“What have we done lately?”
“Are we doing enough?”
“Can we do
more
?”
These are questions we ask ourselves at Family PASS all the time. So every once in a while we try to step back and make sure we’re not losing sight of the big picture for each of our clients: financial self-sufficiency.
Unfortunately, everyone faces adversity in their lives at one time or another. Most of us have a support network to help us through bad times. Clients who come to Family PASS have faced it daily and alone. The stress is palpable on both clients and staff. So we do have to remind ourselves of the successes and the progress of our clients. It keeps us pushing forward. We want to share those successes with our supporters and some of the challenges.
Sometimes there are “bumps” in the road to success.
Jane
Jane is a superstar. She has a day job as a health care worker, making little over minimum wage. She has two small children and she’s taking classes at night to earn her Licensed Practical Nursing degree so she can get a full time job at higher pay. Family PASS helped her secure a car and get her driver’s license so she could pursue her education while working. She’s almost finished with her studies, gets A’s in all her classes and has a full time job offer pending completion of her program.
And then…one of life’s “bumps” hit.
Years ago she had a roommate who she found out was doing something illegal. She moved out and the roommate agreed to continue paying the rent until the lease was up. Of course she
did – not. Fast forward six years and Jane finds out 25% of her wages are being garnished. The roommate is nowhere to be found so the landlord put the burden on her. With a 25% reduction in an already low paycheck, Jane would not be able to keep up rent on her apartment, pay for gas to get to work and finish her nursing program. She called her Family PASS case manager who was able to successfully negotiate with the landlord to eliminate the interest and penalties, remove the garnishing order, and settle with the landlord.
Jane’s success is your success.
For each person, each family, each organization that has supported Family PASS, you can feel you were there helping Jane at every step along the way. What did your donation do – specifically? Among other things,
- It helped pay for Jane’s tuition.
- It helped pay for driving lessons.
- It provided diapers for her youngest child.
- It paid for gas to get from job to daycare to school.
And most importantly, it helped Jane gain the confidence and determination to say “goodbye” to Family PASS.
There are more than thirty families in our system right now and we are taking on new clients every week. We are helping clients face adversity together. We - you - are the helping hand. We ask that you continue to support us with a donation; consider making a monthly pledge.
We know checks are old-fashioned but we want you to know that when you make a payment through PayPal or other credit card, the vendor takes a percentage of your donation. If you still remember how to write a check, we encourage you do so. Checks can be mailed to:
Family PASS
2740 Chain Bridge Road, Suite 123
Vienna, VA 22181
If PayPal is more convenient please continue to use it by hitting the Donate Button below.
Thank you again for all your support.
