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Overview

I need back to school clothes for my granddaughter who is starting high school. This includes clothes, socks, shoes, boots, a coat, and underwear. I want to remove as many barriers as I can in her development and confidence building and believe that providing her with the basic necessities to fit in with her classmates will help her focus her attention more on school. My granddaughter has been on the Honor Roll the past four years and I feel she deserves this but I am just unable to provide it for her.

My goal is to ensure that my granddaughter has the fundamentals and confidence to succeed in high school. 

I think of myself mostly as a caregiver since I have raised my one granddaughter on my own and assist when I can with my other nine grandchildren.

Right now, my biggest challenge is providing for my family after losing my job due to serious health concerns. I am a 56 year old grandmother of ten grandchildren, one of which I have raised for the past 15 years. After I pay all of our bills at the end of the month there isn't any money left to provide for additional life necessities such as school clothes and supplies for my granddauther.

I am a 56 year old grandmother with ten grandchildren one of which I am raising.  She is 15 years old and I've been raising her since she was a baby. A few years ago, I lost my job of over 20 years as a legal secretary due to an extreme health condition that prevented me from working.

Since losing my job, I have used my life savings to support my family. Unfortunately that money has run out and I now recieve support  through disablity and my granddaughter receives SSI for her learning disability. While this support is helpful in getting us by, after I pay all of our bill at the end of the month there isn't any money left to do or purchase purchase much else.

I just returned to college after 40 years to persue a degree in Culinary Arts. Getting back into the workforce is important in helping provide for my family. I was skeptical about going back to school at my age, but in my first semester I received an A in Political Science and a B in acting class. This is great motivation for me to keep going, and I am excited about my future in the field.

I've worked at jobs including Legal Secretary for 20 years, I served in the US Army for 2 years, and was an Army Wife for 10 years prior to that.

Watch Jeanette's video

Validated

Validated by Jeanette from Starfish Family Services (What does this mean?)

I met Meeka when she contacted me to inquire about becoming a participant in our Community Finance Center. Meeka is a responsible grandmother and caregiver willing to do whatever it takes to provide the best for her family. She is working with me to figure out the best plan of action to access resources to support her family while she's in school and out of work. Her ultimate goal is to get back into the workforce so she can ensure the future success of her granddaughter.

Helping meet Meeka's need will allow her granddaughter to go to school with confidence which is important as a teenager. I'm sure knowing that her granddaughter has this edge will help relieve some stress in Meeka's world and allow her to focus on getting back into the workforce so she can continue to provide for her family. 

About Jeanette

I am a Financial Literacy Coach at Starfish Family Services. My work involves assisting clients with budgeting, credit repair debt reduction, getting on the road to purchasing a home, assisting with starting a small business. What I like about my job is that the work I do impacts not only the… Read more