https://www.aworkofheartgr.com/stories daily 1.0 2021-10-04 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/613030544132ed5736ce6893/61303075e9759720b1708485/613032df5f52a3542d5f9480/1631561572034/Bentley2.jpg stories https://static1.squarespace.com/static/613030544132ed5736ce6893/61303075e9759720b1708485/613032df23360e06f33a7cf9/1631561606894/Luis2.jpg stories https://static1.squarespace.com/static/613030544132ed5736ce6893/61303075e9759720b1708485/613032eb2ef5ee3993968e9a/1631561634820/VedoZ2.jpg stories https://static1.squarespace.com/static/613030544132ed5736ce6893/61303075e9759720b1708485/613032c6d9bc1327e7fc2019/1631561661618/Jose2.jpg stories https://static1.squarespace.com/static/613030544132ed5736ce6893/61303075e9759720b1708485/613032e0b1f7d967e45153a7/1631561675591/Dee2.jpg stories https://static1.squarespace.com/static/613030544132ed5736ce6893/61303075e9759720b1708485/613032eb014e9813f08b5835/1631561699094/AdriannaShoemaker2.jpg stories https://static1.squarespace.com/static/613030544132ed5736ce6893/61303075e9759720b1708485/613032ebb021c12ef7a19172/1631561716280/Jody2.jpg stories https://static1.squarespace.com/static/613030544132ed5736ce6893/61303075e9759720b1708485/613032df73c71603e4a7011a/1631561941624/Cathy2.jpg stories https://static1.squarespace.com/static/613030544132ed5736ce6893/61303075e9759720b1708485/613032df76bf6a25eb4a7fac/1631562036687/EarlyshaRoss3.jpg stories https://static1.squarespace.com/static/613030544132ed5736ce6893/61303075e9759720b1708485/613032f4938ecb4e33cdaf9b/1631562091731/KenWelford2.jpg stories https://static1.squarespace.com/static/613030544132ed5736ce6893/61303075e9759720b1708485/613032fbace28b6b80aae8aa/1631562139228/MikePhillips2.jpg stories https://static1.squarespace.com/static/613030544132ed5736ce6893/61303075e9759720b1708485/613032f4ace28b6b80aae883/1631562153191/PaigeTownsend2.jpg stories https://static1.squarespace.com/static/613030544132ed5736ce6893/61303075e9759720b1708485/61303308ba2b05425d52a9a3/1631562188306/RaulHuerta2.jpg stories https://static1.squarespace.com/static/613030544132ed5736ce6893/61303075e9759720b1708485/61303308014e9813f08b58b2/1631562228702/Mary3.jpg stories https://static1.squarespace.com/static/613030544132ed5736ce6893/61303075e9759720b1708485/613032f9f41fb53f1fbb1d4f/1631562295621/TravisBrown2.jpg stories https://static1.squarespace.com/static/613030544132ed5736ce6893/61303075e9759720b1708485/6130330876bf6a25eb4a8617/1631562316626/AaronMartinez3.jpg stories https://static1.squarespace.com/static/613030544132ed5736ce6893/61303075e9759720b1708485/61303324e2f4bf6b034b44e4/1631562331955/nic-artprize.jpg stories https://static1.squarespace.com/static/613030544132ed5736ce6893/61303075e9759720b1708485/613032e0ac760f760f3ed8e4/1631562348527/Abby2.jpg stories https://static1.squarespace.com/static/613030544132ed5736ce6893/61303075e9759720b1708485/61394d2ddca8ff2c24ab9983/1631381006305/Megan-New.jpg stories https://static1.squarespace.com/static/613030544132ed5736ce6893/61303075e9759720b1708485/613ce6363d28ba3b0049132b/1631562362139/3N9A8902.jpg stories https://www.aworkofheartgr.com/artists daily 0.75 2021-09-13 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/613030544132ed5736ce6893/t/61303dc39335b66b5d35dc3e/1631563240791/nic-artprize.jpg artists Website | Instagram https://static1.squarespace.com/static/613030544132ed5736ce6893/t/613038a5ac760f760f3f43db/1631563739314/Abby2.jpg artists Instagram https://www.aworkofheartgr.com/contact daily 0.75 2021-10-04 https://www.aworkofheartgr.com/meetbentley daily 0.75 2021-09-13 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/613030544132ed5736ce6893/t/613f9ef4ad1aab7b9e46e482/1631559526239/ Meet Bentley. - Meet Bentley. As a young man, Bentley struggled with finding a job, making ends meet, and got caught up selling drugs. He found himself in the midst of a shoot out and ended up being arrested for attempted murder. Due to his prior record and previous jail time served, the judge sentenced him to a full sentence of 22 years. For the first 6 months of his 22 year sentence, Bentley said, “All I did was eat, work out, and go back to sleep. Til I started hitting those programs and getting an idea of what I wanted to do. I came up with a plan. I saw hope. I didn’t have to stay on that level, in and out of jail. There were people who could help me.” Bentley took advantage of everything he could to better his life in prison, barely having contact with the outside world. He was able to spend the majority of his sentence developing himself and learning skills that would help him once he was released. In 2016, after 22 years, he was finally released from prison and immediately began readjusting to life. He ended up working with a local recruiter to find any job that would work with his felony, never losing hope and always persevering. A few years later he suffered a massive heart attack which led to open heart surgery, but he had to say, “I don’t give up. I’m still trying. These things don’t define me. There is success after trying. I just can’t give up.” Bentley leaned on the people who offered help, including the recruiter who never stopped believing in him. This built his self esteem and a drive to succeed. He now shares his story with others so they can know hope and not be defined by their past. He said, “When people push you to succeed, but don’t believe in you, that is for their own personal gain. But when people push you and believe in you… That’s for you. That’s beautiful. That’s for me.” https://www.aworkofheartgr.com/meet-nic daily 0.75 2021-09-14 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/613030544132ed5736ce6893/t/613fa02a4c92952e8e54d603/1631616246866/nic-artprize.jpg Meet Nic - Meet Nic. The Artist. Nic has been a professional story teller and photographer for 12 years, since purchasing a camera stationed oversees in the United States Navy. He said, “Being stationed in the Middle East, I suddenly became