I’ve been employed with Wells Fargo now for over a year thanks to the BankWork$ training program, and have already gotten a promotion. I found not only my career at A New Leaf, but a chance to build a business and be my own boss. I’ve built a website, found manufacturers and shippers for my merchandise, and I feel good about it.
For the first time in her life, Stacy feels truly secure. She has a good, predictable job, financial security, and a stable home for her children. Stacy has finally achieved what she’s spent so much time and effort working towards.
But things haven’t always been so optimistic for Stacy. As a child she was in the foster system, bouncing from home to home, struggling to remain stable. In her senior year of high school, she turned eighteen prior to graduation, technically aging out of foster care.
“Every 3 months that year I would have to legally fight to stay in the system, to stay in my home, and I only had a year until I graduated.” As her home destabilized, Stacy’s grades began to drop and she felt emotionally drained every day. Eventually, she couldn’t do it anymore; she dropped out of high school and moved in with a friend. It wasn’t an easy time in her life, and Stacy struggled with poverty and homelessness.
Eventually Stacy married the love of her life, Scott, and settled down as a stay at home mother with their new daughter, Olivia. She worked part-time from home to help her new family pay the bills, and that provided more than enough at the time. But in fall of 2015, her husband was laid off from his job as an Electrician. “We were struggling to pay our utilities, our rent, to put food on the table. We got by for a little while, but we knew we needed a long-term solution.”
With a 3-year-old to care for, and few professional skills, finding a job that made sense for her was exceptionally difficult. Stacy worked a few minimum wage jobs, but the cost of childcare was more than she could make. She knew she needed to find a better job. Nearing Christmas and still without a reliable job, Stacy heard of a program at A New Leaf called BankWork$.
BankWork$ provides a vigorous and comprehensive training course for committed individuals, helping them to secure a job in the finance industry. The program covers essential skills needed to succeed in the financial sector, covering topics such as business etiquette, banking regulations, handling cash, and preparing for interviews. It even provides clothing and transportation assistance to people particularly in need.
“When I heard of the program, I knew I had to enroll. I wanted to provide for my family, and I knew BankWork$ would give me the step up I needed to do that.” After 8 weeks of courses, Stacy graduated as one of the top performing students in the class.
Immediately following her graduation, Stacy was strategically recruited by Wells Fargo, a close sponsor of the BankWork$ program. “I’ve been employed with Wells Fargo now for over a year thanks to the BankWork$ training program, and have already gotten a promotion” said Stacy.
Since securing her job and achieving stability, Stacy’s eyes have become set on her future. She is now building her own small business and plans to enroll in A New Leaf’s Center for Entrepreneurship, a program dedicated to helping women get their small businesses off the ground. “I found not only my career at A New Leaf, but a chance to build a business and be my own boss. I’ve built a website, found manufacturers and shippers for my merchandise, and I feel good about it.”
“I hope more people get involved with A New Leaf” Stacy said, reflecting on her experiences. “It helps so many people who are down and out get some control over their life and become a positive part of society. Anyone can come into one of A New Leaf’s programs and make something of themselves if they are willing to work. I sure did.”
