Allegheny County, PA

Carla Brown was nominated by Pittsburgh Community Services, Inc. (PCSI). Carla Brown, a Pittsburgh resident, mother, and grandparent, has struggled to regain self-sufficiency due to a serious auto accident. Carla obtained services from PCSI in 2022. As a full-time student at Duquesne University, Carla seeks to begin a new chapter in her life upon graduation with a new professional occupation and new housing.

Bucks County, PA

Isha Gundy was nominated by Bucks County Opportunity Council. Isha is a single mom with one child, who came to the Bucks County Opportunity Council (BCOC) seeking assistance with housing. She was working full-time but not earning enough to make ends meet. BCOC was able to help her move into an apartment, stabilize, and establish a workable budget with financial assistance and supportive services to help her accomplish goals. Isha’s dream was to own her own specialty desserts business.

Northumberland County, PA

Jasmine Acree was nominated by Central Susquehanna Opportunities, Inc. (CSO). Jasmine and her two daughters moved to the Central Region of PA in 2020. Shortly after her move she began receiving employment and training services at CSO to help gain new work skills and experiences. She worked with a wellness coach to gain confidence and change her perspective on life. After a brief paid work experience at CSO, she became a full-time employee as support staff in the Emergency Rental Assistance Program.

York County, PA

Jennifer Mentzer was nominated by Community Progress Council. Jennifer enrolled her daughter in Community Progress Council’s Head Start program just after everything changed in 2020. Suddenly, Jennifer was focused on just getting by, caring for her five kids while her husband worked full-time. As part of enrollment in Head Start, Jennifer was connected with a Family Coach who began to work one-on-one with the family to identify and reach their goals. Jen started by completing her online high school diploma in February 2022 with financial support from Community Progress Council. This opened the door for her to apply for CPC’s Head Start apprenticeship program, which provides hands-on learning experience through paid time in the classroom under the guidance of experienced teachers, as well as paid time to complete studies toward a CDA credential.

Lycoming- Clinton Counties, PA

Karin Fields was nominated by Lycoming-Clinton Counties Commission for Community Action (STEP), Inc. Karin is a single mother who entered the Work Ready Program in the Summer of 2021. From the very start of her enrollment, Karin's goal was to obtain employment and support her family independently. Karin first obtained employment with Muncy School District but was not provided full-time hours, and most weeks were below 20 hours.

Somset County, PA

Kashiss Hay was nominated by Tableland Services, Inc. Kashiss reached out to Tableland Services, Inc. after couch surfing for several weeks. He had run out of options and was faced with sleeping in his car. Kashiss was enrolled in the PHARE NextGen Youth Supportive Housing Program. He was a senior in high school and was working at a local grocery store. Kashiss struggled with family support and had a strained relationship with his stepmother. During his time in the housing program, he continued to work at the grocery store, and was able to finish his senior year.

Northumberland County, PA

Kathy Zak was nominated by Central Susquehanna Opportunities, Inc. (CSO). Kathy came to CSO in June of 2021 after her son passed away and she received custody of her two grandchildren. Kathy had to stop working due to lack of childcare for her grandchildren. She was immediately faced with supporting her grandchildren as they adapted mentally, obtaining their social security cards and birth certificates, registering them for school, getting them school clothes, complying with children and youth, navigating custody hearings, and applying for housing assistance.

Lancaster County, PA

Leidy Gomez was nominated by Community Action Partnership of Lancaster County. In 2019, Leidy was a new mother to twins, Alana and Alayns. The next year and in the height of the Covid pandemic, Leidy graduated with honors, from City College of New York for teaching. Leidy was unable to work for 2 years. She moved from New York to Lancaster, PA with her daughters and her sister. Leidy did not have anyone to care for her children so that she could work. In the fall of 2020, Leidy applied and was accepted to Community Action Partnership of Lancaster’s Parent Corps program to work in Thrive to Five.