more aware of people and their stories. I bought a camera, learned graphic design, and began building community for people through the Naval Base Chapel.” Nic, a traveling musician since 2001, has always been driven creatively to show people hope and provide beauty to our world. He said, “I want to use my gifts to connect people to something bigger than themselves. This has always been my biggest purpose in life.” Nic understands the human struggle from personal experience. For 10 years, he served in various music and arts ministry positions, most recently as a Creative Arts Pastor. Nic found himself addicted to his work, no longer feeling his time and family were being honored with his work demand, and led him to the hard decision of resigning his job. He said, “I was working up to 70 hours a week, sometimes until 3am and up again at 6am the next morning. When I informed them of a need to slow down, and how this work demand was hurting my family, I was told by a leader that my family was the sacrifice and I basically needed to choose my family or choose being employed in that position long term. During my time there, I developed severe anxiety over details and a fear of saying no to people from a fear of losing my job. That comment was the tipping point for me. So a few weeks later, I quit with no plan. God really blessed this decision. I ended up back in Grand Rapids less than a month later with a full time Marketing position in a really great company with amazing leadership and values. I spend all my time now loving on people, telling their story, healing my heart through rest, and being available for my family at home. That church became my home, and I appreciate my time there... but I couldn’t have made a better decision for myself and my family.” Nic was inspired to do this project with a passion to build community and share humanity with Grand Rapids. He said, “Every community throughout time has been built off of similarities or struggles found in stories, and every story has value and represents a person who has value. My goal in life is to build community and share hope to those hurting with a simple message, ‘You are not alone. You can do this. You can heal. You can make a difference.’ To me, there is nothing more pure than this.” Abby and Nic met each other while working at Express Employment Professionals in Grand Rapids, where they transform lives through positive employment and building community through stories of hope. https://www.aworkofheartgr.com/meet-aaron daily 0.75 2021-09-13 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/613030544132ed5736ce6893/t/613fa0ef752b356a821abe84/1631559964993/AaronMartinez3.jpg Meet Aaron - Meet Aaron. A few years ago Aaron received a DUI and was sentenced to 2.5 years of prison. Hoping for the best, he said, “I thought, I am probably gonna go to jail for 9, 10, 11 months… maybe a year. I never really thought I was going to get 2.5 to 7.5 years. That was the beginning of the end for me in that chapter of my life.” During his time in prison he lost everything including his fiancé, home, and vehicles. He said, “It was one of those things that you don’t know what you have until you lose it.” In March of 2021, he was released from prison and immediately began looking for a job to get on his feet with a desire to stay clean and do things right this time. In the 6 weeks after his release, Aaron began losing hope that a company would work with his felony charge until he stumbled across a Facebook post hosted by a local staffing company. Through them, he was able to secure an interview for a position two miles from his home, offering more money than he was expecting with a criminal record. During his interview, he was very honest about his past and said, “I don’t know what you are looking for exactly, but I am willing to do whatever it takes. Give me an opportunity and I will show you.” He left the interview with zero confidence in the opportunity or his future. Aaron anxiously waited the rest of the day for a phone call before losing all hope and thinking about next steps. Then the phone rang. Aaron got the job and joy overcame him. This opportunity was exactly the hope he needed to stay clean and keep moving forward knowing someone believed in him. Aaron is now a supervisor with renewed purpose and a thirst to do things right this time. https://www.aworkofheartgr.com/meet-adrianna daily 0.75 2021-09-13 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/613030544132ed5736ce6893/t/613fa14964aa5a2bd5fa7f43/1631560043347/AdriannaShoemaker2.jpg Meet Adrianna - Meet Adrianna. As a young adult, Adrianna reconnected with a friend upon his release from prison. She offered him help getting readjusted to life which blossomed into a relationship and eventually led to pregnancy. This forced a change in their living situation with her family and they moved into a hotel together. They bounced around from hotel to hotel for 8 months making ends meet, marrying each other, and unfortunately suffering multiple miscarriages. Through tears she said, “we were constantly trying to stay positive during this time, but it was hard.” Needing a positive change, Adrianna reached out to a local staffing company securing a job at a leasing office for an apartment complex. Things began to look up as a co-worker even offered her and her husband a home to rent. Adrianna was overwhelmed with support, believing this was the step they needed to build a better future for their family. With a renewed hope and outlook on life, she is very thankful for those who believed in them along the way. She said through tears, “If it hadn’t been for them, I would probably still be homeless, not knowing what was next.” Now, she is currently excited for the future with a successful career, a home of her own, and starting a family with her baby due very soon. https://www.aworkofheartgr.com/meet-cathy daily 0.75 2021-09-13 