Reflections on Six Years with House of Hope By Susan Graves

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1 Helping Women Help Themselves Spring 2017 From our Founding Mothers Ah, Spring! A time of renewal and growth. At Budget Buddies, we re growing in all kinds of ways. Our program schedule has already expanded from last year s, and we ve added partnerships with three new agencies. For the first time, we re serving low-income women in Haverhill and Nashua and have implemented two programs for agency staff at the Greater Lawrence Community Action Council. (See graduation photo, above right.) This summer, we plan to add a new curriculum for at-risk teens. Meanwhile, we will soon launch our 13 th program with the House of Hope family shelter in Lowell (see story on this page). As the first two programs in our Budget Buddies Affiliate Network hand out diplomas, we are using results from these pilots to guide our further expansion. (Read the story of Marilyn and Lashaunda from our Affiliate program in Dorchester on page 3.) We ve been fortunate to support this growth with a steady stream of new volunteers coaching and completing the many administrative tasks that keep Budget Buddies humming. In the past year we ve added more than 80 new coaches breaking all previous records. At the same time, we ve enjoyed many return engagements from our experienced hands. We are grateful to all. Financial support for our programs has increased as well with new corporate sponsors such as Santander Bank (see article on page 4), Entegee, and 3M. A stellar turnout for our LUNAFEST film night (see page 5) and a great response to our 2020 Vision Challenge will also help us fund many new programs. Hope you can join us on May 11 for our next fundraiser: the Women Inspiring Women Executive Lunch, hosted by NetScout in Westford, which will feature a panel of local women leaders answering the question: Who Mentored You? Welcome Spring! Anita and Kathy Reflections on Six Years with House of Hope By Susan Graves As we prepare for our 13 th program with the House of Hope family shelter in Lowell, I m struck by the many changes in our partnership over the last six years. I was a coach in the first House of Hope program, which started in the Spring of Back then our Founding Mothers, Anita and Kathy, attended all of program workshops a total of 8, versus the 13 we have now. And House of Hope was the only program we were running. I met my buddy, Tiffany, at the first workshop appropriately named Getting to Know You. To start building confidence, the workshop presenter asked each buddy to stand and state her first and last name loudly and proudly. After much encouragement, my buddy hesitantly stood up, looked at her feet, and mumbled her name. My buddy was not the confident woman I knew she could be. After four months of workshops and one-to-one meetings our first House of Hope program was winding down. At our final workshop, Moving On, the presenter asked all of the women to again stand and confidently state their names. This time Tiffany stood up, proudly marched to the front of the room, stated her name, and made eye contact with everyone in the room. My heart was full of pride and I knew I was hooked on Budget Buddies! Continued on Page 2 1

2 Congratulations Graduates! Wonderful work by both buddies and coaches culminated in a beautiful graduation ceremony for our 12th program at House of Hope on March 16. Budget Buddies Staff Anita Saville, Executive Director Kathy Brough, Director of Operations Katie Neville, Volunteer Coordinator and Business Manager Katie Stoll, Program Coordinator Chrisanne Douglas, Affiliate Network Coordinator Julie Lemire, Coaching Coordinator Patricia Grieff, Coaching Coordinator Altagracia Portorreal, Coaching Coordinator Budget Buddies Board Cathy Jenkins, President Sarah Ihugo, Treasurer Nicole Nguyen, Clerk Nancy Coan Brenda Gould Susan Graves Todd Smith Robin Toof Reflections on Six Years with House of Hope Continued from Page 1 The Essence of Budget Buddies Since then the House of Hope program has become our gold standard. Every year we run two programs: one in the spring and one in the fall. I have been the Program Leader since the second program. In this role, I ve been able to personally watch relationships grow between coaches and buddies. I see the faces of buddies during a workshop change from confusion to understanding. I see women, like my own buddy, learn to stand with their heads held high and proudly state their names with confidence. Most importantly, I see women from different backgrounds, worlds, and lives connecting with each other and forming long-term relationships. Budget Buddies is always adapting its programs to better suit the needs of the women we serve. At House of Hope the women get a special workshop called A Place of Your Own, which teaches them about the additional expenses and responsibilities of having their own apartments. Many House of Hope buddies feel that they are well prepared to move out because they have enough money for rent. But they often don t realize that they must pay the first and last month s rent upfront, as well as a security deposit. Or they may not yet see how paying for groceries, utilities, and diapers will impact their budgets. Serving More Women in Need Since our pilot program in 2010, Budget Buddies has successfully run over 40 programs and partnered with over 20 different non-profit agencies in Lowell, Lawrence, Nashua, and Haverhill. Currently, we have nine Program Leaders running programs with nine different agencies. House of Hope is expanding as well. They will soon open another site for an additional 30 women with families. The new site, which is located on Fletcher Street, is in a beautiful building from the 19 th century. We are thrilled to build on our partnership with House of Hope and offer our program to many more women in Lowell. I look forward to meeting another dozen new women, all with children, all living in shelter, all with different backgrounds. Some will come eager to learn and some will come reluctantly. All will be nervous like their coaches. Some will move out of the shelter during the program and some will remain a little longer. But all will be stronger and more confident by graduation. 2

