Dawn and Mark lived in a home with adequate space for a family of six. Dawn worked for a reputable company and celebrated a milestone of ten years of employment. Mark was employed and between their opposite work hours, they cared for their 16-year-old daughter, 13-year-old twin sons and their 6-year-old daughter.

Truth… Life revolves around personal choices. But sometimes the foundation we try to build crumbles. Without an intervention of strength, education and support from a community of mentors, a downward spiral continues…

Due to the state of the economy and poor choices made by her husband, Dawn and her four children were swiftly dropped into an abyss of financial and emotional crisis. After ten years of employment, Dawn was laid off from her job. During the same time period, her husband was sentenced to two years in prison. Lacking financial security, Dawn moved the family from their home to a small apartment. Between her job loss, her husband’s incarceration, the tight living space, and her 13-year-old twin sons’ health issues, Dawn was completely overwhelmed. Both of Dawn’s sons require medical care due to respective diagnoses of cerebral palsy and a shunt due to a brain hemorrhage at birth. Lacking resources and support, Dawn relied heavily on her sister’s help while searching for employment.

After six months of searching, Dawn found employment. While the income was not substantial, she surpassed the allowed amount to qualify for continued assistance for food and housing. The loss of food assistance, the increase in rent, and the stress involved with her son’s health issues pushed Dawn and her family to the edge of financial and emotional despair. Despite her employment, she could not catch up from a six month loss of income. She continued to fall further behind in her bills.

In addition to the multiple hurdles Dawn faced as a single parent, she needed to transport her sons to therapy four times per week. She did not have the financial resources to purchase, license, or transfer a vehicle title as required, but she felt it was her only option to make sure her sons did not miss therapy. Consequently, she was ticketed more than once for failure to provide insurance, and for driving without renewing the license for the vehicle. Dawn is awaiting a court sentencing and fully understands she may be incarcerated for failure to pay vehicle insurance and licensing.

Through the Genesis Project, Dawn has been linked to a team of mentors who are assisting her in making choices to regain her financial, emotional and family stability. Dawn is a conscientious worker and she has expressed gratitude for the mentors, education and support she has received. She has willingly made lifestyle changes, and she is working with her Genesis mentoring team to learn more about financial literacy, as well as increasing her awareness of resources and knowledge as a single parent. She shares that Genesis has been the answer she was praying for.