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I’ve always been a go-getter. Just last year I was holding down three jobs to support my two girls: one as a retail clerk; another as an intern at a special education school; and a third as a full-time Personal Care Attendant for a woman with Cerebral Palsy.
It was busy, but I made enough to pay the rent, and care for myself, my
girls, and the baby I was carrying. I love to cook, so I made sure we
had good food on the table every day. But as I got closer to my due
date I couldn’t do the lifting a PCA needs to do and I had to quit.
As I fell further and further behind on the rent,
I knew we were in trouble.
At a friend’s suggestion, I went to the emergency shelter office to try to find a place to stay but they were all full. With no where else to go I was forced to stay at a motel and wait for a space to open up somewhere. The time at the motel was very difficult. We were very cramped, and I could only cook microwavable meals for my family. Feeling very sorry for myself, I kept asking “Why me?” After living in this difficult situation for about a month a I received the good news that a place opened for us at Victory Programs’ ReVision Family Home. As my family and I adjusted to life at the ReVision Family Home, my work with Victory Programs’ staff helped me start to resolve some difficult issues that had been hovering over me for a very long time. Suddenly I found myself letting go of “why me?” and started saying “why not me?” Why not take charge and succeed despite all that happened? While I was living at Victory’s ReVision Family Home I decided to learn more about the farm across the street that was connected to the program. I didn’t know anything about farming, but I’ve always loved nature and being outside. I was also enjoying cooking meals with the produce the program gets from the farm every week, and swapping recipes with the other moms living there. The staff recognized my interest and offered me an internship position at Victory’s ReVision Urban Farm. This turned into a permanent job as an Assistant Grower and I now spend my time working on the farm, growing and harvesting the produce you might have enjoyed. Today I am proud to say that I have moved my family into our own apartment nearby. In fact, it’s close enough for me to walk to my job at the farm every day. I am also able to use the daycare program operated at the ReVision Family Home to look after my young son while I am working.
I am very grateful for my time at ReVision Family Home and the amazing
opportunities I received through the program. I like to tell my story on
behalf of my family as well the many other men, women, and children who
will need Victory Programs’ support in the future to help them make a
new start. |
