LS&Co. Unzipped
Jan 27 2011
Ordinary People. Amazing Stories
In Tuesday’s State of the Union address, President Obama talked about America being “the story of ordinary people who dare to dream.”
Hard-working people are striving to overcome adversity all the time, right in our own backyard. Imagine, for example, purchasing your own home only months after being on the verge of homelessness. That’s exactly what Helena Edwards did -- with some help from EARN, a Bay Area non-profit that helps low-income families build prosperity by matching their savings.
I heard Helena’s story while documenting the work of EARN. She was evicted from the house she was renting through no fault of her own – the landlord had lost the property to foreclosure. Helena was already enrolled in EARN’s program because she was working towards opening a foster home, having been a foster youth herself. When the news of her eviction came, EARN helped Helena save quickly and efficiently to buy her own house.
She was able to move in to her new home this past June. And guess what? Her house has just been certified as a foster home. She made her dream come true!
My official title is EARN's Communications Fellow, but I think of myself more as a storyteller. As the first person to have this role, I’ve been recording the stories of the people we help -- we call them Savers -- and sharing them with our growing network of supporters.
Our Savers, like Helena, have very low incomes, but if they can save $2,000 through their own hard work, EARN will match their money twofold. With the savings they build, they go on to create small businesses, get college degrees and purchase homes.
Check out Helena’s inspiring story below. It’s worth watching.
In addition to the discipline it takes to save a few thousand dollars, which is a significant amount for someone who takes home about $18,000 per year, our Savers have had to beat homelessness, addiction, eviction and other hardships to become successful business owners, homeowners and college graduates.
EARN’s long relationship with the Levi Strauss Foundation goes back to even before our official founding in 2001. The Foundation has been right there with us, not only helping to make this incredible work possible, but also providing guidance along the way.
Recently, EARN received a generous grant from the Levi Strauss Foundation to support our work telling the success stories of our clients. It was this grant that made my fellowship and work with EARN possible.
When’s the last time you heard a story that inspired you? If it’s been a while, check out the stories of other EARN Savers. You can also find us on Facebook.
Posted By: Matt Silva, Levi Strauss Foundation Communications Fellow, EARN |
 |
We welcome your comments.
When submitting a blog comment, please consider the following guidelines:
- Focus on the topic
- Be constructive and considerate
- All submissions are subject to the terms set forth in our Terms of Use
This is a moderated blog. Each comment will be reviewed. We reserve the right not to post your submission if it’s off-topic or contains any of the following types of content or violates other guidelines:
- Obscenities, discriminatory language, or other language not suitable for a public forum
- Advertisements, “spam” content, or references to other products, offers, or websites
- Email addresses, URLs, phone numbers, physical addresses or other forms of contact information
- Critical or spiteful comments on other posts on the page or their authors
In addition, if you wish to share feedback with us about product selection, pricing, ordering, delivery or other customer service issues, please do not submit this feedback through this blog. Instead, contact us here.
2013
Before posting your comment, please read the Blog Guidelines.
sally (not verified) - Feb 22 2011
amazing story
Post new comment
Before posting your comment, please read the Blog Guidelines.