The following is an article I wrote while on a local social services program (J.O.B.S.) designed to help single moms (and dads) with children to go back to school either for their G.E.D. or to college to work toward a degree that would allow them to support their families, and no longer need government funds for groceries, rent, etc. I wrote the article as a college student and as the Associate Editor with the campus paper… Expressions. This article was written for the July 28, 1993 issue. Our Editor was also a client of the J.O.B.S. program, and added her note below. I do not know what cut her article off, but it was printed as it looks below. The article was also printed in the J.O.B.S. Newsletter.

With All Our Hearts
Written by Gail Brookshire

I would like to take this opportunity to give a much deserved and needed “Thank You!” This thank you goes to everyone involved with the J.O.B.S. program, for all their support financially, scholastically, and mentally. The J.O.B.S. program is a miracle in disguise and everyone working with them are angels in disguise. They keep up with my attendance and see that I am doing well, not to scold me or hound me, but to see that I am doing well. If there is a problem, they can see it early enough to help me through it and fix it, instead of convicting me of a crime and giving up on me. Why? Because J.O.B.S. cares.
Bill Rollinger is my worker and has been great. He keeps track of my attendance, grades, and basically how I am getting along. He repeatedly tells me, if I have a problem just to let him know. He asks me and other clients to call just to say “hello.” When I have had problems, I did so, and received help with a warm smile. Another wonderful thing is the staff involved are always working together as a team. Whenever Bill is not in, I can ask Diane, Dale, or any of the others, whatever it is I need to know or do, and they are more than happy to help.
Best of all the most rewarding thing is the friends I find in the other clients. As we pass each other on campus or at the “house” (Magnolia Building), we ask how we’re doing and if we need help. We often pass on helpful hints to one another. We love studying together and we take it seriously, and certainly, we are always mentioning how grateful we all are to J.O.B.S. for helping us with our school funds, child care, transportation, study needs, and our psychological needs as well. I am sure everyone on the J.O.B.S. program would like to say “thank you” to Bill, Heidi, Diane, and everyone else who works so hard for us. When we are all successful in our prospective careers, we will owe a big debt of gratitude to you.

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR…
I would like to take this opportunity to also express my Thanks to those fine folks who are the J.O.B.S. program. These people work really hard, with little or no recognition, and put up with a lot of garbage, all in the effort to help us help ourselves build a future for ourselves as well as our children. Alan McCracken is my case worker, and I consider him to be my friend. It is like they take you in as one of the family. I have said many times that even with all my grants and scholarships, without J.O.B.S. there is no way I would ever be able to afford to go to school. They are a constant source of information and support. Our hats are off to everyone who works for the program, and to…

Cassandra Jamerson, Editor
P.S. I would like to thank Glenda Anderson, Donna, Marion, and Ramona for the wonderful job they do in the Financial Aid Office. They work hard to enable a lot of us to be able to attend AB-Tech. My deepest gratitude to all those mentioned in this article.

I will be doing a blog regarding this J.O.B.S. program that God used to change my life on my gaillovesgod blog and will link it here. If you do not see it soon, please remind me in case I forgot to link it. 😉