My name is Susan Keyton and I am a board member of the Central Missouri Community Action Agency. I thought I would share my story of how important this agency is to me and my community.
There are many levels of poor – I lived in a few of them. I came from a family of college educated, middle class school teachers and everything was good in my life. Then, in 1970 my father suddenly died and left my mother with 4 children, grades 6th through 11th, to support on her own. My eldest sibling graduated the following May and moved on to a college campus. My brother moved in with friends to finish high school while my mother, sister and I moved to another state to be closer my grandma. We were introduced to low-income and were learning how to survive together. I went to work at 13 to help Mom with expenses, and we just made it work. Then it was my turn to go to college - which I did. I soon fell in love - and thought he had too, until I became pregnant. You know how that story goes – I became a very young, single parent. I quit school to go work so I could support myself and my child. Since I worked in the restaurant business through high school, waiting tables and cooking was the employment skill I fell back on. Since the wages I received did not support me and my baby, I applied and received food stamps, and child welfare. These programs were not the total answer, but they sure did help me buy TV dinners, diapers and formula that were affordable - and I felt it was better than nothing, and we were surviving!
I really, really wanted a different job – one with better hours so I could spend more time with my son. I worked crazy hours and had to pick up shifts whenever they were available. I had no training to do other work, and I had no confidence that the restaurant skills I had could get me a better job. One day someone asked me if I knew about the job programs the local Community Action Agency administered to our small community. I applied. I will never forget the job program worker who took my application - she tutored me in confidence. She told me that just because I was a single mother did not mean I was not worthy of a good job. Period. She lifted my spirits immediately and gave me HOPE. That program was life-changing for me.
I have certainly worked my way up since then - and it all started because of the training program I went to. I got a job at the Family Resource Center taking applications for the many programs that were offered. Next I went to work as the Office Deputy for the Howard County Sheriff’s Department. My skills had grown so much that I then applied - and was appointed - by Gov. Mel Carnahan to run our local License Bureau for the Mo Department of Revenue. But my ambition did not stop there. In 2006 I ran for the Howard County Treasurer’s office and WON! I won two elections after that, and I am still the Howard County Treasurer today.
I will always be thankful to that job program worker who told me I was worth it, and that I could do whatever I wanted in life - it was up to me. She told me that day “this program will get your foot in the door BUT, you will have to get the other foot in there and do the work to change your future”. She was right – those programs empowered me – and empowered many, many more. Thank you, CMCA
Review from #MyGivingStory