Prior to Catholic Charities, my life was stressful. I mean, it still is, but not nearly as much, thanks to the support of Catholic Charities.
Before working with Catholic Charities, I had recently started my undergraduate studies at MSU. I was 25, with a 2-year-old daughter working a full-time job. After performing as a singer/songwriter for several years, I had just separated from my music partner. I was lost and didn’t know how to move forward.
I had always wanted to go to college, but since it had been so long since I had been in
a classroom, I didn’t feel capable. However, I knew that school was something I needed to do to provide the best life for my child.
We deserved better than I experienced growing up. I wanted to give Lyric the world, or at least a piece of it that didn’t involve struggling to pay the bills. I wanted to thrive, not just survive.
I was introduced to Catholic Charities by my friend and future sister-in-law at the end of my freshman year. She was a client of Catholic Charities and expressed how helpful the organization was in her times of struggle. My Navigator, LeaAnn, immediately contacted me to see what I needed help with.
My experience with Catholic Charities has been nothing short of life-changing. The amount of support I received cannot be quantified, because it has been more than just financial support.
Catholic Charities has blessed me with a laptop, helped financially with mechanical troubles, paid bills when money was stretched, and offered food to my family. But the greatest example isn’t financial, but emotional.
During my sophomore semester, I was experiencing one of the most difficult times in my 27 years. LeAnn informed me that Catholic Charities would fund therapy sessions for me for a period of time. I immediately jumped at the chance. Soon after I started seeing my therapist, my grandfather was hospitalized and later died from complications due to COVID. Because of how quickly and unexpectedly everything occurred, I was immediately thrown into a severe depression, while attempting to prepare for finals.
Without the support of my therapist, I am sure that I would have had to drop my courses… and honestly, I don’t know where I would be. I am still seeing my therapist, and I know for a fact that I would not be where I am today without the help of my Navigator Leann and Catholic Charities. This is just one of the many examples that Catholic Charities has lifted me out of dark times.
I am so grateful for Leann. My relationship with her is strong and honest. I feel so comfortable with her, and due to her openness, I feel that I can trust her to support me when I need help.
Catholic Charities has helped me accomplish things, but I think the greatest thing is making sure my life is steady enough at home so that I may thrive in school.
I have maintained a high GPA and last year I received the Clark Scholar award, the highest award given to a student who is not a senior. My end goal is to get my Ph.D. in Sociology and become a professor.
I won’t say that I could not have done this without Catholic Charities, because that would imply that I was incapable. But I was not. I just needed help seeing that I was setting the bar too low for myself. That I didn’t have to go through life struggling… that all I needed to do, was ask for help and that it would be given.
So thank you Catholic Charities. I will cherish this organization for the rest of my life, and in all that I do, I will pay my blessings forward.”
