|
Math
wasn’t Jared Stevenson’s favorite subject in school.
He had no problem with addition and subtraction, but the
older he got the more concentration it required, and Jared had
trouble staying focused in school.
Maybe he didn’t believe that education was the key to
success…or maybe it was because he constantly fought with his
step-father, and decided at the age of 16 that he was better off
living on his own. It
didn’t take long for Jared to discover that both going to school
and working to support himself was too much.
But instead of moving back home, he quit school.
Finding
a job was easy for Jared, as long as he didn’t mind flipping
burgers, washing dishes or making pizza.
He did them all. Jared’s
resume became a who’s who of budget eateries.
He worked at McDonald’s, Hardee’s, Burger King, Pizza
Hut, Show Biz, Denny’s and Shoney’s.
The best thing to come from his fast-food career was meeting
Valerie, the love of his life, when they were working together at
Hardee’s. It wasn’t
long before they had a daughter.
The only way Jared and his family got by was by living in a one-room apartment above Valerie’s mother’s house. They didn’t have to pay rent, but knew that they couldn’t live there the rest of their lives. They talked about Valerie finding a job, but she didn’t have a high school diploma either, and she really didn’t want to leave her daughter. That’s when they heard about an adult literacy program in Independence. It was perfect. Jared and Valerie could both start studying for their GEDs and best of all they offered free, on-site childcare for their daughter. Jared
remembers, “I made up my mind that I was going to become a
certified heating and cooling mechanic.
I could earn my certification in a year, through a program at
Vatterott College. But
in order to get in, I needed my GED.”
For three months, Jared studied everyday.
He was at the Family Literacy Center from 8 a.m. when they
opened, until they closed. Then
he went to work, delivering pizzas.
It took Jared five months to earn his GED, Valerie got hers
in eight months. While
Jared and Valerie were completing their GEDs they realized the
Center offered other programs that could help their family.
While Jared and Valerie were upstairs studying for their GEDs,
their daughter was learning to read in the United Way Success By 6
program. She now reads
at a first grade level, and she hasn’t even entered kindergarten.
In addition to assistance in studying for their GEDs, Jared
and Valerie learned how to become better parents.
They discussed nutrition, anger management and appropriate
ways to discipline children. Valerie
also joined other women in group counseling, to boost her
self-esteem. The
program’s focus, to help the entire family, is clearly paying
dividends. Today,
Jared and Valerie both have jobs.
He’s a certified mechanic for Lee’s Summit Heating and
Cooling and Valerie is an assistant teacher at Lakewood Montessori
School. They now live
in their own home and their family has grown to four.
Looking back on the help he and his wife received Jared says, “If you really want to be better yourself, this is the best way. Everything is right there in front of you, and it works because the teachers and staff really care.” Thank you for caring. |
Bouncing
from one low paying job to another, Jared discovered that earning
enough money to support himself was a lot easier than supporting a
family.