Community Action Council of Howard County issued the following announcement on Oct. 24.
Life was throwing a lot of challenges at Trudy-Ann Hall in 2010. A recent immigrant to the U.S., she was a stay at home mom with two young daughters, money was tight, she had no family support nearby and very few friends.
Despite the roadblocks, Trudy-Ann was determined to build a good life for her girls.
She found her way to the local library’s story time hours where her daughters could meet other children and she could network with other parents. That networking led her to Community Action of Howard County’s Head Start program and the hand up Trudy-Ann needed to change her life for the better.
Trudy-Ann understood the difference early education would make in her daughter’s life. She was thrilled when her daughter Imani was accepted into the Head Start program. And then she met Gwen Hebron.
CAC’s mission is to help struggling families move beyond poverty. All Head Start parents meet regularly with their assigned case workers, who engage the family to set long-term goals and guide them to meeting those goals. Trudy-Ann started her work with Gwen Hebron that year. She remembers Gwen asking about her long-term goals. “I want to be a nurse,” replied Trudy-Ann. “But I don’t know how.”
Together, she and Gwen created a roadmap for Trudy-Ann to reach her goal. She bravely took a leap of faith and enrolled in Community College. She wasn’t sure about finances, her ability to balance parenthood with student life or even her capabilities, but her determination led her forward. She also made use of the many resources CAC offers including the Food Bank, enrolling her younger daughter Jade in Head Start and signing up for the Dream Savers program
The Dream Savers program is designed to help participating individuals save towards a long-term asset attainment goal, such as education or starting a microbusiness, by providing a match for dollars saved.
Trudy-Ann decided she would deposit at least $60 each month. “Although this was not money that I could use immediately,” she thought, “if CAC was willing to invest in my future, then why not invest in me? I may not realize my dream this year or maybe next year, but maybe the next year I will.”
In 2014, life threw Trudy-Ann another curve ball with the end of her marriage. Suddenly, she was a single mother with little income. It was a stressful time, but Trudy-Ann found the strength to move forward. By then, she had earned her CNA license. She left school and found work at a local hospital.
She never lost sight of her dream, and re-enrolled in nursing school a year and a half later with the help of her Dream Savers savings. Working full-time and taking classes has certainly been difficult, but Trudy-Ann’s resolve saw her through the challenges. Both girls moved on from Head Start to become successful students earning good grades and participating in school activities. And, their mom showed them that with a lot of hard work, dreams can come true. In December, Trudy-Ann will graduate from nursing school and achieve her goal of becoming a Registered Nurse.
Trudy-Ann is thankful to the help she received from the CAC. “There’s nothing wrong with asking for help when you need it, especially when you have a long-term goal in mind. I feel like CAC was always there for me. They were an integral part of my journey.”
Original source can be found here.
Source: Community Action Council of Howard County
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