Meet Candace.  She is part of the first Getting Ahead class which graduated in early 2010.  As you learn more about Candace, you will notice that although she grew up poor and living in poverty, she eventually worked her way into middle class.  It wasn't until years after working and being self-sufficient did she hit a few bumps in the road and temporarily began to struggle again.

"Poverty is a state of mind, not just a state of your finances," Candace says confidently.  She grew up just outside of Cincinnati, and as a first grader walking home from school one day she saw several "dirty and sad looking" children standing on the balcony of their apartment building.  When she got home, Candace insisted that her mother, "do something to help the poor children".  She did not expecting to hear that her family was having the same financial struggles as those "dirty" children since she and her siblings were neither dirty or sad.  When you are poor you don't have enough.  Candace never felt deprived because of what she didn't have, she felt privileged because of what she did have.  Even though her mother had spoken the words, "we are poor too" the meaning would not fully resonate with Candace until well into her adulthood.

D. Russell Lee Students Volunteer
at Big Brothers Big Sisters

Sixteen students from D. Russell Lee spent part of their school day at Big Brothers Big Sisters in Hamilton on

October 14th.  The students learned what a non-profit is and how it works.  They learned about the children who are a part of the organization and how Big Brothers Big Sisters helps youth grow into successful adults. 

Since the office of Big Brothers Big Sisters does not have the facilities to host children within their building, the students focused their time helping the administration with cleaning, organizing, painting, landscaping. 
Aside from being exposed to the facets of running a business, students learned about philanthropy.  Brecka Russo, the instructor who organized the volunteer day, said that it was a "wonderful opportunity to [expose students to] altruism by working in their community and giving of their time and talents". 
Students walked away from the experience with a desire to continue working with Big Brothers Big Sisters.  Jessica Greene, the volunteer coordinator at Big Brothers Big Sisters said that she handed out several volunteer applications to the students who expressed interest in coming back.  One student expressed an interest in future opportunities to volunteer, as he had joined the Marines and knew he could not make a long term commitment to Big Brothers Big Sisters.  Overall the day was able to encourage volunteerism now and plant the seeds for the future.