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People Helping People is Expanding to Utah County

9/4/2012

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 Three years ago, my children and I moved to Utah County from Salt Lake County.  Doing so made it more difficult for me to mentor single mothers at People Helping People in Salt Lake.  Recently I found out that they are expanding into Utah County which will make it much easier for me to work with them again.  It is very exciting because I know all the good they have done in Salt Lake County and now I will be able to be a part of something great again.

You may be asking the question, “What makes them so great?”  Before I answer that question, let me tell you a bit about why they exist.  People Helping People is dedicated to reducing the number of children living in poverty by teaching low-income women, primarily single mothers, how to earn a living wage.  So what is a living wage?  A living wage is calculated off of the self-sufficiency standard which is calculated according to where you live and takes into account how many people are living in your home, housing costs, food, taxes, and other essential living expenses.  The self-sufficiency standard for Utah can be found here: http://www.selfsufficiencystandard.org/docs/Utah%202001.pdf. 
What it says is that, assuming you have an average size family with three children, and you are a single parent, you would need to earn $46,000 per year in order to sustain your little family without the help of government programs, church, or family assistance.

Unfortunately, there are over 6,000 single moms in Utah County and 75% of them and their children live below the self-sufficiency standard.  Half of this group (38%) live below the poverty line.  That is why I am so excited that People Helping People is expanding into Utah County.  PHP’s Employment Program offers a unique, long term, one-on-one approach that teaches women how to get a good job, and seek and receive pay raises and promotions. In other words, they teach these women how to play the game of work.  

Utah is well known for its stay at home wife and mother population.  It is also getting better known for it’s rising divorce rates.  So it just makes sense to teach women how to earn a good living and be self-sufficient.  If you or someone you know is a single mother and could benefit from learning what People Helping People has to offer, please join us on October 3rd or 17th for a program overview.  After which, workshops will be held each Wednesday starting in October at Utah Valley University (UVU) at 723 S. 1200 W. in Orem.  Other dates are listed in the image below.  To quote Kayleen Simmons, “If you have to work, you may as well make it pay.”  Join us to learn how.

Utah County PHP Schedule
For more informaiton about People Helping People or to see schedules for Salt Lake and Weber Counties, go to: http://www.phputah.org/ or call Marva Sadler at 1.855.303.5300 or email her at marva@phputah.org
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Reduce Your Stress to Reduce The Stress Your Children Feel

9/28/2011

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In order to be a better mother, I look for things each day to improve.  One area that I know I need to improve is in allowing my stress to become my children’s stress.  No matter how hard I try to suppress how I am feeling, I always wear my emotions on my sleeve.  If I am tired, I get grumpy.  If I am hungry, I get grumpy.  If I am stressed, I get really grumpy.  In fact, it is so obvious that my children have started asking me if I have eaten anything yet if I get upset in the mornings when they are running late for the bus. 

Unfortunately, those are not the only times that I get grumpy.  If I feel like I am the only one that contributes to keeping the house clean, I get grumpy.  That is a key reason why I incorporated a chore chart in our daily routine.  As soon as my girls get home from school, they know exactly what two chores they are supposed to do.

For the most part, I am a pretty happy individual.  I always try to see the cup half full and looking for the good in everything.  However, the past couple of months, I have overspent my budget and I found myself more grumpy than usual.  I know that I am very blessed with the resources I need to keep my children fed and a roof over their heads so I should not allow having to dip into my savings account to stress me out.  But it does.  Money, or the lack there of, stresses most people out.

As I sit here and contemplate my life, I realize how great I have it.  I am fortunate enough to have a savings account to dip into.  So many people around our great country cannot say that.  My children get three square meals a day plus as many snacks as they want.  Yet 17 million American children go to bed hungry every night. Alexa von Tobel, Founder and CEO of LearnVest said it best, “Money isn’t about being rich, it is about being secure.”  I know that I am far more secure than many Americans. That alone helps reduce the stress I feel inside and allows me to let go of the angry feelings I harbor.  By letting go, I am able to be a better parent and keep my children from havign to experience my stress.

If your children are some of the 17 million going to bed hungry or you are worried that they will be part of that statistic soon, there is help.  Wonderful organizations like People Helping People are there to help you get on your feet. 

People Helping People is a non-profit organization “Strengthening Families through Successful Employment.”  They help people realize their earning potential and teach them how to get a job and move up in that job.  They do this through a series of completely free workshop where they teach interviewing skills, how to write a resume and cover letter, and how the game of work is played.  Once you complete a set number of workshops, they actually pair you up with a mentor (also free of charge) that will help you use the knowledge you gained to go after the jobs you want.  Last but not least, they bring employers into the mix and let you do real interviews with the companies they partner with.

I had the great opportunity to work with them as a mentor (taking a break currently to work on my degree).  As a mentor, I feel like I gained as much from the workshops as the clients I was helping.  If you are struggling to make ends meet, give them a call.  Even if you have a job, give them a call.  They can help you get notice at your current job and get promoted.  Even though they have designed their program for women, people of all gender, education and skill levels are welcome.

Another great resource to look into is LearnVest.  They have free tools that help you get your finances in order.  I love their latest article, “The Secret Reason Women Aren’t Getting Raises.”

If you already make great money, consider giving back some of the blessing you have been given by volunteering with a local no-profit like People Helping People.  I promise that it will be a very rewarding experience.  I know it was for me.

Resources to check out:
 People Helping People, http://www.phputah.org/ Call 801-583-5300 or Email info@phputah.org
LearnVest.com
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    Michelle Rasmussen

    A single mother herself, has learned how to successfully raise strong, self reliant children that are sure to be assets to society.

    View my profile on LinkedIn

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