This is Cherie.
Many
of you, who have followed the work of Stepping Stones over the years, will know
her. If you haven’t yet met Cherie or heard her story - here it is.
I first met Cherie ten years ago at the Stepping Stones drop
in. She was pregnant with her second child, nowhere to live and alone. Safe housing and meeting the needs of her
children were a daily struggle. Cherie
realized she had hit rock bottom and no longer had the ability to rescue
herself. In that moment, she decided to contact Stepping Stones and thus
started her journey with us. We helped her find housing and provided a safe
community for Cherie and her children to be loved and accepted.
In 2007, Cherie was one of nine young mothers who attended
our first cycle of Thrive, a life-skills program developed through the support
of World Vision. During the Thrive
program, Cherie learned much needed skills to help keep herself stable for a
better future with her family. To date,
we have 40 Thrive graduates, with 85% of them working or in school. We are
currently at the beginning of a new Thrive cycle, with seven young mothers
ready for the challenge to change their lives for the better.
We are pleased to report that Stepping Stones and Vancity
Guildford branch have developed a strong partnership in Surrey this past
year. Vancity Guildford helped us with
crucial fundraising and with practical and applicable financial literacy
training for our young mothers in Thrive.
Recently, we received very exciting news!
Vancity agreed to hire a Thrive grad and
train them as a Financial Service Representative at the Guildford branch.
Vancity is a living wage employer, meaning employees are paid according to the
cost of living. This goes beyond minimum wage, allowing people to properly
support their families and is based on the actual costs of living in specific
communities. This is another step towards reducing poverty in the lives of our
clients.
I immediately thought of Cherie who was busy balancing life
working at the mall, volunteering with Stepping Stones, and raising her
kids! It is with much gratitude in my
heart to tell you that Cherie was hired in June and is now working at Vancity
as a Financial Service Representative. Cherie sees this opportunity as a miracle
because she has been trying to get into the Financial Industry for years with
no success. This vital partnership has
directly helped Cherie provide for her family.
Through Thrive and this amazing opportunity with Vancity,
Cherie was able to realize her assets and strengths and put them to use. We are
thankful for the partnership with Vancity and their commitment to making a
difference in their community.
We at Stepping Stones are looking forward to future
employment opportunities for other Thrive grads with Vancity and potentially
other business partners in the community.
Cherie’s story is great encouragement for us and we love that we get to
share it with you!
