North Carolina Women Work! Success Stories

Circles of Hope

"One day in a casual conversation while inquiring about gym membership, I was told about Circles of Hope."

Alicia gave birth to Amelia two years into her marriage. "Everything was great. This is the life I had envisioned." Alicia left her job and stayed home to care for the baby. Eighteen months her second daughter was born. Alicia said she was just settling into parenthood, when she realized her marriage was in trouble. Getting divorced in 2006 presented Alicia with several challenges. Money was tight, she needed to find work, and child care was expensive. Her mother, recently widowed, moved in with Alicia, provided childcare part-time so Alicia could seek full time employment. Alicia's part-time job at Mission Hospital taking photos of newborns taught her that healthcare was a stable profession. To enter it, she needed to go back to school. While visiting the YWCA to workout, she was told about the displaced homemakers program, New Choices, which includes the women's support group, Circles of Hope.

She attends the bi-weekly meetings at the YWCA where a home cooked meal and childcare give the women a chance to gather, talk and learn from a guest speaker. Alicia says this gathering mirrors her new life. "Here, I have a sense of community. It is like a second family." She uses the free drop in childcare on Monday and Wednesday evenings in order to attend classes. Last summer she completed her nursing assistant license and continues in the nursing program. Alicia works hard at parenting, working full time as a nursing assistant and being a student. New Choices has supplied the support, the encouragement, paid for text books, and provided childcare that allowed her to go back to school to secure a higher paying job.

New Choices

Miss W. came to our New Choices program as a 29 year old, single parent of four children. Her only income was food stamps and she lived in public housing in an area she felt was dangerous and depressing. She had never met any neighbors, as she felt intimidated by her surroundings. The first few classes in our program were difficult for Miss W. She had low self esteem, and was unsure whether she would be able to get through the sessions, mainly because of financial and childcare constraints. A childcare stipend was awarded to off-set childcare costs and she received a bus pass to attend classes. In class Miss W. met two other women who lived in her neighborhood, and shared many of the same issues. They quickly formed a bond, and organized childcare support, shared shopping trips etc. Her participation in class grew dramatically, as she learned of needed medical resources, clothing resources and food resources to help her family. It was clearly visible a lot of the day to day stresses were being lifted from Miss W.

By the end of the sessions Miss W. had recognized her desire to enter the nursing profession. As a first step, she is now enrolled in a Certified Nursing Assistant class which has been funded by an education stipend provided by the WRC. Miss W's pre and post class evaluations show a 100% improvement in her self esteem and in her household budgeting skills. There is also a marked increase in her interview skills, her networking skills and awareness of employment and educational options.

On graduating this program Miss W. was no longer crying, but had a smile on her face. She wrote to the Center thanking us for "helping me come out, and helping me realize I can make it".

New Choices

Charly arrived at our office seeking assistance with domestic, financial and employment issues.

Primarily a homemaker for the past 13 years, her husband became disabled, not working in over 12 months, with a poor prognosis. She had severe concerns about loosing her home, accumulated debts, unpaid utilities, buying food and clothing, and car repairs.. She was anxious things would only get worse!

While attending New Choices classes, Charly worked on skills required to gain the type of employment needed to finance her household. She worked a part-time childcare job whilst attending class, and on completion she took full-time, low paid employment sorting recycled clothing, working long hours to ensure enough income to keep the family's situation from deteriorating.

She networked positively utilizing the New Choices Networking Support Group and soon there after she secured full-time employment as a team supervisor supporting professional care providers of autistic children, utilizing the education she acquired before her son's birth. Charly's self esteem has returned; her perseverance ensures this family will survive and thrive!

New Choices Displaced Homemaker and WIA Programs

From domestic violence, living on the streets of New York with three small children, the deaths of family members she had to care for, unemployment and poverty, Katrina found the will and courage to move forward in life despite these adversities.

After moving to North Carolina, she began a new life. It was not easy because the barriers persisted. Katrina knew she had to make things better for herself and her children.

She enrolled at the local community college with a dream of becoming a nurse. After caring for her sick family members, she knew this was the career for her; however, it was very difficult for her to attend class and raise three children. She reached a point in her education where she had to withdraw from school for a while to bring her family life into perspective.

Katrina later returned to school with the help of the New Choices Displaced Homemaker and WIA Programs. This time Katrina was more determined than ever to succeed and see her dream come true.

Katrina graduated from the Practical Nursing program, passed the North Carolina Nursing Board Exams, received her nursing license, and accepted employment as a practical nurse with a local car and rehabilitation center. She is working full time with benefits, earning a great salary and enjoying a career that provides job satisfaction and personal integrity. Katrina is very thankful for the help she received from the New Choices Displaced Homemaker and WIA Programs. According to Katrina, these programs provided the "bridge from a past with despair to a future with hope."

New Choices

New Choices began working with a 40-year-old stay-at-home mom whose main concerns were the well being of her three children and her husband, who was in the Navy. When the possibility arose that her husband might be sent overseas, she knew she would need a career to help support her family. Although, she had been accepted into the LPN Program at the local community college, she needed financial assistance to attend school. The New Choices Program helped her by providing the funds for tuition and books.

While enrolled in school, she participated in New Choices workshops that made her transition from a stay-at-home mom to a full-time student much easier. New Choices met with her each month to assist her in establishing a plan to balance her responsibilities at home with her schoolwork. When her husband decided to retire from the Navy, New Choices assisted her in developing a financial management plan based on the family's reduced income.

During her last semester, she began her clinical preceptor hours at a regional hospital. She became extremely overwhelmed while trying to balance her education and home responsibilities. New Choices helped her identify strategies for working on time and stress management during this difficult period. She was able to complete all of her required courses and graduate from the LPN program one year later.

New Choices provided the client's fee for her professional exam, which she successfully completed and then began the work to create a resume and begin the job search. Within a month of graduating, she was offered and gladly accepted a position at a regional hospital in the OB-GYN Department. New Choices followed up with her regularly for three months after she began her job. She reported she was satisfied in her career choice and happy she made the decision to seek the services of New Choices.

WRC

A 54 year old divorced middle-aged woman suffered a stroke last year and lost her job. She came to WRC facing eviction, without medication for her medical condition, or a car to search for employment. Without insurance, she had not been to a doctor since the stroke and had been unable to purchase her medications for several months. She was only able to search for jobs within walking distance, which elevated her blood pressure. Her shabby appearance and lack of dental care were a barrier to employment. Arrangements were made for her to have a haircut and make-over at the ACC Cosmetology Dept. Three outfits were purchased for her to assist with her job search. WRC provided transportation to a job fair and to interviews with three potential employers. WRC also assisted her with two weeks rent for a clean, safe room at a boarding house and a month of storage rent to secure her possessions. On several occasions she walked to the WRC to use the phone and computer for job search and to update her resume .  A phone card was purchased for her cell phone so she could be contacted for interviews . She now has a full-time job, takes her meds and after several months is still paying her rent at the boarding house.

WRC

A divorced father of two small children came to our WRC at the urging of his mother. His ex-wife, mother of the two children, abandoned the family due to her crack addiction. He had recently lost his job as a crane operator due to a traffic violation resulting in the revocation of his CDL license. The WRC assisted him with budgeting assistance, job training, job search procedures, and interview techniques. The WRC also provided one-time rent assistance to prevent his family from being evicted and a stipend for a month of after-school care so he could continue his job search. He is now employed and back on his feet.