Profile of Success - Dana

This is the first of a four-part series honoring AWEE's Faces of Success. Part One features Dana Whitworth, a recent AWEE participant who, along with her husband, has changed her life through accomplishments in the world of work.

Dana’s parents divorced when she was very young; so she was devastated when her mother died, leaving her in the care of a stepfather who was seldom at home. In her rage and grief, she got pregnant at 16 and struggled alone to make a life while supporting her child. Although she and her high school sweetheart eventually married and had two more children, her husband's abuse and physical violence soon became intolerable.

Fearful of leaving the marriage without achieving some measure of financial independence, Dana put herself through school and became an x-ray technician. This gave her the courage to call the police when her husband attacked her for what turned out to be the final time. He's been in and out of jail ever since and is no longer a part of her life.

Dana subsequently advanced in her career and met Jeremy, a kind and supportive man who she eventually married. But her joy at learning she would have a child with her new husband was shattered when the baby was diagnosed with life-threatening kidney problems. She subsequently lost her job when her employer learned she would have to spend the remainder of her pregnancy in bed. As luck would have it, Jeremy lost his job soon after.

When Dana and Jeremy came to AWEE in November 2007, they were in danger of losing their home and at their wit’s end at their inability to find jobs. All of that changed when they enrolled in AWEE's career success steps workshop. "We both learned so much from AWEE, not just about how to market ourselves, but about what we are capable of achieving," says Dana. "It made all the difference in the world."

Since then, both she and Jeremy have found jobs, their baby’s health has improved and Dana has started taking classes to become a registered nurse. "AWEE helped us make a budget and covered our childcare expenses for a month after I started my new job,” she says. “They even made one of our mortgage payments so we could get back on our feet. Thanks to AWEE, we're back on track."

Congratulations to Dana!

AWEE supports approximately 6,000 individuals like Dana each year. To continue providing these services to all who need them, we rely on community support. Please consider making a gift to AWEE through the button below.

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