By Employment Job Coach, Constance Taylor
It’s always exciting to see a Community LINC graduate family
gainfully employed, in their permanent home and happy again. I recently walked
into a gas station and heard a voice call my name. A former Community LINC
resident, Jalissa, spotted me, and told me, “I thank God for Community LINC. I
knew I could do it but the program really helped me get it together. We have
our own place now, I have a car, and I am still working. I am a manager at the store
now. We are so happy. One of her children said to me, “I spilled some ice cream
on the seat, but my mother wiped it off.” WOW but a sight to behold! For the
next several days, I cried every time I thought of them.
I remember the day this young lady showed up in my office
really sad and discouraged about her life. We cried together. She had a temp
job when she entered the program, but was not hired on full time. She shared
how she was tired of instability, and wanted a better life for her son as he
grew older and more aware of their lifestyle. She told me how her son would lie
down beside her in bed at night and ask questions trying to understand her
life. I told her that her life could be
different.
We cried and prayed
and she left determined to do something different. Finally it happened, Jalissa
got a job working as a sales associate. I would see her walk some of her
children to daycare, put others on the school bus and then walk to work. She
continued to put money in her savings and finally she was ready to move to her
new home.
Jalissa and her children are happy. She received a promotion
at work, and with her new budgeting skills, was able to purchase her own car. She
overcame her barriers and created a healthy, wholesome environment for her
children. She vows to never go back but only move forward. This is how you put
the past behind.
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