Hero Story

The mission of the IMAGINE Mentoring Program is to teach young women who have experienced trauma to imagine the power of their potential, increase their self-esteem through self-awareness, and encourage them to pursue their dreams in spite of the obstacles they face in their lives. Their programs have created a brighter future for thousands of our most vulnerable children. The young people who have gone through the IMAGINE program grow up to be better parents, co-workers, and citizens...thus exponentially increasing the impact of the experience.

While IMAGINE has been serving the community for over 10 years, they really stepped up during the pandemic. They started by partnering with a local bank to provide financial education to adults trying to make ends meet as they dealt with the economic uncertainty caused by COVID 19. The sessions focused on helping the attendees adjust their spending habits and create budgets that would allow them to take control of their finances.

Later in 2020, IMAGINE marked their 10th Anniversary by blessing ten low-income families with an impressive array of gifts and household items to help make their holiday season a little brighter. Each household received new clothes, toys, and cleaning supplies. The organization was able to combine financial support and in-kind donations from an eclectic group of sponsors, with the hard work of a small group of volunteers, to make the Give Back a success. To lessen the burden on the families, the IMAGINE team decided to hand deliver the gifts to each home. One great outcome from this and earlier initiatives, is that several previous recipients have volunteered to help IMAGINE with future Give Backs. In effect, "paying it forward" through IMAGINE.