The Door to Destiny ($500 Award-Winning Blog)

“Let me try turning it left again,” Cassandra said, smiling nervously as she excitedly turned the knob of her first apartment.

“I got it!” She yelled as she pushed the door open to her newly renovated apartment. As her case manager, I stood right beside her as I watched her step not only into her new apartment but into destiny.

I remember the weight of sadness in Cassandra’s eyes as she explained her current living situation during our intake form session.

She too, like many of the young women who stopped by our nonprofit organization Sanctuary of Hope, was trying to reestablish themselves after finding themselves stuck in either a human trafficking situation or in a domestic violence relationship. Cassandra was excited when she discovered the possibilities that awaited her within the program and quickly began to gather her documents to move forward in the process of her being housed. The weight that she had been caring for so many weeks began to slowly lift as the date quickly approached for her to move into her new apartment. She is a mother of a little girl who is one and a newborn baby, Cassandra was eager to finally lay the heads of her babies down in a safe location. Somewhere that she can finally call home. 

The gift of $500 would greatly bless Cassandra’s life, as she is eager to move forward and purchase a vehicle. At this moment Cassandra’s only source of transportation is the bus. The $500 would grant Cassandra the opportunity to take driving lessons and cover some of the fees that will be needed to purchase a vehicle. Because of her persistence and her positive outlook on life, she was able to get the keys to her new apartment. She’s in the process of making steps towards furthering her education so that she can walk into her destiny, leaving behind her the keys to give to her daughters to create a better future for themselves.

It is with great honor to write this letter on behalf of Cassandra Ramirez. And just as I was excited to watch her with her keys to her new apartment opening up the door to her new home, I was excited to watch her walk into her destiny and become everything that she was created to be. And this gift of $500 will aid her in getting a little closer to her goal of owning a car.

Thank you for your consideration.