Michigan Family Independence Agency (FIA) Field Services Administration Deputy Director Jim Nye presented the agency’s statewide Achiever of the Month award to Lakeysha Durden Freeman of Detroit on Friday, March 19 at the Tireman/Central District FIA Office in Detroit.

The Achiever of the Month award was established in October 1993 to recognize persons making outstanding progress toward self-sufficiency under Michigan’s comprehensive welfare reform initiative To Strengthen Michigan Families.

This month’s award acknowledges the accomplishments of Ms. Durden Freeman, a mother of three children who has demonstrated remarkable progress toward economic independence and self-improvement.

Ms. Durden Freeman was 18 years old and pregnant when she applied for assistance from the FIA. She did not own a car and was being threatened with eviction. She and her children faced serious health problems.

With help from the FIA and Work First, she gained employment as a child care provider. She currently works as a Pharmacy Technician at Kroger Food Chain in Ferndale. Her Family Independence Program case was closed in May 2002 due to earnings. She hopes to return to school and eventually operate her own child care business.

Lakeysha Durden Freeman is the 124th Michigan resident to be honored with the Achiever of the Month Award.