Pathway of Hope | You Helped Angelique Achieve Her Dreams
Angelique first came to The Salvation Army several years ago for help with her family’s electric bill. She was also ill with a rare autoimmune disorder. With her illness weighing heavily on her, Angelique was close to giving up her search for a job. During that time, she was also denied SSI. With nowhere else to turn, she was presented with The Salvation Army's Pathway of Hope initiative. In just a few short months, Angelique's goals went from joining The Pathway of Hope with aspirations of obtaining a job so she can be approved for SSI, to earning her CNA degree.
That’s how she met Janette Romero, our Pathway of Hope coordinator. Janette guided Angelique in finding the right doctor, and she is now in partial remission. Just as important, at the Pathway of Hope, Angelique received guidance and support to build a better life for her family.
This program encourages clients to pursue both short- and long-term objectives. One of Angelique’s goals was to become a certified nursing assistant (CNA). At first, Angelique faced setback after setback. “I was really depressed,” she recalls. “But Janette said, ‘No, we’re not giving up hope.’ She kept saying, ‘What do you need to do next?’”
Angelique persisted and finally got into a CNA program in January 2020 – right before COVID struck. Despite the shutdown, she earned her certification. “But I was petrified. People were dying. CNAs were dying.” She had to be extra careful due to her health issues.
Ultimately, Angelique found a good-paying position. She's currently thriving in her new position and has been assigned challenging assignments and has thoroughly impressed her employers with her attention to detail and her willingness to go above and beyond. Angelique has now graduated from the Pathway of Hope and has achieved her second major goal: fulfilling a promise she made to her daughter to take her to Disney World for a “princess makeover”!
Without the support she received, says Angelique, “I would have given up.” Thank you for making success stories like this possible!
