The Line That Connects: Rebuilding a life
When you’re not quite sure how United Way works with our community, “The Line that Connects” connects the dots.
“I was addicted to alcohol and drugs. I had a conviction on my record. I was living with my mom. I was homeless.
“For 12 years of my life, I lived a very unproductive, irresponsible and destructive life. This had to change. I used to ask myself, ‘would I die out on the street? Would my child be ripped of any opportunity to know me and I know him? How could I continue to be so selfish?’ That’s when I decided to go to Sister House Recovery Home.”
Just a few years ago, Natalia had many obstacles to overcome, with few resources to help her through. But when Sister House Recovery Home referred her to The Cara Program, she quickly found her niche. The Cara Program, funded in part by United Way of Metropolitan Chicago, is a job training and placement provider for individuals affected by homelessness and poverty. A vehicle for true life transformation, The Cara Program brings hope, opportunity and most of all, community, to people in need.
“My mom raised me to set goals, but The Cara Program helped me build the foundation and routine in my life that allowed me to accomplish them,” Natalia said. “Right now, nothing would make me go back to abusing drugs and alcohol. There’s nothing worth losing the love and respect of my son and family.”
Equally important to the programs that help so many homeless and underserved members of our community are the dedicated and caring companies that help turn their goals into accomplishments.
Goldman Sachs is one of those companies. Through their Public Service Fellowship Program, Goldman Sachs grants their top performers a unique opportunity to serve the public and develop leadership skills in an entirely new environment. Public Service Fellows are selected and given paid leave for an entire year to help organizations reach strategic objectives and create a lasting impact.
It was through the Fellowship Program that Mark Carroll, a former employee of Goldman Sachs and a current principal at Cognitive Capital in Chicago, was able to join The Cara Program’s team for a year to help launch Cleanslate, their first social enterprise, which not only stands on its own, but also creates jobs within the community.
Cleanslate provides litter abatement, landscaping, snow removal and property preservation services on an on-going, contract basis for different communities throughout the City of Chicago, and is the same organization that launched Natalia’s career.
“The daily demands that Cleanslate interns face are far greater than what I have to deal with,” Mark said of his experience with the organization. “Personally, my year with the Cara staff and students was an eye opening experience – I was able to return to Goldman Sachs and apply what I had learned at Cara in many ways.”
It didn’t take long for Mark to truly understand the importance of a supportive corporate environment to complete a project like Cleanslate, either. For companies that already run programs like the Public Service Fellowship or that would like to start one, Mark believes, “You get what you put in. The length of time spent at the organization and the company’s commitment to giving back need to be a top priority to make a real impact on the community.”
Natalia was promoted four times during her two years working for Cleanslate and works as the transitional jobs manager, today. In her role, she is responsible for connecting The Cara Program’s mission to the rest of the Cleanslate employees and business processes, and says she cannot thank The Cara Program enough for allowing her the opportunity to succeed.
“I never thought I’d be a parent,” Natalia said. “Because of Cara, because of Sister House Recovery Home, because of my family, because of everyone who believed in me, now I’m being a loving mom and a productive member of society.”
Christine Heim
Hi! I'm the media and community relations specialist at United Way. I'm a die-hard Iowa Hawkeyes fan who loves to eat. Hope you enjoy my blog posts!