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/613030544132ed5736ce6893/t/613fa18d6fbb1a4abd88b78d/1631560104958/Cathy2.jpg Meet Cathy - Meet Cathy. Cathy is a survivor of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse as a young child from someone she trusted for many years. As a child she dissociated, stuffing the memories deep enough to not be recovered again until she turned the age of 50. She described the memories flooding back like dominoes falling in line. Through tears and brokenness, she said, “Now as I am getting older, I find that every place that was ever dislocated… or broken… causes immense pain, every single day.” She went on to describe how seemingly innocent things could trigger PTSD and fully reliving the trauma. Cathy sought help from a christian counselor. Holding on to her faith and leaning into her counseling, Cathy began to find strength and healing. She said, “I have been going to this counselor every week for a couple of years, because there is so much to work through… I would say he saved my life. He actually did save my life. I was at a very low point and couldn’t live anymore. I couldn’t take all of the trauma. I thank God for him.” Over the past few years, she has begun sharing her story with close friends and church family, finding that her story provided immense hope for those suffering with similar hurt. She said, “I can’t keep it inside if there is something in here that can help somebody else, because there is hope. Although I am dealing with stuff today still, there is hope. One foot in front of the other, today is better than yesterday. I just want people to know hope is possible, even with something like what I went though. There is hope for you.” https://www.aworkofheartgr.com/meet-dee daily 0.75 2021-09-13 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/613030544132ed5736ce6893/t/613fa1fa33b7fd70310a9c32/1631560207404/Dee2.jpg Meet Dee - Meet Dee. Dee grew up a curious child, whereas some in her family didn’t have the curiosity to become more aware of what was outside of their community. Dee said, “The curiosity from my childhood helped me in my adult life, because it made me think about things. If there is something that is bothering me, and I don’t want to accept it, my curiosity kicks in and I try to find ways to resolve it.” This mindset has led her to become the first person in her family to graduate college. While most people in her community were having children around age 16, she was studying and making plans for her life. When asked about her driving factor to be successful, she stated that it was expected in her community to finish high school and work in a factory or restaurant, but she had a desire to do more with her life. Her biggest motivator was to succeed for her family and break generational curses. She said, “Being a black woman in America, you have to have the credentials to get even entry level opportunities. I knew that if I wanted this life I kept envisioning, and I kept dreaming of, I had to put the work behind it. I couldn’t be another person just sitting at home hoping and wishing. I had to make a plan and take steps to get there. Getting my degree was the first thing to get there.” Although her family supported her, not everyone in her community offered the support she was hoping for. She said, “The thing with the black community is that, they are always happy for you but they don’t know how to express that or they don’t understand. There is like a hustler mindset in the community, so it’s like, ‘you don’t need that paper to get out here and make money,’ but for me it was just that, you need that paper to make legitimate money. I am a hustler, but a legitimate hustler.” Dee received comments from friends and loved ones like, “you must think you’re better than me.” This hurt Dee, but also fueled her to keep striving. She said, “Your life is your choice, it’s all about building a plan, executing, and keeping that motivation for why you started. You always have to remember the why. That is really what helped me get through that. The more I care what others think the more it will hold me back. I just have to pray for their understanding, and pray for my own understanding. When you are doing something that people aren’t used to, there is always going to be doubt, always going to be questions, always going to be hate… but it’s your choice to let it consume you or not. I’m choosing to not let it consume me.” Dee was the first to graduate college in her family, an accomplished small business owner, an Employee Engagement Coordinator at a local staffing agency providing hope and opportunity for others to succeed, and one day has a dream to have 6 individual streams of income. https://www.aworkofheartgr.com/meet-earlysha daily 0.75 2021-09-13 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/613030544132ed5736ce6893/t/613fa263015d582408a15479/1631560315627/EarlyshaRoss3.jpg Meet Earlysha - Meet Earlysha. In High School, Earlysha was an honor roll student, class treasurer, and in the Mayor’s Top 50 program for young bright minds. She also interned with the YMCA and a local staffing company. She was driven by her family from a very young age, being the first one in her family to graduate high school and go to college. She had the drive to push herself further than she thought was possible. During this time, she had a lot of personal hardships and received a lot of help from those she interned with. She ended up struggling in college to make ends meet without financial aid, which forced her to also work full time. A few years into school she became pregnant and dropped out of school officially. In 2014, she had her first child all while working full time in various factory positions. With a desire to do more, she attended the West Michigan Center for Arts and Technology where she graduated with a degree in Medical Coding. She said, “Every decision that you make has a reaction to