Contributed by Abby Lampley
Earlier this year, I decided that I wanted to learn to drive. I wanted to be able to have the independence of getting myself to places more efficiently on my own. I didn’t want to have to rely on my friends or taxi cabs anymore. I wanted to increase my self-sufficiency, and to reach my goal of driving by the first snowfall of 2018.
Two problems though… I didn’t know if anyone would be willing to work with me on my driving, and I also didn’t have a car to practice in.
I was silly to think no one would help me. As a client and board member of MY House, the local drop-in center for homeless youth, I let the staff know about my new goal. Then, I had a few friends working with me on driving in their spare time. It wasn’t enough though. So… I had a talk with MY House’s executive director, Michelle Overstreet, about needing more reliable and steady driving practice or else getting my driver’s license by snowfall wasn’t going to happen.
That’s when NIT (Northern Industrial Training) and Nine Star Education & Employment stepped in to help me. The staff at NIT donated a Class D Driver’s License with practice and training to me, and Nine Star and MY House allowed me to work with my NIT driving instructor while I was on shift because getting my license was one of my goals to better myself.
Now… I have a valid driver’s license through the DMV in Palmer, a car that was given to me through MY House and inspected by NIT, valid auto insurance from my friends at Linda Brandon State Farm Insurance and a new-found level of independence that I’ve wanted for a very long time.
I have achieved my goal not just because I worked hard to do so, but because my community helped me to succeed. My life is not the only one that is being changed because people are coming together and pooling resources to help one another, rather than tearing each other down because of stigma or someone’s past. It is important to remember that people are people and that every person deserves compassion and a chance to succeed. And people can’t succeed without the guidance and resources to do so!
So, lets continue to work together to build each other up and create a stronger community in the Mat-Su Valley and Alaska! It is making a difference!
