Meet Latricia

Latricia is one of those ladies who makes you smile when you see her. Her kindness and love for God simply radiate from within her. But her days weren't always filled with happiness and joy. She came to the YWCA in 2007 after having gone through a local treatment program for drug addiction. She completed her addiction recovery in 2007 but still needed to move her life in the direction she dreamed and needed help to get there. That’s where the YWCA’s Women In Transition program came in. The program helped her to look at her finances, her lifestyle and taught her to make good choices in life.

As a new graduate of the WIT program, she credits her faith, her SACOT counselors and the Director of YWCA’s WIT program, Ligia Mason, for keeping her consistent, hopeful and strong enough to maintain the ever-important boundaries she has worked so hard to create throughout her recovery.

Kirk is not only a graduate of YWCA’s Women In Transition program, she has also become an author of a book that highlights her recovery. Today, with a job, a book in hand and a message of hope, Kirk has rediscovered her dreams. The title of her book is “Now’s the Time to Release the Stuff,” and she describes it as “a story of deliverance. I couldn’t say that I was delivered if I was using every three or six months. That would be a lie,” said Kirk, “I wasn’t created to be an addict; to live the life I was living.”

As Kirk looks to the future, she hopes to soon become a homeowner, to continue growing professionally, and to someday own her own non-profit business. She wrote the book for her daughter, for her mother, for herself and for other women to gain hope from the overall message of forgiveness and healing.

Meet Tawana and Jaylen

Two years ago, Tawana, a single mother of a young son, noticed a YWCA Youth Program sign in her neighborhood.  After asking a friend about the program and hearing great things, she visited and was impressed by what she saw—a safe, comfortable after-school program.

As a single mother, she simply could not afford much in the way of after school care so she was glad to discover that there were no fees associated with the program. She enrolled her son, Jaylen, right away.

Jaylen was already a good student but had trouble with math.  After only a few weeks in the after school program, Tawana was impressed that his math grades improved.  “The coordinator took the time to visit his school teacher and to assess his educational needs,” said Tawana, who likes YWCA’s approach to learning such as Accelerated Reader and other outcome-driven literacy programs.  She also appreciates the fact that his coordinator reviews his grades and provides incentives for good grades. “She reinforces the things I try to instill in Jaylen which is a big help,” said Tawana.

Meet Darren and Darius

Darren and Darius are 15 years old twin boys. When they were younger, they were participants in the YWCA's Savanna Woods Youth Learning Center. They enjoyed the program and the activities so much that they are still coming today…but now as volunteers.

Last summer they volunteered at the Park Road Youth Learning Center. They did such a fantastic job helping the youth with talent shows, poetry, art and more. They want to continue to be involved at the YWCA in some capacity, perhaps even as Youth Learning Center coordinators one day.

Thank you, Darren and Darius, for inspiring us with your many talents!