it. When you have kids or when you know you want to do more… put yourself on that right path to be where you want to be. If you don’t do it for you, no one else will.” She has a drive to go further, find her purpose in life, and make the best life possible for her children. She said, “When life happens, it can actually beat you up. Some times when you feel overwhelmed, your life looks overwhelmed. So now I’m finding things that make me happy and working on not stressing on things I can’t change right now.” Earlysha wants to encourage people who may feel alone to take advantage of resources made available to them. She also wanted to encourage people to write out a plan for their life. She said “Write it out, if you don’t dream it, you’re not going to see it.” https://www.aworkofheartgr.com/meet-jody daily 0.75 2021-09-13 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/613030544132ed5736ce6893/t/613fa301c64ac7780c5a1033/1631560486446/Jody2.jpg Meet Jody - Meet Jody. Jody has always had a lot of drive and motivation to succeed in life. She said, “We are only put on Earth to love and help one another. If we do that, we can all make a difference.” 12 years ago, Jody was diagnosed with cancer that had spread to her thyroid, throat, cervix, breast, and lungs. This kind of diagnosis could easily have shattered her motivation, however Jody has always been driven. She said, “I want to work until my last breath.” Her biggest passion in life is to help others enjoy the best in life, which in her opinion is having a job or purpose that you believe in. Currently in remission and struggling from medical debt, she will not give up. She said, “I could go into depression, which I have done. I have felt sorry for myself… But then I thought to myself, I am no good to anybody if I am not healthy. So I had to get healthy for myself… to help others.” She grew up believing that idol hands breed idol hearts, so she is driven to stay busy and healthy. She said, “my drive is something that was driven in me. My parents both worked. They didn’t believe in government support. They believed if you had two legs and a brain you can do anything.” Recently, she brought a homeless person struggling with alcoholism into her home with the intent of giving him a second chance at life. She said, “I have three miles I walk in life. I love hard. I work hard. And I play hard. That’s it. But love is number one. You have to love what you do and the people around. Just like this homeless person… I knew I needed to help this person and show him the resources available to him.” When asked about her husband who recently suffered from a second stroke, she broke into tears wishing she could do more for him. She even sold her own home to pay her children’s school loans so they can start off fresh. Her love and drive to help others is contagious. Cancer does not define her. Her love for work, and love for others is who she is. https://www.aworkofheartgr.com/meet-jose daily 0.75 2021-09-13 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/613030544132ed5736ce6893/t/613fa356e368674114a4afe9/1631560555179/Jose2.jpg Meet Jose - Meet Jose. Jose immigrated to the United States from Columbia in 2001, with $80 in his pocket, no English, and a dream to make it in America. In Columbia, he received a degree for Mechanical Engineering, however this degree did not cross over to the U.S. He had always had a passion for tires and wanted to find a job that allowed him to apply what he had learned in Columbia. Finding a job in New Jersey, he struggled with finances and not speaking the native language, but her never lost his faith. He said, “God sent me Angels all the time. God was always there. God didn’t tell me exactly what I wanted, but through people God told me what I needed.” When he first came to the U.S., Jose left his family in Columbia, sending what he could to them until he became legal and brought them over 1 1/2 years later. He often had to work two jobs to make ends meet, but never lost his motivation to succeed. He eventually was led to Grand Rapids by an opportunity at a tire plant, applying what he learned as a mechanical engineer in Columbia. Jose spoke of his children and the drive to teach them the skills necessary to succeed. He said, “I remember my own father, when I was young, would teach me this foundation. In my position, I could bring my kids to work and show them what it looks like to work hard… whatever you want in life, you have to work for it.” Jose eventually became the Plant Manager and is blessed to have one of his sons working with him. Jose had a lot to say about treating everyone fairly and at the same level due to everyone coming from different backgrounds. He said, “In my life, I have never tried to be manager of anything, but I have ended up being manager. My principal is making sure to treat everyone at the same level. People won’t stick around for the money, but they will stick around and succeed if you treat them right.” Recently, she brought a homeless person struggling with alcoholism into her home with the intent of giving him a second chance at life. She said, “I have three miles I walk in life. I love hard. I work hard. And I play hard. That’s it. But love is number one. You have to love what you do and the people around. Just like this homeless person… I knew I needed to help this person and show him the resources available to him.” When asked about her husband who recently suffered from a second stroke, she broke into tears wishing she could do more for him. She even sold her own home to pay her children’s school loans so they can start off fresh. Her love and drive to help others is contagious. Cancer does not define her. Her love for work, and love for others is who she is. https://www.aworkofheartgr.com/meet-ken daily 0.75 2021-09-13 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/613030544132ed5736ce6893/t/613fa3a9d9b55a58c2858a44/1631560649318/KenWelford2.jpg