Nearly half of today’s marriages end in divorce. It can be emotionally and financially devastating for those involved. Thousands of single parents are struggling to support their families. Some end up on welfare, others rely on relatives and friends, but thousands more are seeking help from CFC agencies. Cynthia Doyle is one of them.
Cyndy grew up in the Northland, working as a cosmetologist, a secretary, and in retail sales. During the mid-80s Cyndy got married and had two beautiful children. Her family always seemed to be struggling to make ends meet…car repairs, unexpected doctor’s bills, they often had trouble just finding enough money to pay the rent.
Then
things went from bad to worse. Cyndy lost her job. She started having marital
problems and her mother died. "It really hurt. My mother was my best
friend. She was the most loving person on the face of the earth. You could
talk to her about your problems. She didn’t try to judge you, she was just
there to love you." Struggling to keep her family together, Cyndy turned
to the Salvation Army and Metropolitan Lutheran Ministries. They provided food
and clothing and helped with utility bills. The assistance allowed Cyndy’s
family to make it through a rough time, but it didn’t solve their problems.
Finally, Cyndy and the kids moved into their own apartment, but things didn’t improve. "We got behind on rent, started getting utility shutoff notices and didn’t have enough for groceries. Things got so bad that I pawned the diamond ring I gave my mother on her 35th anniversary. She’d been married all those years and never owned a diamond ring. That ring meant a lot to her, and to me." Eventually, Cyndy’s car was repossessed and they had to move again. They ended up moving to Independence to stay with a family friend. "I felt helpless and degraded, I had no self respect." That’s when Cyndy first heard about the Community Services League. She hesitated asking for help again, but she did.
From the moment Cyndy walked through the doors of the Community Services League, things began to improve. Caseworkers made her feel welcome, offering counseling and support, as well as food and clothing for her family. They taught Cyndy how to look for a job on the Internet, helped her prepare a resume, and let her fax out a dozen a day. But even more importantly, "They let me know it was OK, that everything wasn’t my fault, and they convinced me that things were going to work out."
Sure enough, Cyndy landed a job downtown. She didn’t have a car, so she rode the bus to work. It wasn’t easy in the sub-freezing weather of January, but she was determined to keep her job.
Then one day, Cyndy received a call at work from her caseworker. A man had donated a car to the Community Services League with the stipulation that it go to someone who really needed it. They immediately thought of Cyndy and her kids. To Cyndy, that 1987 Nissan Stanza is the most beautiful car she has ever seen. It’s debt free and it’s hers. Cyndy calls the people at the Community Services League her "angels." She adds, "They are the warmest, most compassionate, most understanding people I have ever met. I feel like they are part of my family."
Cyndy has reclaimed her mother’s diamond ring from the pawn shop and vows to never risk losing it again. Cyndy knows that without the Community Services League, Metropolitan Lutheran Ministries, and the Salvation Army that very special ring---and other things she treasures in life ---probably wouldn’t be around today.