By Stephanie Harris, Executive Director
“Back to school” is here again, but we really never stop learning. B.B. King once said, “Education is the one thing no one can take away from you.”
We promote education here at New Beginnings, and learning is easiest when the student is not fighting for survival. Our clients are survivors.
For Anna, life has been difficult. This brave woman grew up in foster care, buried her husband after a tragic motorcycle accident, and suffered terrible domestic violence. Then the single mother was diagnosed with colon cancer.
Anna and her 2 daughters
God brought her to New Beginnings.
She would be quick to say she’s been learning all along. But the resulting growth has picked up pace now that she has a home for her daughters and has stopped worrying whether or not they will eat each day.
“God gave us a safe place to finally heal,” Anna says. Please read about Anna’s scholarship through a local dental assistance program and about her college plans for 2019.
She’s not alone. Lisa, Jeremy and Lisa enrolled in college this month and Brandy, Scott and Linda meet regularly with a tutor in pursuit of a GED® certification.
Regardless of individual education goals, every resident in our homeless rehabilitation program must attend daily life skill classes each weekday morning, two hours per day.
To clarify, we don’t insist on education for education’s sake. We see how it fundamentally improves income potential, so that our clients and residents can earn a livable wage. Education helps people know how to steward what they’ve received. And the right education can empower people to give back so that they can, in turn, help others.
Thank you for supporting New Beginnings with your dollars, your prayers and your time. God uses you to answer the prayers of people like Anna.