Success Stories and Tesitmonials
For Amanda Fleming, life started out like most little girls born in eastern Kentucky. Her first memories were of an old coal camp in the small community of Arjay, located deep in the hills and hollers of Bell County, Kentucky. Much like most of Appalachia, the area had been hit hard with mine closures from Obama’s War on Coal and was left with a lack of jobs and an abundance of illegal drugs. Amanda was the middle child of three young girls and had to learn quickly how to fend for herself. Any middle child will tell you that they learned at an early age how to fight for what they wanted. She was a survivor and understood how life can throw you a curve ball better than most.
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Amanda and her sisters were first introduced to Bell-Whitley Community Action Agency, Inc. through the Head Start Program in the 90’s. Then, tragedy struck and Amanda lost her mother while she was still a young child. Her father would also die a short time later, leaving her in the sole custody of her grandmother at age ten. She moved around quite a bit after that while her “mamaw” worked as a nurse and tried to take care of the girls. It was then they sought help again form community action through LiHEAP to get assistance with soaring electric bills. Eventually, they would find a house to buy near one of the local elementary schools to give the girls a place to call home. Things were very tough and money was always tight since “mamaw” was trying to raise them as the sole breadwinner. Unfortunately, they would lose the house while she was still in high school and have to look for a place to stay. She decided to move in with a friend and “couch surf” for a while, and came back to Bell-Whitley for help finding a job through our in-school youth, WIOA program. We helped her in every way we could and she was even chosen as a CSBG scholarship recipient when she graduated high school and was ready to attend Southeast Community and Technical College in Middlesboro, Kentucky. She worked at a local pharmacy through a WIOA program and decided she wanted to pursue a career as a licensed Pharmacist.
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All of her life she had been told that she would never make it out of her situation. She was told that she would end up dead or on drugs like most of her family, and that she might as well just give up. But she never stopped trying! She just kept on clawing and scratching every time that life smacked her down and tried to keep her in poverty. She wanted to prove to herself and everyone else that she could make it if she just got the chance. She was tired of not having a place to call her own and recognized that she was essentially homeless. She applied for home ownership through the housing program that Bell-Whitley offered through Kentucky Housing. Amanda had already taken steps to build up her credit so she qualified for the program immediately and waited patiently for the opportunity to be a homeowner. It wasn’t long until she became a home owner for the very first time and was on her way to independence.
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Next, she applied for Pharmacy school at South College in Knoxville, Tennessee. Again, she waited for what seemed like an eternity until finally getting the notification that she had been accepted. Shortly thereafter, she would begin the journey toward her ultimate goal of being a licensed Pharmacist. Each semester seemed to be more difficult than the last but she kept telling herself that she could never give up. Finally, Amanda completed all of the required classes and was standing on the stage at graduation. She was so proud of all she had accomplished and where she had come from. We, here at Bell-Whitley, are also very proud to be a part of her life and to have helped her overcome the obstacles that were in her way. She has now passed her national boards and is working as a licensed Pharmacist in our home state of Kentucky for Walgreens. This is a testament to her drive and determination and to the programs that we offer to help folks get on their feet and out of poverty!
After suffering a permanent layoff Ms. M came to Bell-Whitley CAA seeking employment assistance through the WIOA program.
After assessing Ms. M's needs and goals, WIOA partnered with a local employer to allow Ms. M to participate in the internship program allowing her to obtain a new skill set that would ultimately lead to full time permanent employment opportunities.
The Internship program goals are to develop and explore a career field, gain working requirements, acquiring personal attributes, knowledge and skills to advance in employment, integrate basic skills into work activities, and promote leadership and community involvement.
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Ms. M is still employed and has worked her way into a management position.
Larry Trent Allen visited Bell-Whitley Community Action Agency in May 2017. He had recently been laid-off from his truck driving job after several years. He was confused and not sure where to turn. While speaking with a career advisor, Trent inquired about furthering his education at Southeast Community and Technical College (SKCTC). After taking assessments, Trent found that he had an interest in computers and design. He promptly enrolled in the Computer Aided Drafting and Design (CADD) program at SKCTC. Trent stated, “I never had an interest in going to school when I was younger. My parents offered to pay for me to go to college, but I knew that I would end up wasting their money, so I didn’t go.” Things changed for Trent as he got older and realized the benefits of an education. While at SKCTC, Trent maintained a 4.0 grade point average. According to his professor at SKCTC, Gary Steenbergen, Trent was one of the finest students that he ever had the privilege to teach. Not only did Trent excel in the classroom, but he also used his CADD skills to assist an unfortunate member of his community. Mr. Steenbergen received a telephone call from a therapist at a local nursing home about a patient that had lost both legs, one hand and part of the other hand. The therapist explained that insurance would only pay for two prosthetic limbs. Steenbergen turned to Trent for assistance in constructing a 3-D hand for the patient. Trent didn’t hesitate at the opportunity to help someone in need. Trent, along with another student, researched prosthetic hands and found one that they felt comfortable creating. They downloaded the template into their CADD software and began the tedious work of producing a hand. A first, more rudimentary, hand was built and given to the patient. Trent wasn’t satisfied with the first hand, so a second, more refined, hand was built. Before the second hand could be presented, the patient passed away. Trent still wanted to pay it forward, so he donated the prosthetic to Steenbergen so he could use it in future teachings. After graduating with honors from SKCTC in May 2019, Trent has obtained a great career as a logistics manager. He stated, “I work very long days. Some days are 18-20 hours long. But I am very satisfied where I am at in life. I have worked hard to get here, and I am glad I did.” He is also very gracious at the opportunities that Bell-Whitley provided him. “I thank everyone at Bell-Whitley that assisted me in my journey. They taught me to have confidence in myself. They provided tuition assistance, helped pay for books and tools and they gave me a monthly stipend that allowed me to continue my studies. I cannot thank them enough for how they helped change my life.”