awilda & HERNANDEZ
Phillip is a single dad working hard to make ends meet. Over the years, working multiple jobs was sometimes not enough.
A chance accident changed the course of Alby’s life forever.
Katie had a whirlwind courtship with her husband. They quickly moved in together, but it wasn’t too long before her husband became controlling and emotionally abusive. The abuse started with yelling and screaming and slowly escalated.
ROSE
Cathy is a veteran who served during Vietnam. She now struggles with COPD and has limited mobility. She no longer drives but still needs to get out to her doctor appointments and the grocery store. She is so happy to receive free transportation for these important errands. According to Cathy, “John has been driving me for eight years now. If I didn’t have him, I don’t know how I would survive. I get so scared when he must go out of town. I worry that I won’t make it to my appointments. He is a godsend.” 
When Patrick moved to Brevard with his family seven years ago, he was almost entirely non-verbal and had trouble making eye contact with even his peers. Patrick is on the autism spectrum and is challenged by significant developmental disabilities.
Growing up, Alex was unsupported at home. Her mom, an alcoholic who was also addicted to pills, struggled to provide for many of her basic needs and was little in the way of a positive influence. Despite these challenges, Alex was extremely motivated in school. She was an honor student and worked hard to maintain her grades. She frequently stayed late at school when she needed help or tutoring, even though it meant missing the bus and walking the 5 miles home.Daisha’s life changed, thanks to you!
You first met Daisha six years ago as a member of Club Esteem, a partner agency that inspires youth to embrace higher education.
Stephanie’s mom couldn’t take care of her and was in and out of the picture as she grew up. When Stephanie had babies of her own she wanted to do better for them so she enrolled in United Way’s Healthy Families program. She knew the program would give her the tools to be a great mom, unlike her own. What she didn’t expect was how her Family Support Worker (FSW) would help her transform her whole life.
There was a lot going on in Mary and Tony’s lives. Their youngest daughter was getting married. The building industry bust was adversely affecting their general contracting business. Tony became agitated and began acting strangely. Could it be depression or stress? He spent money without explanation. Family and friends began to notice Tony doing odd things. An oddity here or there is normal as a person ages, isn’t it? But Tony became meaner and more judgmental. Mary found out later that friends didn’t like who he was becoming and slowly backed away.
When you’re in your 20’s you feel invincible! That’s how Karen felt as a young adult. Working in restaurant kitchens, she’d do whatever it took. She didn’t realize how important it is to do things safely. If a heavy box needed to be moved; no thought was given to how she could damage her back long term. When she was injured, she just pushed on because she needed to work, thus making the injuries even worse. Twenty-five years of hard, painful work came to a screeching halt when some coworkers horsing around fell into her. She went down and couldn’t get up!
Frank III, who begins sixth grade this year, has gone through some things. Even with a loving and supportive father (Frank Jr, who works at a local bank) his family struggled with problems that bled into his school life. As a 1st grader he struggled to read and developed a stutter. Troubles at home came to a head when his mom was removed and his dad had 48 hours to reestablish a home, food and clothing for himself and Frank III.
Leslie was born with a broken arm. Her parents could have had it fixed at birth, but chose to leave her arm as it was so they could collect disability and fund their drug addiction. Leslie’s grandfather saw what was happening and fought for custody of Leslie for years, finally adopting her when she was 8 years old. As she grew up, her grandfather worried about a lack of positive female role models in her life and approached United Way’s partner, Big Brothers Big Sisters, to find a mentor for his teenage granddaughter. A special situation, BBBS waited months to find the right match for Leslie. Enter Rebecca. After a severe accident left Rebecca lucky to be alive, she felt compelled to give back and signed up with BBBS to become a mentor.
Grandma Joan worked hard all her life running a small business and raising a family. As the owner of an art gallery in Brevard, she would make frequent trips to remote areas of the Southwest United States to purchase art and jewelry from Native American artists. She was self-sufficient and resourceful, managing to drive her trusty old Nissan cross country until it had more than 200,000 miles on it. She took chances and never thought she’d live to be 80. Now 81, she says the guardian angel that rode along with her must be shocked that she’s still around.