I'm raising money for basic needs.

About me.

I am originally from New York, but have been living in California since 1978. I am now settled in Union City, in the East Bay. I have five adult children - only one of whom is still living with me. My past job history includes secretarial and retail jobs, work in an assisted living facility's Alzheimer's Unit and in home hospice care, as well as a couple of years volunteering at the American Cancer Society's Thrift Store.

My backstory.

I was involved for 12 years with a partner who often committed domestic violence. When I finally left that abusive situation in 2006, I was a single parent of two young children and had nowhere to live. I was working then, but not making enough to support myself. I needed a second income just to pay for housing. As hard as it was to admit, I needed help and reached out to Abode Services (then known as the Tri-City Homeless Coalition). With Abode's help, my kids and I moved into Sunrise Village Emergency Shelter. There, I got the boost I needed to get into permanent housing and have stability for my children and me.

Fast forward to today - I am in stable affordable housing, my son has moved out on his own and is doing well; my incredible daughter completed school and is now a medical assistant. Unfortunately, though I was gainfully employed for many of the 10 years since my first contact with Abode, I have suffered from some medical issues that have not allowed me to work for more than a year. I was not impaired enough to receive SSI and didn't have health care coverage to get the medical support I needed. So at this moment, I have very minimal income and mujst rely on my daughter for basic needs. Additionally, I need extensive (unaffordable) dental work and the current state of my teeth makes it hard for me to move forward with my professional options because of pain, discomfort, and a lack of confidence in my appearance when seeking employment interviews.

My goals, moving forward.

Physically, I am on the mend, receiving the medical attention I need, and am ready to start looking for work. I hate depending on my daughter for housing and everyday needs and am anxious to return to work in any of the following fields: healthcare, human resources or helping.

Receiving dentures and having a healthy mouth and smile will give me the boost I need to re-engage with the workforce, find employment, and once again become the self sufficient woman I have been in the past.

Other things I'd like to share about myself.

That's an easy one - my children! I am the proud mother of four sons and one daughter - all of whom are happy, healthy, and gainfully employed in careers they love. I am at my happiest when spending time with my children, their families and my siblings and extended family. I would love to have a job that would allow me to support myself, and have a little extra money to make a return trip back to New York where much of my extended family still lives.

I am a people person, eager to be employed, productive, and giving back to a community that has supported my family and me during some very hard times.