I have volunteered for about four years now. Hosting and Making dinners for homeless families that are going through homelessness. When we host or do dinners it is at a different church that houses the families for a week at a time. This is a program that wants to keep the families together and help them find housing. This is the best volunteering opportunity that I have found to be part of and my family and I love being part of it. I just got the opportunity to become a part-time employee with this program, I still get to volunteer my time. I get to host and prepare meals for our families which I love to do because I love to cook. I also love to interact with the kids and the families because they are just a joy and a gift to be able to help, others when they need help the most.

I guess I am lucky I get to do acts of kindness every day. I work for a non-profit, I work with homeless families. I am a shelter manager I get to help teach the kids different educational learning projects, I get to take them on outings like the Christmas cruise. During the summer I get to take them to the splash pad. I also help them through our program, in which we use churches as our shelters. Our families stay a week or two at a time in a church then move to a different one. I also get to volunteer my own time and do dinners or overnight hosting for our families, which I have been doing since I graduated from the program myself. I have also volunteered for another homeless day center in our area. I have a passion for helping people because I have been where they are. I am going to school to be a counselor for drugs and alcohol, which a lot of homeless people struggle with.

The pandemic really didn't have an effect on me I worked the whole time. I have seen the devastation that it left on others. During the pandemic it did give me a new outlook, I saw all the people overdosing and knew I needed to do something. Being a recovering addict I can show people that there is another way of life. So I have gone back to school to become a drug and alcohol counselor, I want to help people. I have watched the news and I work in a non-profit that helps the homeless and see the devastation, of addiction and how it just grew during the pandemic. I feel bad to even say it the pandemic has brought a lot of positivity to my life and helped open my eyes to what I really wanted to do with my life. I am 44 years old going back to school to be able to help people that have been devasted during the pandemic with addiction whether it a new one, or one that had been at bay until they were mandated to stay home. With this scholarship it would help me tremendously I would be so gratefully blessed.

I am going to school to better myself and advance my education. I am a recovering addict I have been where many addicts are at and where so many people struggling find themselves at this moment. I just celebrated five years clean in October. For me, that is a huge milestone and an even greater achievement. I have been an addict from the time I was 13 I grew up in a house of addicts, my mom my stepdad, and everyone around them at the time. It was the only thing I knew. so, from about 13 up to when I was 39 and found out I was pregnant with my 7th child. By that time, I had buried one child and the other five were taken from me because I could not get it my life together. I spent time in prison ,5 1/2 years. Then so many more in and out of jail and juvenile hall with numerous treatments along the way. After getting sober it took me a few years before I even thought about going to school, then at around 4 years sober I started talking to my husband about it. I knew what I wanted to do; I want to help others. I want to show them it is possible to recover and show them the life they can have. I know it is not an easy road and they need help along the way. I understand a lot of people won’t get it on their first try but I have faith the everyone can get it eventually, if they put their heart into it. I am living proof that it is possible. When people ask me what I am going to school for, I tell them A bachelor’s in science for Correctional Support Services with my major in addiction counseling. One of the best things about my degree is that I can work with teenagers and adults that struggle. I have been a teen and an adult myself struggling with addiction. I wish could save everyone; I know that is not possible. I want to start educating people on addiction at a young age and let them know they have choices. That they don't have to be pressured or bullied into using drugs or alcohol. I want them to know that they don't have to numb there feeling or act out, that there are people that can help them in a judgment free zone. I am hoping to get this scholarship to help me to help others, that is my goal in life is to help people. I am currently working for a nonprofit that helped me in the beginning of my recovery journey. I was homeless and desperate, they put a roof over my head and food in my belly. So, when I graduated the program, I started volunteering, giving back when I could either with hosting or food for the families. Which turned into a job that I love. I know in my heart that this scholarship will go to the person that deserve it most. I also understand that it might not be me. I truly want to thank you for taking the time to read what I truly want out of life.