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Family Stories
Hard work and positive attitudes
Henry and Serena are a couple with five children of their own, and one child they recently adopted because a relative could not provide for the two-year-old. Even though they had little, they were willing to share what they had with another child.
All of the children are kind and courteous, and the parents are always respectful and willing to help others. There is a tremendous amount of love evident in all they do. Even after working all night, they always come in to the Family Promise Day Center and make sure they do their chores first, before taking time to rest.
They lost their home when they got behind on rent and knew they needed to work hard to gain enough money for a deposit on a new home. They left without an official eviction, and began living in a hotel for a few weeks before finding Family Promise.
They are, quite simply, one of the hardest working families we have ever met. Mom works approximately 50 hours per week at two jobs, and Dad works over 80 hours per week at two full-time jobs. His hard work has not gone unnoticed. One of his jobs recently asked if he would like a promotion that required a move to a small town in southern Georgia. He accepted the job, and has had three promotions since then. Names have been changed for confidentiality.
Make a difference in the lives of families like Henry and Serena's today.
World Traveler
Jen is a very serious lady, who never says much. She is the picture of quiet dignity. It takes a lot to make her smile. She has lived all over the world, growing up in a small village in another country. She has cared for others most of her life. “My son is my greatest achievement in life, he is a good boy.”
She lost her Gainesville home of 25 years when her car was totaled. Without that car, she could not get to her evening job as a home health aide. She found Family Promise and moved into shelter with her teenaged son. Within a month, she had a full-time job.
Family Promise helped her get a car donated, thus allowing her to keep the home healthcare position to work more than 40 hours a week. When she was ready to move back into a home of her own, she was asked if she might finally smile. “Maybe,” was all she said. This time, there was a new twinkle in her eye.
Can you make someone like Jen smile today?
Small Town Girl
Miss P was taught manners from her own mother. A quiet, “Yes, ma’am,” are the words she utters most. She had never left her small home town outside of Gainesville, until her own mother lost her home. Three generations were homeless all at once, and so Miss P and her daughter came to live with Family Promise.
It took us a while to realize that under that polite Southern exterior, there was a class clown waiting to come out. When she thought no one was looking, she was often found down on the ground quietly joking with kids in the shelter, getting them to laugh when no one else could. When a wrong number kept calling her phone one night, she finally answered the phone, “Alachua County Jail, can we help you?” The entire room turned to her surprised. She cracked her devilish smile, and they burst into laughter.
She found a full time job in the daycare industry - getting two-year-olds to laugh all day long. She has completed two out of five courses for her childcare certification since she graduated from Family Promise and moved into an apartment of her own. She has checked in with us, and she and her daughter are doing well as they move forward with their new life.
Help a mom like Miss P get back on her feet.
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