Two Graduations in Record Time, One great Graduation Party!
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“There is no place like home”.
That is the feeling you get when you see Scott and Kathy moving into their new home. The windy road took Scott and Kathy a long way. Scott obtained a full time position as a District Manager at the Sun Gazette. Kathy continued to work on her GED and even starting doing a few paper routes of her own. Less us not forget Nathan. On one of his last days in the network he came in from school and announced “I am in a AP class this year!” You could see the pride in himself and on the faces of Scott and Kathy.
Little Eddie holds a photo album of his time at Family Promise. Time, his parents say was a life saver for them. Time, that volunteers at Family Promise will not forget. 
We watched as the whole family, Jade, Ed and little Eddie grew in the program and successfully graduated into their own apartment. We watched little Eddie grow as he started to crawl and finally took his first steps. We watched as Ed worked hard to find employment that challenged him and fit with his passion in life, computers. We watched as Jade worked towards going back to school and developing a stronger future for her whole family. Through all the challenges placed before them, they came out on top and started their next journey as a family in their own place.
There is nothing better than having a place to call home, unless of course you can add a few perks to it along the way. 
Kendra came to us a shy, mother of 3 fun loving little characters. They shared our 1st Christmas with us at St. Lawrence. She left us with confidence and success. Kendra obtained her GED just as she was leaving Family Promise. She was later names “Women of the Year” at her local church. While living in Journey House, she obtained part time employment and started to pursue college. We can’t take credit for her accomplishments, we just want to share in the excitement of her reaching her goals.
Jeff came to Family Promise with one prayer, “Secure housing for him and his teenage son”. With lots of hard work and dedication, he did more than just that. Due to their new living arrangement, Jeff and his son had to redevelop their father/son relationship under uncertain and unconventional situations. This proved to be no problem for the two as they worked hard to be successful. Jeff obtained full time employment and his drivers license. With a little help from local agencies, he obtained a used car and even opened a bank account. Robert, his son, decided that he would give college a try so he took the SATs, navigated his way through the FAFSA and is filling out college applications. When they found out that they were moving to Montgomery, Robert wanted to get involved in some way since he would not be transfering schools in the middle of his senioryear. He started helping with the Montgomery Elementary Odyssey of the Minds teams as a volunteer assistant coach. Jeff and Robert were both excited and embarrasses when St. Ann’s Church and Church of the Resurrection decided to have a house warming party for them. Although they were extremely greatful for all of their gifts, they couldn’t resist giving the Director a difficult time. It was never a dull moment at the day center or at the church when Jeff and Robert are around.
The best thing about staying with
Family Promise according to Jeff is
“the love, respect and dignity shown by
everyone from Staff to Volunteers”.
Stephanie is a single mom with three small children. When she came to Family Promise, she did not work and was unsure where to turn. 
Coming to our program was the last thing she had in mind when she moved to Pennsylvania.
But she knew she had to do something for her baby’s. She was determined to do whatever she had to do to keep them safe.
Throughout her stay in the program, she was able to secure two jobs, obtain needed benefits and medical care, she worked on obtaining her GED and successfully found an apartment for her and her family. Stephanie worked hard to save money and find safe and stable housing for her family.
She was so proud the day she left Family Promise and moved into her own apartment. This was her place and she did it on her own.
“I learned how to be independant”, stated Stephanie when she left the program and moved into her own apartment. “The only thing that was difficult about Family Promise was leaving after feeling at home”. Stephanie and her children are never far from the thoughts of all the congregations she came to stay with. She will always be part of the Family Promise family as we hope to always be part of her family.
Lisa is a single mom with one child at home. Lisa worked hard throughout her stay in the program to find employment, obtain needed services for her and her son, and find safe and affordable housing. Lisa moved into her own place just before Thanksgiving. 
Today, Lisa still stops by the Day Center every couple of weeks to see the Director and the volunteers. She remains involved connected to the program and continues to remain independent as a result of all of her own hard work and the hard work done by all the Family Promise volunteers.