3 Executive Lunch Marilyn and Lashaunda By Chrisanne Douglas Lashaunda joined the Budget Buddies program with two goals in mind: to connect with other women in her community, and to gain practical tools and strategies to help her reach financial freedom. I had tried unsuccessfully to do it on my own for years and just like in fitness, you tend to be more successful if you have an accountability partner, says Lashaunda. Learn more about this exciting event, and reserve your tickets, at budgetbuddies.org Seeking Office Help A lot of work goes on behind the scenes to prepare for each Budget Buddies program. If you have daytime availability and may be willing to volunteer at the Budget Buddies office a few hours a month, please give us a call at to learn more. Finding Patterns Lashaunda and her coach, Marilyn, are part of the Affiliate Network pilot program at the Lilla G. Frederick Middle School in Dorchester. After helping Lashaunda identify specific long-term and short-term financial goals, Marilyn helped her develop strategies to meet these goals. To purchase a home, one of her long-term goals, Lashaunda knew she first needed to get a better handle on her budget. We found that a lot of money was being spent on fast food, which is money down the drain, Lashaunda says. She has made an effort to eliminate this expense, and discovered that this small change improved her physical health, as well. Another spending pattern they detected is Lashaunda s willingness to help community and family members who are in need, which hinders her own financial well being. Marilyn helped Lashaunda learn to say no when she is not in a position to be generous with her money. Ultimately, I cannot help anyone else until I am on solid ground, she says. Marilyn also supported Lashaunda s successful efforts to find a less expensive place to live, secure a job with more income, and learn to stay within her budget as her income increases. Lashaunda follows through, recognizes what her challenges are, and faces her challenges well, says Marilyn. She is highly motivated and determined. A Sense of Community Lashaunda s hope to connect with other women in the community has been realized, too, through the Budget Buddies workshops. The other moms and I draw strength from each other and we share tidbits of knowledge that we have learned along the way. It helps to know that you are not alone in the battle, and most importantly that regardless of how bad things are there is hope and a way out, Lashaunda says. 3

4 Power of Change Budget Buddies is proud to have been honored by the Rotary Club of Nashoba Valley at their 3 rd annual Power of Change event. Support this Newsletter Advertise with us to reach a group of awesome community-minded individuals! For more information, contact Katie at k.neville@budgetbuddies.org Connect with us! Find Budget Buddies on Facebook and Twitter to keep up to date with programs, events, and more! Sponsor Spotlight: Santander Bank By Claire Barrett Budget Buddies has big plans for growth. But we ll need many more workshop presenters to reach our goals. In the past year Santander Bank has become a valuable growth partner. In addition to supporting our work through its Charitable Contributions Program, the bank has sent several new presenters our way as we expand into new communities like Nashua and Haverhill. Santander is one of the largest retail banks in the United States. Its parent company, Santander Group, serves more than 100 million customers in the United Kingdom, Latin America, and Europe. Creating Healthy Economic Opportunities Santander promotes financial education in the communities it serves, helping individuals learn basic banking and budgeting skills and transition into the workforce or college. Santander believes in supporting healthy economic opportunities for its customers, says Angel Burgado, Community Partnership Manager at Santander in Boston Our work to socially and economically empower those around us helps create a stronger community, Burgado notes. In addition to helping Budget Buddies, Santander delivers its own in-person financial education courses and offers an online education platform as well ( Walking the Walk The world's a better place when we all make an effort to do the little things that drive real change, Burgado adds. This conviction extends to our colleagues, whom we empower to walk the walk through a variety of corporate programs that encourage community service, charitable giving, and volunteering. As a result, we spend thousands of volunteer hours every year helping our neighbors, fellow citizens, and communities. Santander responded enthusiastically to our plans for growth, says Budget Buddies Executive Director Anita Saville. She notes that the bank has provided presenters for workshops on budgeting, credit, and fraud in programs at the Greater Lawrence Community Action Council, Fina House at the YWCA of Greater Lawrence, Emmaus in Haverhill, and Front Door Agency in Nashua. Santander is proud to support the important work that Budget Buddies is doing with low-income women in Eastern MA, Burgado says. Providing coaching, mentorship, and financial workshops that help those facing the exceptional financial challenges of overcoming poverty, homelessness, and domestic abuse aligns with the bank s mission of making managing day-to-day finances simple, personal and fair. 4

5 Thanks Troop 66139! These amazing Girl Scouts shared their enthusiasm and talent with us at LUNAFEST a huge shout out to these awesome young women! On Friday, March 3 rd, Budget Buddies hosted LUNAFEST at UTEC in Lowell. It was a truly inspiring way to kick off Women s History Month! Thanks to all who attended in support of Budget Buddies. This event, an important source of program funding, would not have been possible without the time and talent of so many. To those who donated to our auction and reception; the community and agency partners who advertised in our program book; and our tireless Events Committee you have our heartfelt appreciation for a job well done! We also deeply appreciate the generosity of our corporate sponsors: ENTEGEE, NETSCOUT SYSTEMS, Northern Bank & Trust, Santander, and 3M Foundation. We look forward to bringing LUNAFEST to Lowell again next year! 5

6 Budget Buddies 114 Turnpike Rd., 2D Chelmsford, MA Spring 2017 Look What's Happening at Budget Buddies! newsletter Inside: Reflections on Six Years with House of Hope Marilyn and Lashaunda Sponsor Spotlight: Santander LUNAFEST Recap Please support the businesses that support our work.