Sarah – belonging leads to success
Three-year-old Sarah had to be very quiet when her Dad was home. If not, he would yell at her or twist her arm. He worked night shifts and slept during the day. Physical, emotional and verbal abuse, were a reality in Sarah’s life. On top of that, the family struggled financially, so they moved around a lot often in the middle of the school year.
Under-supported kids are most at risk between the hours of 3 and 6 pm. If they don’t have a safe, supportive place to go, there is a higher likelihood that they will fall through the cracks – dropping out of school, getting into crime, and eventually, experiencing unemployment and poverty. These are real risks for vulnerable kids who don’t think they matter.
“I was told I was stupid, ugly, fat, and no one was ever going to like me,” Sarah say. “By the time I was 11, I was thinking about suicide.”
So it was a relief when her parents separated. But it also meant financial hardships were only going to get worse. Sarah’s Mom moved the family to government housing in East Vancouver. All around them families were struggling with alcoholism, domestic violence and suicide.
As a single parent, Sarah’s Mom needed support to raise her three kids successfully. That is when United Way came into their lives.
The family began attending family dinners at a local neighbourhood house. Weekly, they would meet to share a healthy and hearty meal. Sarah’s Mom confided her concerns about her daughter to the staff. The instability in Sarah’s home life made her afraid of new people.
Through a partnership with United Way, the neighbourhood house started an after school, pre-teen group for girls.
“This program created a safe place for me and other girls.”
Right now vulnerable kids are still lingering on after-school wait lists.
The right connection could save their lives. Could it be you?
“This program created a safe place for me and other girls, many of whom came from struggling families,” Sarah says. “My new friends couldn’t change 11 years of negative experiences in one day, but they did show me that my abusers were wrong. I am intelligent, beautiful, and loved. I belonged.”
In 2015/16, United Way invested $5.1 million in tutoring, social, recreational and creative programs through out-of-school-time and other programs help kids grow up great.
Sarah still volunteers at the United Way-funded neighbourhood house and attends family and baby programming with her one-year-old daughter.
“My daughter will know my story, but she is growing up surrounded by love and support,” says Sarah.
Sarah’s story has a happy ending, but almost one in ten local kids doesn’t believe an adult cares about them.
“My daughter will know my story, but she is growing up surrounded by love and support.”
Send a note of encouragement to Sarah
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