Hi Friend,

Before coming to Brightpoint two years ago, every day was a struggle for *Christina and her son *Mikey, who has developmental delays. They were facing financial challenges and struggling to make ends meet. On top of that, Christina was having a hard time managing her own mental health issues.   

Christina turned to Brightpoint for help, feeling exhausted, overwhelmed, and unsure where to begin. 

Brightpoint helped Christina address her most pressing needs first. She was connected to Early Intervention so Mikey could be evaluated and receive treatments for his developmental challenges. Staff also helped Christina find a food pantry to make sure she could put dinner on the table each night, and mental health services for herself. 

Christina found that with consistent support, she came to trust Brightpoint staff and didn’t feel so alone or overwhelmed.  

Christina decided to participate in Mobility Mentoring, an exciting new program that Brightpoint is piloting across the state. Through a coaching model, families receive help twice monthly to set up concrete, achievable plans with action steps to achieve their overall financial well-being goals.  

For Christina, financial well-being meant enrolling in an automotive technical training school and finding a job with room for growth. That’s a lot to do!  

One of Christina’s biggest barriers was child care for Mikey. With support from Brightpoint, Christina enrolled him in an early childhood education program where she knew he would be safe and well cared for while she worked towards her financial goals. 

Christina got right to work with her coach. Big tasks can feel so daunting, but breaking things down into smaller steps makes progress seem so much easier! 

First, they focused on technical school and created small, attainable steps, including researching programs to identify which one is the best fit for her, pulling together application materials, and applying for the program.  

Each coaching session brought her one step closer to meeting her goals. Crossing items off her to-do list after each session felt so good! 

Christina also worked with her coach to find a new job. Together they identified steps to take toward her goal, which included identifying potential jobs, updating her resume, submitting applications, and preparing for interviews.  

With support from her coach, Christina completed each step one by one. Instead of feeling defeated because the process was taking too long, Christina felt a sense of accomplishment.  

Over time, Christina enrolled in the program of her dreams and found a new job that aligns with her career goals. In her role, she even has room to move up within the company. 

Christina tells Brightpoint staff all the time how grateful she is that she had the opportunity to grow so much personally. Her entire family has become stronger and more stable because of the techniques she learned. 

This incredible growth is possible for Christina and countless other Brightpoint participants across the state because of support from donors like you.  

Thank you for playing such an important role in helping people like Christina find a path to economic self-sufficiency that strengthens her entire family. 

All the best, 

Kimberly Schulte, Manager of Corporate & Foundation Grants 

*Name is changed for privacy