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- Lorraine
- Tami
- Kyt
- Cheri
- Mary
- Sara
"My first day at WWEE was the first day of the rest of my life. I learned to
have hope...and I learned to believe in ME." |
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WWEE Success Stories
Sara is living proof that anything is possible with hard work and a little reassurance. Yet when Sara and her then-husband were evicted from their apartment in December of 2005, there were few, if any, options available for her. Sara suddenly found herself as a homeless, single parent, living in a car with her two children. The situation became so extreme that Sara was forced to trade her wedding ring for pizza so that she could feed her children.
Sara was introduced to WWEE while temporarily living at a motel in Purdy. The owners had the business card of a WWEE employee named Debi, whom Sara immediately called. Debi facilitated her intake and offered her exactly what she needed — encouragement and a little bit of help.
Sara enrolled in WWEE’s Pierce County REACH Plus program and graduated in February 2006. While at WWEE Sara learned valuable “hard” skills, such as Microsoft Office, along with “soft” skills, which included proper interaction in a business environment and effective goal-setting. After completing the program, Sara proudly stated, “I can nail any interview, and I learned that nothing can stop you!”
Since her graduation, Sara has been a walking, talking advertisement for WWEE. WWEE opens the doors to having a better life.” Sara recalls that “it’s easy to forget when things are bad that you were ever worth anything; you have to re-learn success.” In addition to helping herself, Sara believes that she has also set her own children, ages 9 and 11, up for success.
Sara is currently working as a file clerk for a company who offers benefits such as a 401K that she never thought she would receive. Sara notes, “I’m saving more money than I ever have in my entire life!” Although she loves her current job, Sara has called on another WWEE skill to further her ultimate career goal of starting her own fashion design company.
Sara’s class was visited by a WWEE volunteer and broker for the Edward Jones Investment Company. She met with him to develop a comprehensive business plan that utilizes the tools she learned at WWEE, and has prepared herself for the challenges of owning her own business. Sara’s dream is quickly becoming a reality; she has already received her design labels and is currently sending her patterns out to sewing factories. She reflects, “I have gone from having absolutely nothing to being well on my way to my dream career.”
For the privacy and safety of our participants names have been changed and photos have been omitted.
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Copyright© 2007 Washington Women's Employment & Education
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