Women’s Empowerment
Guest Blogger
As a Jesuit Volunteer at Women’s Empowerment,
I’ve had the opportunity to get to know many women who have
completed our program. I find myself constantly humbled by the
barriers they have overcome, and I am always aware of a sense of
gratitude for my own loving family.
Last week, I had a conversation with a former student named
Cheryl.
Cheryl spoke about how an addiction to crack cocaine had robbed her of her chance to be a mother for her kids. At first, “I was taking care of them, but I wasn’t taking care of them,” says Cheryl. “They had food on the table and a roof over their head, but Mama wasn’t really there.” Before long, she lost her home and her children.
Cheryl enrolled at Women’s Empowerment at the beginning of her
long road to recovery, because she knew she would need a strong
support system to sustain her. For the first time, she was able
to work with a social worker to process the trauma of a decade of
living on the streets. She found strength in solidarity with
women who struggled just like she did. She learned how to use a
computer and she signed up for an e-mail account. She still
relies on those basic skills she learned in class. After
completing our eight-week program, she followed the advice of her
volunteer mentor and enrolled at the Fremont Adult School. From
there, she joined the Sacramento Urban League. Cheryl now lives
in stable housing, works at Mary House, and comes in a few times
a week to catch up on e-mails, communicating regularly with the
teachers at her son’s school.
To me, Cheryl’s story is a reminder that poverty’s stubborn and
multi-faceted components can be overcome through attention from
all angles. Success comes when individuals make changes within
themselves, when community members support those individuals
through donations and volunteering, and when non-profits maintain
healthy partnerships.
On the day I spoke with Cheryl, her daughter was attending an
orientation to enroll in the next Women’s Empowerment session.
Her daughter stays with Cheryl on some days and on the couch of a
friend’s aunt on other days. She doesn’t use drugs, and really
wants to find a job and a stable home. Cheryl is happy to be a
positive presence in her daughter’s life once again.
At Women’s Empowerment, the stories of the women I meet infuse
perspective into my days. I experience a constant and
unmistakable gratitude for my upbringing in a loving, supportive
family.
I try, then, to “give back,” as they say… But I always encounter
this road block: every time I think to make a sacrifice – giving
up time, energy, money, attention, possessions – the situation at
hand takes control and lifts me up, with the result that I have
not, in fact, sacrificed anything. My heart actually grows like
the grinch’s, three sizes or more!
Becky is a recent college graduate spending this year as a member of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, working full-time for Women’s Empowerment, a job-readiness program for women who are homeless.
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