Intermountain CFC Success Stories

The following accounts were
submitted by participating CFC charities as examples of the good
that your gift can make possible. Whether you are a charity or a
federal worker who has benefited
from the services of a non-profit organization, we want to hear your
story! Please submit it to bjacobs(AT)uwnu(DOT)org.

Pathways

Girl Goes To College

Tamera’s excitement couldn’t be missed as she told her teacher, friend, and mentor, Jean, that she had just been awarded a four-year, full scholarship to go to college!  She was ecstatic.  Tamera credits the Utah Humanities Council’s Venture program for giving her the skills and confidence to challenge herself academically, for introducing her to this opportunity, and for encouraging her to apply. 

Tamera is slowly recovering from a serious illness and would like to attend the 2009 Venture graduation ceremony.  Even though she had to drop out because of her illness, her classmates wish to welcome her back to acknowledge her achievements. Finally, after a life of effort and setbacks, she is going to realize her dream of earning a college degree.  She has her husband’s full support to go to college full-time. “We’ll make it work,” she says.

For the first time in her life, Tamera will be able to focus on her own dreams.  Jean, Director of the Venture program, reflects, “I am proud that everyone involved with Venture—Jennifer, Rebecca, and the second-semester faculty—who encouraged Tamera to apply.  Most of all, I am in admiration of this brave woman who refused to let her most cherished dream die.”

Little Boy’s Dream Comes True
JC, 3, wished “to see Winnie the Pooh’s house.” However, his cancer was advancing with lightning speed, and with one leg already amputated, he had only weeks to live. “You must send them tomorrow,” said the oncology social worker, as she packed up syringes for the pain medication they would need over the next week. JC’s dad gave him an aspirin the first night by habit, but nothing more throughout the whole trip. Oddly, JC did not seem to be in pain, and the family’s vacation was full of joy. Many months later, they were celebrating his fourth birthday in amazement.

Although JC died six months after that celebration, his father wrote to Make-A-Wish Foundation: “Although we lost him, we wanted you to know that the trip we took for JC’s wish gave us other miracles. First of all, it saved our marriage…And then it reminded us that we had other children besides JC, and that they needed us too. On that trip we rediscovered the faith of our childhood which we needed for the months ahead. And after that trip was over, we had six months with JC that we never expected to have. Gradually those happy memories replaced the nightmares of his amputation and all the other horrors. It is those good memories we keep.”

Mentoring Helps Disabled Man Work
A young man in his late 20’s with a developmental disability had struggled to keep any job. He was placed on PARC’s federal custodial contract at Hill Air Force Base.  His supervisor complained that he wasn’t cleaning up to standards and he was easily distracted from his work.  He also had difficulty remembering the order in which he was to perform tasks. Thanks to donations from United Way he was assigned a job coach to work with him.

His job coach taught him to clean in the same order each day so he would not forget to do a task.  She helped him to clean more thoroughly and consistently.  She also helped him to focus on his job and not to visit with others around him while at work.  He has shown great improvement and is still working at the base after three years.

Girl Learns Valuable Skills 
I have only been a girl scout since this fall when school started, but it has been a trail through courage and fun. I am finding out who I am inside and learning who I want to be. Since I started Jr. Scouts I have learned a lot about sticking to things (my mom said this is called commitment). I used to get scared to try new things. I have a family with a lot of skills and I wanted to be like the rest of my family. I have learned that even when something is hard, if you keep trying you will finally do it right. I have also learned that people care about helping me learn to be successful. My mom, dad, sister and scout leader are willing to spend any amount of time needed to help me with my projects. When I work on my badges I see how what I'm learning relates to the people and things around me. I've learned to consider how I and the people around me feel when I make a right or wrong choice. Overall the best way to say what I've gotten out of girl scouting so far is a better idea of knowing how to be moral, feeling moral and acting moral. The Girl Scout Law and the Girl Scout promise taught me to be a moral person and I think that’s a pretty good thing for any girl to be.

Pro Bono Attorney wins case for Woman 
Anita had been illegally locked out of her home and forced to move without any notice.  When she tried to retrieve her personal belongings, she learned that her apartment had been broken into and several items were either missing or damaged.  It was later discovered by the local police that her former landlord had broken into her home and taken her property. The District Attorney’s office prosecuted the landlord and found him guilty. Yet, Anita’s troubles did not end there.  She was served with a complaint brought by this former landlord for $3,000 of alleged damages to the apartment mostly caused from the breaking and entering. 

A pro bono attorney through “And Justice for All” heard the facts of the case and saw the immediate need for representation.  Although the case was clearly frivolous and for a nominal sum of money, a self-represented litigant could have easily gotten lost in the court system and lost the case.  Fortunately, this attorney successfully defended Anita at trial and she no longer has worry about her personal safety.

Dedicated Volunteer Benefits from own Service 
Don Colcord of Nucla has volunteered with 9Health Fair for 27 years.  He is the owner of Apothecary Pharmacy and is the only pharmacist within 100 miles serving a large population of those suffering from health concerns.  For many people, Don is a lifesaver, but 14 years ago, it was his own life that was saved.

Don has emceed football games for 20 years.  By the end of the season, his voice would fade out significantly.  Sore throats persisted for months.  A volunteer physician at a 9Health Fair encouraged him to have his throat examined.  Further diagnosis resulted in a complete removal of his thyroid.
While Don is grateful for the help with his medical needs, and the community is grateful to Don for his years of service and dedication.

Single Mom Realizes Dream of Home Ownership 
Laurie is a single mom with two children. Even with a college education and a full-time job, she had a difficult time making ends meet and owning a home was a distant dream. Then Laurie heard about the Individual Development Account (IDA) program through a local agency. She learned that if she could start saving a little each month, she could earn a three-to-one match on her savings.

Laurie completed a basic financial management class and was able to open and IDA account to start saving for a home. She was also connected to other great resources that helped her reach her savings goal. For example, she received free tax assistance at a Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) site, where volunteer tax preparers helped her claim the Earned Income Tax Credit. As a result, she received $3,934 in tax credits that she put into savings. Laurie then attended homeownership classes to learn about the process of purchasing a home and her options as a first-time homebuyer.

In two short years, Laurie was able to save enough for a down payment on a brand-new condominium in a beautiful neighborhood. Since purchasing the home, she has increased her assets by more than $20,000! Laurie recently enrolled in another agency program, Utah Saves, to help her plan ahead for the future, protect her assets, and keep up her good savings habits.