Success Stories

Literacy Council

Keith Madsen, one of our former AmeriCorps volunteers, tutored a class of students from Ukraine. They were learning English with The Literacy Council, a program of Chelan-Douglas Community Action Council. The class met at the Slavic church in East Wenatchee twice a week.  Keith shared a success story about Tatiana and Oleksandr, a couple attending class. 

He noted, “Tatiana is more advanced in her English than is her husband, but he always worked hard and asked many questions.”  The couple immigrated to the United States in 2022. “He (Oleksandr) recently stopped attending classes as a result of becoming employed in the Seattle area.  He works weekdays washing windows in tall buildings and then comes home on weekends.  In my last class, his wife (Tatiana) showed me a picture of him suspended (in full gear) off the side of the Space Needle washing windows!  While Tatiana and I agreed, that was ‘pretty scary,’ the picture showed him smiling!  It felt good to know I helped him learn English well enough to get this job.” 

Oleksandr’s commitment to learning the English language has been an important part of his continued success in the United States and was essential to him obtaining employment.

Housing

A single mother and her teenage daughter lived at the Bruce Housing Program, a local homeless shelter for families run by the Women’s Resource Center. They applied for the Tenant-Based Rental Assistance Program (TBRA) through the Chelan-Douglas Community Action Council. They moved from the Bruce into their very own two-bedroom apartment and started receiving rent subsidy.

While on the TBRA program, she worked with the Strong Families Program through the Women’s Resource Center and Sage (Domestic and Sexual Violence Center). While she was receiving her rent subsidy, she was able to pay off some debt so that she no longer had garnishments. This improved her credit report, and she bought a sewing machine, computer, and some furniture. She has even been able to establish and maintain relationships with her older daughter and grandchildren.

Thanks to the services provided through the Community Action Council’s housing program and the other agencies we work with, this mom now feels more established in her job and apartment. Since her daughter is now old enough to help financially, she feels ready to move independently without any assistance.

Asset Building

A single mother of one living in low-income housing owned by Chelan-Douglas Community Action Council was using every resource available to her in hopes of bettering her life for herself and her son. She joined the Individual Development Account Program (IDA) in May 2009. She decided her savings goal would be to save money for a down payment on a home. She was able to budget her money and put aside $100.00 per month. She completed her 10 hours of financial education classes and the First Time Homebuyer classes, receiving her certificates for both.

Halfway through the IDA Program, she got married, and she and her husband continued to save each month with the dream of owning their own home. Together they were able to reach their savings goal early. They were able to secure a loan through the USDA Rural Development program. They received a lower interest rate, which made their house payments affordable.

“My life has changed so much in the last two and a half years. We couldn’t be happier,” she says. They recently found out they are expecting a new baby. They are expecting twins. It will be exciting to bring new babies home to their new home and their older brother.

“Thanks to the Chelan-Douglas Community Action Council and the IDA Program for the opportunity to be a part of this program.”

Weatherization

“I truly appreciate all that you have done for me and my kids. I could never thank you enough for quite frankly, saving my life. I was going to make this short, sweet, and not deep… but I’m given a chance to tell someone how valuable they are, and I can’t pass that up. Sorry it’s so long, you don’t have to read it, I just wanted to explain the depth of my gratitude.

It’s been an emotional and traumatic journey for my kids and I the past 5 years. My kids and I finally left my ex in hopes of a better life. Being a single mother of 4 lit a spark in me and gave me the strength to tackle and overcome obstacles for a while. (I think I was just mastering the fake it until you make it concept actually).

I thought my back was out, and I spent 2 weeks on my floor, not knowing I was actually dying. I had gotten so weak and so sick, so quickly. My brother happened to come over because he hadn’t heard from me in a few days (he had my kids) and found me unresponsive. When I got to the ER I had a temp of 108.2 … I could hear them talking, though I couldn’t move, and nobody thought I was going to make it. I had a kidney infection that turned into septicemia. It was a 3 month battle, but somehow they fixed me.

Before I got sick I was already struggling to stay afloat. Afterwards, I was drowning in bills, and my utilities had either already been shut off, or I had a final notice for it. I reached the bottom of my savings account months prior, and had nothing. Every daycare in the valley has a wait list for kids 2 and under, and I have two that are 2 and under. I’ve been on several places wait lists for months, and unable to work.

I had hit many what I thought were, rock bottoms over the years. But that was the one that actually was my rock bottom. I don’t really have a ‘support system’ in my life, and in my previous relationship I was isolated to where the few people I did have, were gone too. With winter fast approaching and no heat in my house, I knew my only option was calling different agencies/ businesses and ask for help. I called several places in and out of the valley and every single one of them said they couldn’t help me.

My mental health had plummeted over the last few years due to the relationship with my ex, and it was only getting worse. It was painful to even think about my kids continuing to suffer. I had left my ex because I needed them to have a better life, and to fail was devastating.

It took a lot out of me to ask for help, and getting turned down so many times was almost crippling. There wasn’t any part of me that I found worth in, and I gave up. (I see a counselor every week now, and we’ve actually discussed this letter… I’m doing and feeling so much better today, my kids are as well). I had letters written, which had my wishes for my kids, and I was overcome with peace knowing that I wouldn’t have to live in my headspace anymore. I was going to drop my kids off at my brothers the next morning.

After my kids went to sleep I stayed up looking up stuff on my phone. I somehow came across an ad about grants, which somehow led me to looking at various WA state websites, which led me to somehow finding your email address, and for some reason, I actually emailed you. I still don’t understand why I sent an email asking for help, knowing that I wasn’t going to be here even if I did get a response. Desperation maybe? Hoping for a sign from God? I don’t know.

What I do know is this- you called me within hours after I sent that email. That hope that I had been longing for, for so long at that point, came with that phone call. Somehow something aligned in the universe, and I remember sitting on the phone with you, taking a deep breath and my whole body felt so much lighter.

You probably just thought you were doing your job that day, but it’s way more than that. Whether it was-your diligence, work ethic, passion for your job, or all of that plus more, I will forever be thankful for you for bringing hope into my life when my life depended on it. And to top it off, you actually put heat in my house too!

Words could never fully describe what I’m trying to say, but for my healing journey, I needed to try and express my gratitude.”

Postal Carrier’s
Food Drive

Year after year in early spring, postal carriers all over the country collect millions of pounds of food for the needy in their areas. This tradition started in 1993, the National Association of Letter Carriers learned that many of their branches collected food for the hungry in their communities. With input from many food banks, they decided that spring would be an excellent time to unify this effort nationwide. This is about when donations received during the holiday season start to run out. The postal carrier’s food drive is typically held the second Saturday in May. The goal is to have at least one participating community in each state. Nationally, since the beginning of the food drive, over 1 billion pounds of food have been collected.

Locally, each year, the postal carriers in the Wenatchee area bring the donated food to the Food Distribution Center, which is operated by Chelan-Douglas Community Action Council. Volunteers come on the second Saturday of May and help sort the donated food. The food is distributed by the Food Distribution Center to the 12 food pantries it distributes to, which will benefit a lot of hungry people in Chelan and Douglas Counties.