Meet Ken - Meet Ken. Ken moved to Grand Rapids after graduating High School in Flint, Michigan. Ken struggled making ends meet and was arrested several times for drug related charges. In 1997, he was arrested with a drug related felony, receiving 2 to 20 years. After a few months, Ken went to court mandated Marine boot camp in Prison, which gave him motivation to clean up his life. Due to good behavior, he was released from Prison early after only 5 months. After his release, he had nothing to his name except a duffel bag. He spent the next year homeless, bouncing around from couch to couch still making bad decisions with his life. He said, “I’m gonna be honest with you, when I got out of prison I didn’t learn my lesson, I just got smarter. Although, I got to the point where I started to see what I was doing had an effect on other people’s lives. So I grew some what of a conscience.” He then went on to say, “I had to stop doing this. I didn’t like what I was doing to people.” Towards the end of his first year out of prison, he had to say, “Through this process, I had to make a decision. Is this really what I want to do with my life? That is when I signed up for school, worked two jobs, and spent the rest of my time in the gym. That is when things started to change for me.” A few years later, Ken connected with a local staffing company to help find quality employment. He said, “When I was going through this life change, God really did a lot of work in me. Life was never smooth sailing, but it has been a climb since then. Few bumps in the road, but I have learned to deal with them better and have more faith in God.” Ken is currently receiving his degree in Social Work and wants to show his kids and grandkids what hard work looks like. He said, “When I was working two jobs, going to school, and working in the gym, I was driven with a pure, ‘I am gonna show you. I’ll show you.’ But now letting my kids and my grandkids see that you can change, and make your life better, if you just trust God and put forth the effort. Success is not the same for everybody, but to me this is success. I never thought I could do it. But it can be done, you can change your life and you can do better.” Ken is currently the Housing Advocate at Mel Trotter’s Ministries, helping others get on their feet and make a plan to be successful in their own lives. https://www.aworkofheartgr.com/meet-luis daily 0.75 2021-09-13 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/613030544132ed5736ce6893/t/613fa3ec752b356a821b0676/1631560707935/Luis2.jpg Meet Luis - Meet Luis. In his youth, Luis was reckless and got in a lot of trouble. His father, unsure of what else to do, sent him to live with his cousins in Illinois for a while. After a few months, they sent him away as well for being reckless. Now homeless, he survived in Illinois as long as he could before he heard of a program in Grand Rapids called As You Are, a youth collective aimed at breaking the cycle of homelessness in Grand Rapids. He was accepted into the program, found housing and a job, and began making steps to better his life with their support. During COVID, Luis was furloughed from his job which left a gap in his finances. Unsure of what to do next, Luis connected with a local staffing company to find a job. This gave him the financial stability to purchase his very first home. He said, “It’s crazy. I don’t talk to many of the friends I had before. When I do, most of them can’t believe it. I am just really thankful for AYA and those who helped me along the way. It feels good. A house is different than an apartment, you know? A house will affect my kids, that generational wealth will go to them. I don’t even have kids yet. I’m just thinking about the future I guess.” When asked about the difference of who he is now versus who he was as a reckless teenager, he said, “None of that would have happened without people supporting me. I have seen how some of my friends didn’t get that support and how that affected them. So when I get that support, I’m so thankful and super willing to give it back to somebody who is having a hard time.” He went on to say, “Everywhere I have turned there has been privilege and help. I am not blind to it. I try to notice it, and all the privilege I’ve been given, I try to give it back. Like in Spiderman, ‘with great power comes great responsibility,’ and privilege is a great amount of power, so with that you have a lot of responsibility to help other people.” Luis is now a homeowner, holding a successful career, and on the board with AYA Youth Collective helping others any way he can. https://www.aworkofheartgr.com/meet-mary daily 0.75 2021-09-13 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/613030544132ed5736ce6893/t/613fa433e368674114a4cb86/1631560792994/Mary3.jpg Meet Mary - Meet Mary. When Mary was young, her parents became religious in a way that resembled a cult, deciding one day to leave everything behind and follow their beliefs. She said, “One day they just said, ‘we’re leaving.’ They left everything in the house, packed us girls up with only the clothes on our back, and packed a little trailer with a few things. We left everything, not telling anyone where we were going.” They headed out west towards the desert, slowly pawning all of their belongings to pay for food and gas. Soon, it was just their family, a 68 Chevy Station Wagon, and a community of other homeless people in the desert. Her parents, who called themselves, “self appointed missionaries,” moved their family from town to town picking up random jobs off and on for 10 years, having a few more children on the road with assistance from midwives. Even Mary delivered one of her siblings as just a young teen. Eventually, they ended up in Florida. At the age of 14, however, Mary discovered the man she called her father was actually her stepfather, her biological father lived in Michigan. She explained how her stepfather was a manipulative person and would beat her for wanting to know more about her biological father. Over the next four years, her now stepfather began making sexual advances towards Mary. Mary remembers feeling depressed and fearful. She said, “He would say, ‘well there is no one good in this world, so when you are ready to have kids, I will take care of that.’ I knew if I stayed I probably would have been in jail for killing him. So I left.” Her parents threatened her with never seeing her siblings again if she left, but Mary needed to get away. At the age of 18, a co-worker at a greek restaurant offered her a place to live while she was looking through the classifieds for rentals. After a few months, her roommate then tracked down her biological father for her. He drove down to Florida and brought her home to Michigan. She lived with her father for a while before marrying a man, moving in with him, and having two children. With her confidence still being shaky, she one day realized she married a man exactly like her stepfather and needed to leave once again. She said, “I hit a point it was like divorcing my stepdad, going through that whole thing all over again. I was like, ‘Mary, why didn’t you learn?’ But it only made me stronger. And I now have two beautiful children through it. They are my strength.” Growing up curious and educating herself, this drove her to learn and develop herself to be successful. When asked about her motivation, she said, “I do everything for my children. When I started seeing that their dad was a lot like my stepdad, I needed to do whatever I could for them. I still have situations where my confidence is low. We are always learning. I’m not perfect, I don’t know it all… but I strive to learn more for my kids and for me.” Mary is now a supervisor at her job, succeeding for herself and her children… healing and growing stronger every day. https://www.aworkofheartgr.com/meet-megan daily 0.75 2021-09-13 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/613030544132ed5736ce6893/t/613fa472cf880c64b6079829/1631560847465/3N9A8902.jpg Meet Megan - Meet Megan. Megan grew up in California with parents who adored her and gave her the best life possible. When she was 10 years old, her parents made the decision to divorce. This event began to affect Megan and decisions she would make up to adulthood. A few years later, in High School, her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and in the same time period, they lost their home due to the recession. She said, “Those two things together were really difficult as a teenager to go through.” Growing up, Megan was always the promised student with high hopes for education. She began High School as an honor student. As the years passed, her motivation diminished and she barely finished High School. Things felt unsettled for a while as she bounced around living situations. She said, “There was a period where I wasn’t living anywhere, between my car and some friend’s houses. I’ve never not had a place to go, I was just kind of a mess. My parents always did their best to provide something for me, and never made it seem like, ‘you’re on your own.’ I was just unstable in myself and my heart.” Megan felt alone with no friends who really understood her situation. Eventually she decided to start community college to begin making steps toward her future. This led her to also join a youth missionary program called Youth With A Mission, a global movement of Christian youth dedicated to serving Jesus. She said, “That is when everything really changed for me, going through that spiritual experience. It gave me more hope, purpose, and vision.” After a year and half with this program and meeting her now husband, she had more determination and purpose to succeed. She moved to Grand Rapids and graduated from Grand Valley State University. When asked about her marriage, she said, “we dated for 4 years by the time we got married. It took a while according to some people, but by the time we were engaged, I knew he was the one I wanted to marry. I’ve never been against marriage… I just wanted to be sure.” Looking back, she then said, “My relationship with my parents wouldn’t be as close today if we hadn’t gone through all of that. It brought depth to our relationship and we are so much closer because of it.” Megan is now thriving as an adult, a home owner, married, pregnant with her first child, and loving life. https://www.aworkofheartgr.com/meet-paige daily 0.75 2021-09-13 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/613030544132ed5736ce6893/t/613fa54e62aae60bb49068dd/1631561061603/PaigeTownsend2.jpg Meet Paige - Meet Paige. Paige was a customer service representative in a position that didn’t have much room to grow, and was not fulfilling her purpose. She said, “When you go to college, people tell you you’re going to get out and get a great job immediately, and that didn’t happen for me.” After college, she traveled for a while and took odd jobs to make ends meet. She struggled figuring out what she truly wanted to do, having a degree in creative writing without many career opportunities in that field. She eventually moved to Grand Rapids, taking the customer service position, feeling her needs weren’t being met. She eventually found a position that excited her, and in the waiting period between jobs, COVID hit and everything shut down. Nervous if she would still have a job, she considered staying with her current company, however they began the process of shutting down. She ended up starting her new position remotely, which brought challenges of it’s own, but left her feeling very thankful for the opportunity. She said, “I am very thankful they saw me, believed in me, and brought me on. I love what I am doing now so much. They are so great at the balance between work and life, supporting me in everything I do.” When asked about her purpose being met, she said, “With