It was the Seacoast Family Promise Splash into Summer event 2024, and both current and former families joined in a day of food, fun, and the opportunity to receive needed summer supplies for camps and outdoor fun. All were laughing and talking, completely oblivious to the fact that their lives had been full of hardships, they did not see themselves that way.
There was one little girl doing her own thing though. She was not quite old enough to hit the slide, but her smile could light up an airplane hangar. Bouncing around the various stations, chasing the occasional ball (her absolute favorite thing), giggling infectiously, and having the time of her life.
Her mother, Gloria, a former Seacoast Family Promise guest, came to the program seven years ago as a single mom. She had lost her apartment due to rising rental costs and was encouraged to reach out to Seacoast Family Promise. There she found the shelter she had yearned for - and, more than that, stability for herself and her daughter.
“They welcomed me in,” she said. “I was able to stay and get myself back on my feet and rebuild my finances.”
Though her stay was relatively brief - just three months - it proved to be enough to get her life squared away. She kept moving forward and worked in her job as a licensed LNA, balancing motherhood and the seeds of a nursing career she always wished for.
“They welcomed me in,” she said. “I was able to stay and get myself back on my feet and rebuild my finances.”
Now, in 2024, watching her newest family member, Nina, who will turn two this summer, zigzag across the lawn she reveals that the nursing goal is now far more attainable. She began her RN program this April.
“The RN program is not easy,” she said. “My classmates voted me President of the class, which I am honored by but it’s a lot of work, too.”
That’s okay; Gloria is no stranger to difficult tasks. She was at rock bottom and through will and determination - and with the help of Seacoast Family Promise - emerged stronger. As she looks to the future, she can see her RN degree within striking distance for the first time.
And, even sweeter? If things continue in the direction they are going, she will graduate at the same time as her oldest daughter, who will graduate from high school. They had both endured that low point seven years ago and both have continued to study, learn, and ensure long-term sustainability. They have built the foundation on which to build a better life together.
Then, mother and daughter, standing side by side with their degrees, will show the world: anything is possible.
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