Celebrating Our Recent Graduates
A few weeks ago we celebrated five moms who have completed their time in Fellowship Housing and are moving on to their new legacy! We are so incredibly proud of these women and their fierce love for their kids that drives them to build a new future.
We are so grateful for our generous friends and partners that help to create a meaningful celebration for our graduates: Willow Creek South Barrington provided a beautiful space to host the event; Food for Friends provided a delicious meal and served it for both the adults and kids; Alyssa Murdock provided great photography; Ed Burton provided tech support; the Desouza family provided gift bags for the moms; our childcare volunteers included Vickesha, Renee, Mariellen, Kathy and Reegan. Two of the childcare volunteers were program graduates who came back to serve current families.
It was a beautiful, encouraging and joy-filled celebration because of all the support provided by each of these groups and individuals.
Here are some quotes from these amazing moms:
"Getting notes of appreciation on days like valentines or mothers day–I cried every time because I was never celebrated on holidays. Not even during my marriage. I am floored by the fact that there are such kind hearted and beautiful people out there, people that take the time to recognize people they don’t even know."
"I was very nervous about my housing situation. With rent as much or more than a mortgage, and a bankruptcy on my record, I thought I was doomed to burn through my savings paying for a place I didn’t want to live in. But instead, I was able to find a townhome I love near positive family members, in a good school district. "
“I’m hard working and I will make sure that I give my kids what they need. As of right now, I hold the keys to open the doors for me and my children. I make things happen because I am a strong individual and I don’t wait for thing to happen to me. I do it.”
"My kids and I are now stress-free and I fully enjoy life. I no longer have to work nights and weekends because I know how to budget my money. My kids are happy and I couldn’t ask for more."
"My dream for the future is to continue growing my savings and to pass on my financial knowledge to my children."
"My main goal for this program was to not only feel independent and stable, but also for my family to feel that stability. I wanted to show them that despite having an unplanned pregnancy with a not so great guy, I could raise an awesome human. I also wanted to be able to go to the grocery store, and NOT have to check my bank account to make sure I had enough money to pay for what we need. My last goal was to not have to ask my older sister for money. How am I doing now? I am happy to say I am completely credit card debt free, and I managed to pay off $20,000 towards my student loans. I also have a zero balance with my sister. I even managed to add a few thousand dollars to my savings account."