other jobs, I never made enough money to feel like how hard I worked was worth it, so I didn’t feel like I was really fulfilling my purpose or helping the world in any way. Now I work in a position that helps the community, giving me purpose.” Paige has a dream to pursue her creative writing passion and write a horror fiction one day. She wanted to say to others, “Try to stay positive in life. Things can get negative, and you can think that you’ll never find that thing that drives you, but it will come, so stay positive and keep working towards that.” https://www.aworkofheartgr.com/meet-mike daily 0.75 2021-09-13 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/613030544132ed5736ce6893/t/613fa58a78778568a72d63fc/1631561130538/MikePhillips2.jpg Meet Mike - Meet Mike. Mike had struggled with alcohol, addiction, and homelessness for the majority of his adult life. He slept under a bridge in downtown Grand Rapids for quite a while before seeking help at Mel Trotter’s Ministries, where he stayed for 6 months. While at Mel Trotter, Mike participated in several programs and rehabilitation that helped him deal with his addictions and struggles. Needing employment, Mike ended up at a local staffing agency to help him find a job; however, they helped him with so much more. He said, “They kept me working, which was the most important part. They helped me get back on my feet in more ways than one.” Mike, a veteran of the U.S. Army, said, “It always makes me feel good when someone says, ‘thank you for being a veteran.’ Makes me feel good to be recognized for something good.” He went on to say, “It was important to stay working, every day. Gives me purpose.” Mike has a passion for CB radios and boasted about his radio collection. He said, “I’ve got 5 radios in the house and one on my moped. An amplifier that is 7000 watts. I can talk to anyone I want.” Through a joyous smile, he continued, “Last night I was talking to someone in Tampa, Florida, like we were standing right next to each other.” This human connection has been vital for his growth. Mike has been clean and sober for 6 years, holds a successful job maintaining grounds, and is a proud homeowner where he spends his time connecting with people all over the country. https://www.aworkofheartgr.com/meet-raul daily 0.75 2021-09-13 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/613030544132ed5736ce6893/t/613fa5c30c27742608ba28be/1631561177001/RaulHuerta2.jpg Meet Raul - Meet Raul. Originally from Mexico City, Raul moved to the United States in 1996 after graduating high school and spending a few years in the Mexican Air Force. He dreamed of one day going back to school, but decided to work to help his family succeed. A few years later, Raul lost his job after September 11th, 2001, when the factory he was employed at slowed production and laid him off. He moved to Grand Rapids to be near his father and find a better job. He took a position at another factory where he worked for 15 years, while also working random part time positions to make ends meet, and eventually in the full-time position he holds today. Raul is so full of joy and life, with an infectious smile and a drive that cannot be matched. He said, “I grew up with rules. Be responsible. Be on time. Life showed me this. If you don’t have rules, you have nothing.” Full of determination, Raul then said, “I approach work like sports. I do my 8, and I play to win. I do this for my family.” “We live in a state that is the best place to live. Michigan, and Grand Rapids. I feel home here. People don’t know what they have. It is a big opportunity to live here and work. You’re not gonna find a lot of places like here.” https://www.aworkofheartgr.com/meet-travis daily 0.75 2021-09-13 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/613030544132ed5736ce6893/t/613fa5f8c64ac7780c5a53c5/1631561230638/TravisBrown2.jpg Meet Travis - Meet Travis. Originally from Grand Rapids, and a veteran of the U.S. Navy, Travis is very familiar to working hard and doing what needs to be done. His 14 year old daughter lives in Nebraska. His family grew when he met his current girlfriend 5 years ago and her 3 year old son, who has autism. A few years after dating, they gave birth to a baby boy, however, due to complications at birth he passed away 13 days later. Travis said, “That is still a tough thing to swallow.” A few years later, still healing from this loss, COVID hit sending Travis and his family into further struggle. Living in Cedar Springs at the time, he said, “My girlfriend and I worked at the same place when COVID hit, and they closed without warning. They came around and told us we had to leave. We had no warning, no backup plan, no way to pay our rent, and we ended up homeless for a little bit with our son.” They moved into a hotel, taking one day at a time, and waiting for unemployment to kick in for 6 months. When he received his first unemployment check, they were able to get back on their feet. Shortly after getting back on their feet, his girlfriend got a job in Grand Rapids that began to set them up even more financially, however requiring Travis to stay home and care for their autistic son while schools were closed. Travis had a desire to provide for his family, and staying home was taking an effect on him. He said, “It was a rough time. I like to work. I want to be the man of my house and take care of my family. But at that given point, she was making a good amount of money and adamant that she didn’t leave her job. So she went to work, and my son and I went pretty crazy at home.” He then went on to say, “It was rough, but we got through it. As soon as the school opened up for my son, I went back to work.” Travis connected with a local staffing company and was working the next day, full time, driving a forklift. He said, “I feel great now. That experience made my family closer. We appreciate things much more. Little things like having