Safety Net
Erika's Testimonial
Erika is a 15-year-old high school student whose thoughtful and reserved demeanor give no indication of the challenges she and her family have faced living in the crime and drug challenged neighborhoods that exist only a few short miles from some of the richest cities in Southern California. For years, Erika's mother kept Erika, her sister, Xitlally, and brother, Jose, safely behind the doors of their small apartment because drug dealers and gang members lurked day and night on the streets only a few steps away."I never knew that the popping sounds I heard were gunfire," Erika says. "I thought they were firecrackers." Today, Erika is a successful student at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, one of the most highly respect schools in the state. Her dream is to attend the University of Southern California, where she will pursue a double major in art and psychology. Erika credits her ability to thrive despite the threats of drugs, gangs and violence to the help of KidWorks, a Central Santa Ana based non-profit that has benefited tremendously from funding and guidance provided by the United Way. KidWorks mission is to restore at-risk neighborhoods one life at a time, and they do so through academic, leadership and character-building programs that help hundreds of children, youth and families. United Way introduced the KidWorks leadership team to the 40 Developmental Assets identified by the Search Institute. The Search Institute describes these as "the building blocks of healthy development that help young people grow up healthy, caring and responsible." United Way selected KidWorks to be among several non-profits to first pilot the developmental assets within their organizations. KidWorks fully embraced the concept, and even rewrote its vision statement and retooled its key programs to embrace the key assets. "Today, I am involved in KidWorks teen leadership programs, writing for the KidWorks student newsletter, story telling with our elementary school students and helping the staff with filing," Erika said. "KidWorks has been the one safe place I can always count on. I'll always be involved, and when I start my career, I look forward to being a mentor and helping with ideas to make KidWorks even better."
Safety Net
Sophia's Story
In July 2007, Sophia was diagnosed with an extremely rare form of bone cancer. She underwent intensive treatment, but the cancer advanced to such a degree that nothing more could be done. On Nov. 14, 2007, at the young age of 34, Sophia passed away. The months that Sophia went through treatments were not only emotionally and physically challenging, but financially the family struggled to make ends meet. Sophia’s husband and two young children were referred to Share Our Selves in Costa Mesa, where case manager Yadira Gomez compassionately worked with them to uncover their needs, provided them with monetary assistance to pay utilities and cover baby items, and connected them to other community organizations that could help them further. “My family is a real example of how the mission and purpose of Share Our Selves is worth supporting and maintaining. Share Our Selves was there with a helping hand when we needed it most. On behalf of my late wife, and my children, I want to express my gratitude to your organization for support of organizations like Share Our Selves.” For more than 35 years, Share Our Selves (SOS) has provided a safety-net of care to those in need. Families and individuals can access food and clothing, receive financial aid assistance and even secure a “Birthday Party in a Box” to help families celebrate their child’s special day. With more than 200 volunteer health professionals and a partnership with
Safety Net
Lynn's Story
Lynn came to Jewish Family Services (JFS) in the aftermath of two major life crises. Shortly after Lynn turned 59, her husband of 35 years decided he wanted to leave the marriage. Lynn had spent 25 years of her marriage raising three children and helping her husband in his business. She had no retirement plan and the final divorce settlement was not enough for Lynn to survive. The only job she had, working for her husband, disappeared with the divorce. Three months after the divorce, Lynn injured her back and was homebound for 4 months. It became obvious to Lynn that she would have to work in order to survive and pay off her medical bills from her injury. Lynn was desperate. A clergyperson referred Lynn to Jewish Family Services Women Forward program. A case manager helped Lynn sort out the components of her situation—financial, social, emotional, and psychological—and begin a plan to build her self-confidence and achieve financial self-sufficiency. An employment counselor assisted Lynn in preparing a solid resume that outlined and emphasized her strengths. When Lynn was raising her children, she had volunteered in many charities and developed excellent organizational and planning skills. But this was not enough. Lynn enrolled in two community college classes to upgrade her computer and office skills. She studied for and passed the state real-estate examination and obtained certification as a realtor. The employment counselor coached Lynn on how to network with other business people and search for a job, both online and in-person. After two months of steady, determined job seeking, Lynn found a job. She works for a prominent real estate firm, selling commercial real estate and is also performing critical office functions as a result of her upgraded computer skills. Recently her supervisor told her how thrilled he is to have her working for the company—she is willing and able to do so many things. Thanks to the Women Forward program and Jewish Family Service and United Way’s funding, Lynn’s nightmare ended and she is now financially independent.