Allegheny County, PA

Melvina Findley was nominated by Pittsburgh Community Services Inc. Melvina is a single mother of three children. She had previously been fully employed as a home health aide, which is a profession she thoroughly enjoys. Unfortunately, in 2012, she was injured at her job and had other health issues and had to take a step back from working to improve her physical health. She began receiving cash assistance to support her and her family. This was not something she envisioned and was determined to enter back into the workforce.

Montgomery County, PA

Manuh Kanu was nominated by Along the Way. Manuh grew up in the foster system and group homes. She became a mother at the age of 20, with hopes of not repeating the cycle. Over the next couple of years, she became a mother to 2 additional children. She soon found herself a single parent with no help, no guidance & no family to fall back on. She then found Along the Way as a supportive resource. Childcare workers came to her home so she could begin working part-time. Eventually, she became a certified nurse’s aide. She then decided to go back to school at the age of 31 with the help of Along the Way. She went to nursing school full-time during the day, while her children were at school, and worked full-time, in a combination of 2nd/3rd/weekend shifts as a CNA in a residential living facility.

Bucks County, PA

Paulina Ron was nominated by Bucks County Opportunity Council. Paulina Ron is a single mother with 3 children. The family is stably housed with a housing choice voucher. Paulina has always been a hard worker but with English as a second language, she found herself working in factories to provide for her family. Throughout her time in Bucks County Opportunity Council’s Economic Self-Sufficiency program, her English has greatly improved to allow employment in a childcare setting. Paulina is currently enrolled at Bucks County Community College for the Child Development Associate Certification and will receive her certificate in June.

Allegheny County, PA

Rico Carter was nominated by the Allegheny County Department of Human Services. In 2021, the Human Services Center Mon Valley received a written letter from Rico Carter who was serving a 22 to 45-year sentence. In the letter, Rico shared his background, experiences, accomplishments, goals, and asked for resources to successfully transition back to society after serving 22 years in prison.

Allegheny County, PA

Shakaya Carpenter was nominated by the Allegheny County Department of Human Services. In 2019, Shakaya Carpenter, a first-year student at the Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC), was referred by her community college advisor to the Human Services Center Mon Valley’s Supports for Success program. As a former foster youth who aged out of the foster-care system, Shakaya faced many obstacles throughout her life. Shakaya started receiving benefits, but struggled to manage her budget and was often behind on bills.

Fayette County, PA

Rachael Mitchell was nominated by Fayette County Community Action Agency, Inc. (FCCAA). Rachael came to FCCAA in January 2018 pregnant with her first son. Rachael knew about the services that FCCAA offered because she was an intern with the agency. She enrolled in two programs at that time, Nurse Family Partnership (NFP) and Women, Infants and Children (WIC) to assist her. She graduated from Penn State, Fayette Campus with a degree in Human Development and Family Studies and was briefly employed by FCCAA.

Allegheny County, PA

Marlisa Wallace was nominated by North Hills Community Outreach (NHCO). When Marlisa first came to NHCO, she had recently recommitted herself to sobriety after a brief relapse in her substance use recovery and was experiencing homelessness after leaving an abusive relationship. She knew she deserved better and was willing to work tirelessly to overcome barriers; however, homeless, with no job or transportation, Marlisa knew she needed a little extra assistance to get her where she wanted to be. With the support of NHCO’s self-sufficiency program, Marlisa tackled every challenge that came her way to find stable employment.

Allegheny County, PA

Dionna Weiser was nominated by North Hills Community Outreach. Dionna first came to North Hills Community Outreach (NHCO) via a partner agency. She was being evicted and eventually was homeless. Due to the pandemic and some health issues, she had less hours at work as a home health aide and was barely making enough money to meet her basic needs. Originally, she came in for a referral to the food pantry and assistance with an electric bill for the place she ultimately had to leave.

York County, PA

Lissuannette Rivera-Mercado was nominated by Community Progress Council. Lissuannette is a wife and mother of three kids. Lissuannette has a history of hardships, balancing jobs to make ends meet. She eventually found a job at Boost Mobile where she started developing customer service and interpretation skills. She finished her associate degree from HACC and began working for AmeriCorps. While the monthly payment did not cover her expenses, she knew that the experience at AmeriCorps was valuable and could help her find a better opportunity.