by Michelle Salgado Allen,
Learning Center Manager
The last time you read about Cynthia was when
she was featured in our November newsletter.
Cynthia had just taken on a Job Skills Training
internship as a preschool teacher in our Little
Learners Child Development Center and was
working her way through the Moving UP
education program. Participants of the program,
or Job Trainees, connect with educational and
hands-on opportunities to practice these skills in
a realistic setting on the campus of Our House.
Through this program, we provide trainees with
the experience and education they need to launch
their careers and rebuild their lives.
And Cynthia has done just that. Thanks to her
internship and hard work, she is developing
valuable work skills, cultivating new life skills,
and pursuing her educational goals. Cynthia says
that she’s gained many great skills while here, but
the most important thing she’s done for herself
and her family is attend the Learning Center’s
Money Matters course. “You pay yourself first.
My grandmother used to say that to me all the
time, but I never understood its importance until
continued on pg 12
Photo: One of Cynthia’s favorite locations at Our House is
the Family House backyard with its relaxing vegetable garden,
planted by Our House’s own youth, next to a vine-covered
pergola built by Eagle Scout volunteer groups.