A Caring Gifts Story
Of Hope!
Happiness Happens for Hattie!
Thirty-six-year-old Hattie is full of hope. Seven years ago she decided to move past a rough childhood that left her with severed family ties. Instead of giving in to troubling circumstances she decided to take control of her own future and make positive life changes. Her first step: moving into one of Volunteers of America Chesapeake’s Northern Virginia Community Living Centers group homes.
Living in the group home gave Hattie the confidence she needed to become self-reliant. She was able to get a job at a local thrift store and has kept it for nearly eight years. “My favorite part is when I get to accept donations in the back room and give customers a receipt,” she said. “It’s a big responsibility.”
Volunteers of America Chesapeake Program Director Vanessa Hill said Hattie embraces responsibility not only at work but at home. She is a role model for other women in the program and watches out for her roommates. “I cook the meanest spaghetti on earth,” Hattie explained, “Everyone has second and third helpings!”
But Hattie’s talents reach beyond the kitchen and the thrift store. Several years ago she was invited to be on the board for the local Human Rights Committee in Manassas. “I’m a team member and individual advocate,” Hattie said, “I review restrictive behavioral support plans and speak up on behalf of people who can’t.”
Volunteers of America Chesapeake’s programs helped provide Hattie with the hope that not only empowers her today but also inspires her to look toward the future. “I want to live by myself or maybe with just one roommate,” she said, “And I want to go to community college and study to be a nurse assistant. It’s always been on my heart to be one.”
Looking toward the future and living a life full of hope is where Ms. Hill sees Hattie’s greatest success. “It is very rewarding to see Hattie benefit from the Volunteers of America Chesapeake programs,” Ms. Hill said. “I think she has made a drastic change. Her life is happier…and she enjoys life now”
- written by Courtney Dunn based an interview by Maryanne Arthur with Hattie and Courtney Dunn's interview with Vanessa Hill.
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