A Getting Ahead story …
April Hunt said her challenges with anxiety almost kept her from attending Getting Ahead. She has difficulty meeting new people and being in new places. But those fears quickly faded away after getting to know the other participants, who she now calls family.
“It seems like I’ve sat around and let mental illness have its way, but I realize now after Getting Ahead that I can fight back,” she said. “After the first few sessions I thought ‘Oh, these are my people.’ By the 6th or 7th session, everyone was like a member of my family. We were all able to open up and talk about lots of things you wouldn’t share with others who don’t understand your situation.”
Getting Ahead Facilitator Ruth Wilson said April “would bring a ray of sunshine to the group. She kept to herself at first, then her ray of sunshine broke through the clouds. She is the sweetest person ever.”
It’s been a rough few years for April. She has health challenges that have prevented her from working a traditional job and family relationships have been strained. She has custody of her teenage granddaughter and her teenage grandson is living with her now, too. April said she “grew up poor,” but when she and her husband were working they “never really stressed about money or going to the grocery store.”
That’s not the case now.
“I still can’t get all the stuff we need for the household,” she said. That’s where the $35 Wal-Mart gift card participants receive for each session they attend came in handy. She used them to buy toiletries and household basics like toilet paper and laundry detergent.
During the 19-session Getting Ahead program, participants like April discuss 11 resources that we each need to thrive: financial, emotional, mental/cognitive, language, social capital, physical, spiritual, integrity & trust, motivation & persistence, relationships/role models and knowledge of hidden rules. Poverty isn’t just about money, but it is often the first thing people think of when talking about instability.
GA graduates are also eligible for seven sessions of free professional life coaching to help them achieve the goals they set for themselves. Our innovative Emergency Savings Incentive Program allows graduates to earn a $500 emergency savings account as they build skills needed for success.
April said the sessions reignited her ambition and helped her figure out how to get around obstacles. The biggest takeaway was the importance of having a network of resources, she said.
“The resources that we learned can help us go almost any direction positively,” she said. “I was presented with resources that actually make me want to get ahead and take control of my life. Now when facing a tough situation or decision, I can take a breath and remember what we learned and apply it.”
If you think you would benefit from Getting Ahead, apply online at Getting Ahead – Common Heart. Participants receive a $35 Wal-Mart gift card plus free dinner and free childcare (if needed) for every session they attend. Graduates have the opportunity to receive free life coaching and earn a $500 emergency savings deposit into a bank account through our Emergency Savings Incentive Plan (ESIP). Call Ruth Wilson at 704-875-7887 with any questions.
If you would like to help support the GA program with meal donations, email EmpowermentOutreach@CommonHeart.org. Speakers are also needed to share expertise during monthly resource meetings.
1 Comment
I am currently living at the homeless shelter and would like more info I don’t want to end up in the streets again