After escaping an abusive marriage, Julie Shuffler lost her job and found herself on the verge of homelessness. Because of the impact of the abuse, she became very depressed and wasn’t…
Despite growing up in poverty Stephane Cosby is determined to build a better life for herself and her son. “I had a wonderful family…but I kind of thought that there was a fundam…
When Tom Murphy suddenly became a single father, his situation was exacerbated by the fact that he no longer had care for his three young children – Tommy, Katya and Miles – while…
Did you know 26% of children in the United States will witness or experience a traumatic event
before they turn four? Mental Health Connection paints us a picture with the vastly increa…
For the past 3 years, United Way of Larimer County has been using the Collective Impact model to change the system in order to address poverty in our community. What is this "Collective Impact…
When Stephany, her husband and their three children moved to Fort Collins, a change in family circumstances required that she begin working full-time. With both parents now working, she needed…
Another year has come and gone - fiscal year for us - and with that means we have another State of the Community under our belt. In case you missed the event or would like to relive some of it…
Andy is a veteran and the father of three teenage boys. When he became a single father, he began working multiple jobs to make ends meet for his family. “I thought, I am working really h…
My name is Pattie, and I’m 72 years old. I moved to Fort Collins about three years ago to be closer to my family. My daughter, her husband, and my grandchildren live here. They helped me…
My name is Ashley. I moved to Fort Collins four and a half years ago from Illinois. I got married last August, and we’re expecting our first child this August. I work for Ripley Design,…
Hi, my name is Jessamyn. I have two children – Gavin who is 11 years old and Zoey who is 8. When we’re not in school, we enjoy being outdoors, whether it is hiking and skiing, or w…
Like many people here in Larimer County, Delma is a working single mom. With one kid still at home and working full-time at a local nonprofit, she doesn’t have extra money to spend on p…
“I think that 2-1-1 is a really important part of getting out of poverty.” My name is Meadow. I’m a single parent living with a disability in Fort Collins. I was born and…
Braylin takes a seat next to her tutor, Ms. Jones. Ms. Jones briefly goes over today's activity. "Today we're going to do some duet reading, " she says. "Braylin, can you tell me why we spend…
Lizzie is an eighth grader at Blevins Middle School. She is the oldest of three siblings and is on the autism spectrum. She lives in a single parent home, and her dad is juggling going back to…
Hello. My name is Whitney, and I have four kids all under the age of eight. My oldest daughter Kiersten is eight years old, followed by Kelcie who is six, Karter who is three, and Justin Jr. w…
Meet Gloria. Gloria is a single mother who is pregnant with her second child. Recently, she was struggling to find a full-time job to support her growing family. Additionally, Gloria found out…
Stephanie knows all too well that life isn’t always easy, but she also knows that with the right supports in place, no hurdle is insurmountable. As a child, she was moved into the foster…
My name is Jewels and I am a single mother with four young children. My boys (ages 13, 11, and 5) love playing baseball in the summer and the older two play football in the fall. My 9 year old…
Artie just finished 2nd grade at Lincoln Elementary in Thompson School District. He is one of the 422 students who participated in the Colorado Reading Corps program this past school year. Col…
Diego is 7 and going into the 2nd grade at Linton Elementary. He lives with his mom, aunt, uncle, and cousins. He enjoys going to the pool and riding on a motorcycle with his uncle. His favori…
James and Michelle found themselves in a difficult situation. They needed help filing both their 2014 and 2013 taxes and were concerned about what that might entail and how much they might owe…
My name is Brittney, and I am a proud single mother to my four year old daughter, Adalynn. She has been the ray of sunshine my life needed. I became a single mom while I was pregnant because t…
Imagine you unexpectedly lost your job. While it was a good job, your income wasn't quite enough to save for emergencies. After a few weeks of being unemployed, your bank account is running l…
Brianna Arthur is a single mother living in Fort Collins, Colorado, pursuing a degree in Civil Engineering at Colorado State University. She has two children, Tyler who is 6 years old, and Al…
Jill is an employee at ADP in Fort Collins and a regular community volunteer through United Way's Business Cares program. But just eight years ago, her life was very different. Jill had two yo…
Helping local families to be financially stable is an important component of United Way's work to reduce and prevent poverty in Larimer County. Here's a story that illustrates how this importa…
My name is Vanessa and I have two children, a five year old girl, and a three year old boy. We are a busy family, but when we have free time we play soccer, go to car shows or watch movies. Pr…
After his wife fell ill, “David” fell behind on his utility payments. He needed to keep the lights and water on, but didn't know where to turn. David called United Way 2-1-1 and wa…
My name is Katherine and I have three children - ages 8, 10 and 14. When we have the opportunity, we enjoy being outdoors, camping, going to the lake and fishing. I will graduate from Colorado…
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