At Brother Bill’s Helping Hand, helping our neighbors set goals for their future is a big focus of what we do – and a crucial part of meeting those goals is helping them attain the skills they will need along the way. Whether it’s how to write a resume or build a family budget, we help put families on the track toward long-term success.
And speaking of goals, this North Texas Giving Day, we’ve set an ambitious one for ourselves. We are working to raise $250,000 to continue to ensure the essentials of life, empower through learning, and enrich relationships through faith, family, fitness, and finance – and we need your help to do it!
With your support, BBHH is able to stabilize families and set them up for a successful future. As Adriana Amaya, Director of Programs, explains, “The impact we are able to generate goes beyond empowering and educating just the person who participates in our programs, since what they learn then extends to the whole family.”
One of our critical programs impacting families is Pathways, an eight-week program that teaches women the skills necessary to find and keep a job–including computer basics, resume building, interview techniques and time management. Many of the women we serve through this program are the head of their household, so securing work is vital to supporting their families.
“Pathways educates, motivates, and empowers women with the tools and resources to eliminate any doubt, low-self-esteem, and lack of confidence they may have,” continues Adriana. “One of the most important parts is the Bible study as ladies learn to be dependent on God and rely on His purpose for their future.”
Since Pathways began in 2003, we have been able to give 212 neighbors a hand up through employment. Approximately 72% of women who go through Pathways find new jobs and/or continue their education after graduating from the program – and that includes 8 out of 25 employees here at BBHH, who were once Pathways participants themselves!
Pathways has been so empowering for women like Karina, a West Dallas native. She’s a mom of two teens who says she lived for many years feeling powerless as a result of problems within her marriage. After learning about BBHH through social media, she decided to check out the Pathways program – which she now says completely turned her life around. Through classes covering resume building and interview skills, Karina was inspired to turn her dreams and hopes into goals.
“From the first day of class I realized God had placed me there and I knew I was in the right place at the right time,” Karina explains.
On her final day in the course, she had a real interview for an open position with our partners at BridgeBuilders. The very next week, they contacted her with the good news that she had been hired – and she’s happily working for BridgeBuilders today!
As Karina says, “I will forever be grateful for this amazing program, for the wonderful teachers and beautiful ladies I met, and for all the support and love given to us during and after the program.”
Because finding employment is just one ingredient of a stable, successful life, BBHH offers a number of additional resources – including financial literacy classes, which take all students back to the basics of money management to set a strong financial foundation.
Adriana remembers the story of a recent client, Teresita, who came into the financial literacy classes with one goal: to buy a house. Through the 6-week module, which focused on topics including Building a Savings, Credit, and Investing 101, she learned that she needed to set smaller goals to set her family on the path to homeownership. When Teresita finished the Financial Literacy courses, she attended one of our Home Buying Workshops – and she says she now feels more empowered and motivated to accomplish her big goal than ever before.
Adriana points to the long-term impact that financial literacy classes in particular have on our neighbors in the West Dallas community, saying “Participants learn about topics that can benefit the whole family. Achieving homeownership, for example, produces a change that goes from generation to generation.”
This North Texas Giving Day, thanks to matching donations from The Harry W. Bass Foundation, Atmos Energy, the BBHH Board of Directors, and an anonymous donor, every dollar you give will be DOUBLED until we reach our $250,000 goal. That means you can have an even more significant impact helping set neighbors like Karina and Teresita up for the future through our job training programs and financial literacy courses!
Will you make a gift on September 21, North Texas Giving Day, to help us reach our $250,000 goal? Your generosity is vital for our community!
*Names have been changed to protect the privacy of our neighbors