Meet Mary! Mary has worked at Shiloh House for over 5 years in our Beyond The Walls program. She began as an Independent Living Coach and is now our Program Coordinator. In our Beyond the Walls Program, participants are placed with an Independent Living Coach who helps them reach their goals as they enter into adulthood.
“A lot of our participants in Beyond the Walls come from the Foster Care System and they don’t have that support from their families, an education, or skill set to leave the foster care system at 18. They don’t know how to go get their license, open a bank account, budget… Something that may be common sense to a lot of us, but they don’t have that experience. Beyond the Walls helps them with that. We prepare them to become independent adults.”
When a participant first meets with a coach, they establish 3 goals they would personally like to achieve, as well as a timeline to reach these goals. The program also includes workshops and group meetings each month that cover different areas of focus. Goal Setting, Employment, Financial Literacy, Advocacy and Leadership Skills, Health and Wellbeing, Community Connections, Cultural Competency, and Education.
“Aside from that skill building, it is also just teaching them about healthy relationships and growing their support circle. If you don’t have parents or a family to rely on, who are you going to turn to when life gets tough. Is it a mentor or a teacher? What are you involved in within your community that you can connect with other people and build that support circle?”
“Helping people realize that there is always hope is my mission. Things may seem that they are at their worst, but there is always hope. Sometimes we don’t get to see the end result we have been working towards, but it’s nice knowing you planted a seed and they can walk away from this program with the support to water those seeds.”
We are lucky to call Mary a part of our Shiloh team. She has a heart not only for her program participants, but everyone at Shiloh House. “Shiloh just feels like one big family. Everyone is so welcoming and they embrace you. You can find a level of connection with everyone in this agency, even if they’re not working in your building or department. They still feel like family.”