“Before Getting Ahead I was in ‘survival mode’ but now I’m rebuilding and trying to make the life that I want for myself and my daughter.”  

                   – Courtney Shannon, Getting Ahead graduate 

Almost 100 people gathered at Benton Heights Presbyterian Church in Monroe last month to celebrate 11 hard-working neighbors as they graduated from our Getting Ahead program! GA participants – we call them investigators – put in a lot of long hours assessing our community’s conditions and building resources to begin their own journeys out of poverty and into stability. (Read Courtney’s story here).

We also honored 5 previous GA grads who completed our Emergency Savings Incentive Plan and earned $500 checks! This is a huge accomplishment and involves attending resource-building workshops, meeting with our success coach and volunteering in the community.

Our next Getting Ahead session starts this week and there are lots of ways you can help these hard-working families as they start their journeys out of poverty. 

• Prepare or purchase a meal: These meals, serving about 40 people, are hosted before each session. Great opportunity for groups to serve together! Call Grace at 704-684-9007 or email EmpowermentOutreach@CommonHeart.org for details.
• Shop our Amazon Wish List: Our biggest needs right now for Getting Ahead are: disposable bowls, lemonade mix and frames for graduation certificates.