I'm raising money for food and clothing so I can provide myself food**.

Why I'm using HandUp for food and clothing.

Even though I'm working, I'm still low-income and have other expenses, like rent and utility bills that take up the majority of my income.

** NOTE TO DONORS: We value your donations, and respect your intention to support people in need with their specific fundraising goals. On occasion, the immediate needs or an emergency may arise, and a Participant might require support in another way for safety, health, housing, or employment. As such, your donation may be used for an immediate basic need not mentioned in the above goal, such as groceries, health costs, or housing support. Any changes will always be approved in advance by PHC Staff. We will provide up to date information on how these funds are being used through an update on HandUp. By making a donation to this campaign, you are confirming your approval of this potential change. If you have any questions, or do not wish that your donation be used for any alternative goals, please contact PHC staff directly.

We greatly appreciate your support to our Participants!

About me.

I'm from Columbia, South Carolina. I moved here to the Bay Area in 1998, so this August I will have lived here in this city for 16 years. I started off doing work study at Golden Gate University where I was obtaining a BA, and then got another position at a construction management job as Executive Assistant for three years. I was laid off, and pretty much since then I have been doing temporary assignment jobs in the Administrative Assistant career. I do a bunch of volunteering in my free time. I volunteer at Laguna Honda Hospital and Rehabilition Center, where I have been for five years. I go every Tuesday to transport patients to the chapel to have service, then I transport them back to their rooms so they can lunch. I also volunteer there on-call with their team NODA - No One Dies Alone. Basically, I sit with patients who are about to pass, to provide them some company and confort. I also volunteer at the SPCA, helping with dog walking, pet adoption, feedings, trainings, etc. I also volunteer at San Francisco Public Library, where I have been tutoring for about five years in their Project Read program for adult literacy.

My backstory.

I became a legal caregiver for my godmother in 2011. She was living in Section 8 housing, and passed away in 2013 of pheumonia. Her case manager promised me that even in the case that she passed away, I still would have secure housing for up to 6 months. However, the housing complex only gave me 30 days to move out, which left me homeless. I stayed in a shelter for a month, and then found transitional housing with a program where I stayed for a year and two months. I found myself homeless again, living on the streets and couch surfing.

My goals, moving forward.

My main goal right now is education. I am currently taking a summer class in Spanish, just to learn another language. In the fall starting August 17th, I will be at City College again. Through the Mission Hiring Hall, I was accepted to a construction administration program. I am hoping to get back into the construction work. The books are free and so will tuition, but I need to have some type of electronic device so I can do my homework for school.

Currently, I'm working towards an Associates of Arts in English and Psychology. I am hoping to complete this in 2016, then in 2017 I will be at UC Berkeley working towards my Bachelors of Arts in English and Psychology. Hopefully, I will complete that in 2018. I am planning on getting my PhD in child psychology and my EDD in early childhood education.

Other things I'd like to share about myself.

Recently, I finally got my passport which I am excited about. I will finally get to travel the world like my siblings, I'm tired of being the only one who has not been able to do so (they were all able to because of military). Getting accepted into the program at City College has also been so exciting for me, because it was very hard. Out of 100 or so candidates, they could only pick 30!