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| Ann Marie Alberts |
The May 1998 Achiever of the Month is Ann Marie Alberts, a single parent of two children, a daughter who is five and a son who is nine months old. Both of her children have severe asthma and require extensive care due to their illness. Times became difficult when Ann left a problem relationship when her oldest child was just six months old. She and her daughter went to a women’s shelter for help and later moved in with her mom. Ann signed up to attend night classes to get her diploma, but her daughter became ill and had to be hospitalized so she had to quit school to care for her. She turned to the FIA in December of 1993 to help make ends meet. Later, Ann was able to return to night school and she received her high school diploma in 1996. Ann enrolled in South Michigan College but was unable to continue to attend class when she became pregnant. The FIA referred Ann to the Work First Orientation in January of 1997 and she began classes through Work First as part of her plan to become independent. Although she became exempt from Work First because of a high risk pregnancy, Ann knew from the Orientation that she would have to return to work when her baby was three months old. She learned of a job at the Children and Family Connection through Lewis Cass Intermediate School District. Ann secured reliable day care, applied for the job and began working six weeks after the birth of her son as a teacher’s assistant. Her long-term goal is to own a day care center and be self-sufficient. Currently, Ann works approximately 30 hours a week and her FIP grant has been greatly reduced due to earnings from employment.
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