Dearie joined the military in 2001. And after serving for 12 years, every day as a civilian was difficult for her – and still is. She struggled juggling her five children, pursuing a nursing degree and making ends meet – until she learned about our United Way.
After returning home, the single mother initially found herself jobless. She reached out to 2-1-1, a community service helpline, to find out about the different services offered throughout the community. Through this, she was able to enroll her youngest child in one of our United Way Early Head Start centers, which gave Dearrie the peace of mind she needed to go back to school and find a job, without having to worry about childcare.
Upon becoming familiar with us, Dearrie met with United Way Mission United, a veteran support program that helped her reevaluate her resume and gave her tools to navigate civilian life. And when she couldn’t make enough money to put food on the table, she reached out to our Community Cupboard, which helped her fill in the gaps between food stamps when times were particularly difficult.
It all culminated for Dearrie when she was able to adequately plan for her future through the United Way Center for Financial Stability. The Center and its coaches helped her improve her credit score, create a savings plan and take steps to go from financial vulnerability to financial empowerment.
These United Way programs have been a safety net for veterans like Dearrie. You can help too. To learn more, visit unitedwaymiami.org/what-we-do/mission-united/.