two bathrooms. We stayed in that hotel for quite a while, that was all we had. We are happy with how things turned out.” Travis will do anything to support his family. They are both working full time, homeowners, and cherishing every moment with their family. https://www.aworkofheartgr.com/meet-vedo daily 0.75 2021-09-13 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/613030544132ed5736ce6893/t/613fa62d4b391572fb9bb743/1631561264582/VedoZ2.jpg Meet Vedo - Meet Vedo. Born in former Yugoslavia, now Bosnia, Vedo fled his war torn home in 1992 to Germany for 10 years, and then to the United States. When asked about his decision to come to the U.S., he said, “Nobody wanted us. I wasn’t able to go back to Bosnia. When the country was divided into three ethnic groups, the part I was from was given to the Orthodox Christians, who didn’t really like us. Being an immigrant in my own country didn’t sit well with me.” Vedo finished High School at 16 and did an apprenticeship for collision repair in Germany. When immigrating to the U.S., he wasn’t able to defend his diploma and had to start over. He said, “The money was really tight. We had to stay with our uncle, who was our sponsor. I had to find a job. Being young and stupid, I had a lot of anger and resentment for everything that happened to me, and I didn’t pursue a job or career like I should have.” He bounced around from job to job making ends meet, being someone who learned skills quickly. In his late 20’s, he realized he wasn’t amounting to anything and decided to pursue a commercial drivers license, put 20% down on a truck with his father, and drove a truck until 2012 when he suddenly woke up with patches of his hair missing. He started losing hair all over his body, and sought medical attention. He said, “The diagnosis was Alopecia. I started receiving shots into my scalp, under my skin, into my face. After a good year and a half of treatments I started to recover, but at the 2 year point it hit me even harder.” He was placed on various steroids and medications which resulted in folliculitis, leaving boils all over his body. He visited many Doctors, and said, “Everyone had an opinion and everyone wanted to start me on different antibiotics and steroids. I was working for a company I really loved, but with boils under your armpits and all over my face in the heat, it was painful. I became depressed. It felt like the whole world was collapsing on me and was difficult to maintain sanity.” Vedo suffered with this ailment for 5 years, keeping him locked inside his home without a job or affiliation with the outside world. He was on antibiotic for 2 years straight which caused him eating problems and ultimately losing an unhealthy amount of weight. He then took treatment into his own hands. He started a regiment of Vitamin D, Collagen, Zinc, Probiotics, and positive thinking. Slowly, his skin started to clear. During this time of isolation, he studied ancient cultures and developed a passion for building drones. He said, “Building drones and flying them was truly the only peace of mind I had. I was always fascinated by flight. Even as a little kid in my communist country, I wanted to be an Air Force Pilot. I can’t really put into words what flying means to me. It is absolute freedom. There is no judgement. Just you in the sky.” Vedo is now regaining his health, working again, and continuing to develop his passion for drones. He said, “having a job and not relying on anyone else is also a sense of freedom. I don’t know what it is like for other people, but it is insulting when someone hands me money and I did nothing to earn it or provide any value. Providing value is more acceptable for me than just sitting and hoping help will arrive. This is freedom to me.” https://www.aworkofheartgr.com/meet-abby daily 0.75 2021-09-13 https://static1.squarespace.com/static/613030544132ed5736ce6893/t/613fa69e3beaf24dbb7ce84a/1631561379042/Abby2.jpg Meet Abby - Meet Abby. The Artist. Abby went to school for Graphic Design and Photography, and photographed her first wedding in 2009. She loves seeing the different types of emotion and connection people can have when looking at an image or piece of artwork. She said, “It is so fascinating to watch as each person interprets through a different lens.” When asked what inspired her to do this project, she said, “I think the last year and a half has been so mentally and emotionally exhausting… and so so isolating. The idea of offering connection through story or shared experience; something that can offer hope, has never been more needed. I have been inspired by these stories and the impact a resilient mindset can have.” Her hope through this project is to remind our community that we are all human. She said, “We all have a story. We all know struggle in our own right. It is just so important to meet each other with kindness and have an open heart.” She also hopes this serves as a reminder that we are all in charge of our decisions and the way we choose to meet obstacles. Going through her own struggles in life, healing from shame and grief, she allows herself to feel these emotions to feel present. She said, “this last year especially has been about how important it is to sit with my emotions; really allowing myself to feel and focus on learned behaviors/patterns by being aware of habits I have created around my own trauma.” She also leans into the light, tenacity, and will to succeed that loved ones have seen in her throughout the years. “I think that even though we all think we are the only ones that have been though it, we aren’t. Somehow, someway, someone can relate and will be inspired by your story to keep going. Human connection is important for our souls to thrive.” Abby and Nic met each other while working at Express Employment Professionals in Grand Rapids, where they transform lives through positive employment and building community through stories of hope.