As a child, Lynn did not receive love orsupport from her parents. One day shecame home from school to find they

had completely abandoned her.

Alone, she bounced between fosterhomes until she discovered a familyshe felt loved by and safe with. Still,

she began using methamphetamine asa teenager and was in several abusive

relationships. A cycle of drug use,temporary sobriety, relapse and abusecontinued until she met her husband at

age 22 and had two children.

And the abuse began again...

Lynn felt hopeless and her thoughtsbecame suicidal. At age 28, she got

into her car and parked near the traintracks. Torn between wanting to get

help and not wanting to be in pain, she planned to take her life.

But the train never came. She wenthome, searched online for help andfound a local program at Heartland

Family Service that's funded by United Way donors like YOU.

With support from their team, Lynnmoved her family into a safe spacewhere she received treatment for

addiction and mental health disorders.She divorced her husband, developed a

toolkit for sobriety and eventuallymoved into a home of her own.

Her and her daughters recentlycelebrated one year in their new home.

Lynn Built A LovingHome For Her Children

*This photo has been changedto protect the client's identity.

Lewis proudly served our country from1977 to 1994 when he was

honorably discharged.

He and his wife decided to settle inBellevue and start a family, and for thenext 21 years he worked for a uniform

cleaning company until thebusiness shut down.

Lewis struggled to find work, andwithout money coming in he ended up

losing their family home. Soon afterthat his wife left him too.

He was able to live off his savings forthe next year, but when it ran out he

became homeless and soughtshelter at a local agency.

He was referred to the veteran'sprogram at New Visions, which is

funded by United Way donors like YOU.

There Lewis moved into his ownfurnished apartment, received funds toget some neglected dental work doneand met with a mental health therapistwho helped him develop an action plan

to accomplish his goals – includingpursuing his passion for cooking.

At the age of 58 Lewis enrolled inMCC's Culinary Arts Program and

graduated with his associate's degree in 2019.

He now works as a full-time chef atNew Visions, lives in permanent

housing on the shelter campus andworks every day to support local

veterans in need.

Lewis Started Over AndFound Meaning Again

*This photo has been changedto protect the client's identity.

Amanda is an elementary-aged studentwho suffers from severe asthma. In

2016 her mom purchased a home thatwas in poor condition, but it was what

they could afford. The previous ownerswere also negligent in their

representation of the property.

Cracks in the home's foundationallowed moisture to easily enter the

home. The gutters were in bad shapetoo, leading water straight to the

basement where it contributed to moldgrowth and damage.

Amanda had seven asthma attacks intwo weeks due to the home's poor airquality. She began to miss school, andher mom missed work to care for her

which added to financial strain.

Her mom was worried sick aboutAmanda's health and future, so sheenrolled her in a local program at

Omaha Healthy Kids Alliance that isfunded by United Way donor like YOU.

Their team educated Amanda's momabout the conditions that were

contributing to her asthma, replacedthe home's gutter system and provided

supplies like filters, hypoallergenicbedding and a dehumidifier.

Amanda's asthma improveddramatically, she didn't miss any

school and reduced her emergencymedication usage. Her mom nowknows how to provide a safe and

healthy home for her.

Amanda Is Healthy And Happier Than Ever

*This photo has been changedto protect the client's identity.

Kelsey is a local high school student.After school she attends Boys & Girls

Clubs of the Midlands with her youngersiblings, which is partially funded by

United Way donors like YOU.

When she first joined the club Kelseywas withdrawn, very shy and she oftenchecked in on her siblings to make sure

they were ok during their activities.

At meal time, she made sure all hersiblings ate before she did, and it

became apparent to staff that she wasbearing responsibility to take care of

her siblings at home.

With support from staff, Kelsey wasencouraged to try activities to help herbreak out of her shell, including art and

STEM, and she slowly began to trustthe staff to take care of her siblings.

Staff also gave Kelsey and her familyclothing donations, which helped

increase her confidence. Once Kelseyrealized that she and her siblings were

safe there, she grew into one of theclub's happiest and most vocal youth.

Kelsey learned how to be a kid again,grew close to staff and club members

and discovered new interests.

She participates in almost every clubactivity and field trip and is now seen

as a leader by those around her.

Kelsey Is Confident AndLearning To Trust Others

*This photo has been changedto protect the client's identity.

Asha is a Somali Bantu refugee whohas nine siblings.

English is her second language, and hermother and sisters take care of thehome and family because her fatherhas schizophrenia and recently had astroke. Her childhood home is located

in a local neighborhood surrounded by crime.

As she grew up, she began to believethat her only options in life were: going

to jail, dying young or, if she workedhard, she could go to college despiteher limited resources and knowledge.

Culturally, Asha also grew up with whatshe described as outdated gender roleexpectations that taught her women

could not live independently.

Then she started attending a programat Girls Inc. that is funded by UnitedWay donors like YOU. With supportfrom her mentors, Asha blossomed

into the driven, intelligent andindependent young woman

she is today.

In high school Asha discovered aninterest in forensic pathology and

nursing, challenged herself to take APclasses, joined student council and

learned how to leverage her network.She also found a passion for soccerand made her school's varsity team.

Asha plans to enter college with a pre-med focus. She is proud of all thethings she has accomplished and

excited for her sure-to-be bright future.

Asha Is Creating the Future She Wants

*This photo has been changedto protect the client's identity.

Susie Can Do AnythingShe Sets Her Mind To

*This photo has been changedto protect the client's identity.

Susie was causing a lot of trouble inschool. She was excessively angry,refused to participate, ran away and

was aggressive towards adults.

She was attending a new school andliving in a new home with her dad and

new step-mom and step-brothers.

In school she was often isolated fromher peers for acting out, and her

father's punishments for her behaviorincluded physical exercise, yelling and

writing "I am sorry" over and over.

Susie was enrolled into a program atChild Saving Institute that is funded by

United Way donors like YOU.

During a school visit after a behavioraloutburst, her family support specialist

arrived to find Susie hiding under atable. Susie hugged her specialist andasked: "Why am I a bad girl? Why does

everyone hate me?"

Susie believed she was a failure andshe wasn't even in 2nd grade yet.

Her specialist helped Susie create amap to help her get to 2nd grade. She

transferred to a school focused onbehavioral skills, learned about

strategies to stay calm and recognizeher feelings and her father received

positive parenting education.

With support, nurturing andunconditional love, Susie got all As andgraduated from her program. She wasawarded "Most Likely To Tell A Joke."

Adam and Tina are local parents withtwo children. Adam is the sole financialprovider for their household while Tina

is a stay-at-home mother.

Adam made good money, but in justone month their family experienced

several unfortunate circumstances thatcompletely turned their lives and

financials upside down.

Tina had a medical emergency, andbecause she was uninsured she

incurred more than $20,000 in medicaldebt. Then their daughter was in a caraccident, and their son was diagnosed

with a disease affecting his sight.

Out of desperation, the family resortedto an online pay day loan which had a

crippling 698% interest rate. This led totwo more pay day loans. Soon their

financials were in complete disarray.

With help from a program at FamilyHousing Advisory Services, Inc. that isfunded by United Way donors like YOU,

they were able to stop the pay dayloans and free up more than half of

their monthly income.

They also received financial counselingto help relieve Tina's medical debt and

learned how to consolidate some oftheir other loans.

Adam and Tina are now workingtowards becoming financially stablehomeowners with help from anotherUnited Way donor-funded program.

Adam and Tina Got Their Life Back

*This photo has been changedto protect the client's identity.

Patricia is a 61-year-old localhomeowner who lives alone. She hasworked at a major retailer for the pastseveral years and she helps take care

of her mother, who is in poor health andlives alone as well.

Even though Patricia works hard to payfor her home and necesseties, she did

not have enough income to cover homerepair costs and her roof needed replaced badly.

There were several leaks throughouther home that were so large she had to

use inflatable kids' pools to catch the runoff.

She felt helpless as she watched herhome deteriorate before her eyes. Thenshe was connected to a local programat Project Houseworks that is funded

by United Way donors like YOU.

Through the program, professionalsreplaced her roof and gutters, repaired

her siding, front door and the ceilingwhere her roof was leaking, installednew electric outlets and piping under

her kitchen sink and made other smallrepairs throughout her home.

When Patricia did a final walkthroughonce all the repairs were made, shewas so grateful she literally danced

from room to room.

She said that getting her house backwas the best present anyone had evergiven her, and she can now live safelyin her home without constant worry.

Patricia Feels Safe and Secure Again

*This photo has been changedto protect the client's identity.

Fred Started OverOn The Right Foot

*This photo has been changedto protect the client's identity.

Fred is a local Omaha resident whodiscovered RISE while

in prison in 2017.

He took advantage of a reentryprogram through RISE that is funded by

United Way donors like YOU.

When individuals are released fromprison, they often have trouble finding

employment, a safe and stableenvironment and a good supportsystem, which are all barriers to

rehabilitation and building a successfuland law-abiding future for themselves.

In 2019, Fred was released from prisonwithout parole and he accessedeverything RISE had to offer him.

His reentry specialists helped him withhis resume and interview skills, and

Fred was offered a job the dayhe was released.

Through the program Fred received a30-day bus pass and prepaid phone,

reacquired his licenses and certificatesand he regularly visited the RISE office

for emotional support and advice.

Fred ended up applying for a ProgramCoordinator position with RISE.Because of his hard work and

commitment to building a better life, hewas offered the job and now works to

help inmates reenter society set up to succeed.

He is passionate about creating joband housing opportunities for those

who are discriminated against becauseof their background.