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2008 Faces of
Success Honorees
Honoree
Emerita - Josie Madrid
 Eight years ago, Josie Madrid stood before a
warm and supportive group of
business and community leaders, blinking back tears
as she received her 2000 Faces of Success award. Standing proudly as
she addressed the audience, Josie described how AWEE had helped her
change the direction of her life and move from welfare to her dream job
with Scottsdale Healthcare.
"AWEE was behind me all the way,” she said, referring to the
support she received as a graduate of AWEE's job-readiness
program. This included help with improving her resume, honing her
interviewing skills, setting up interviews, providing suitable
interview apparel and dealing with the childcare and transportation
issues so common to single mothers like herself. "Thanks to
AWEE, my self-confidence increased tenfold," she says.
Since then, Josie’s life has steadily improved and
she has never looked back. Recently, she was inspired to reconnect with
AWEE and reaffirm her gratitude for the support and encouragement that
allowed her to set a new path for her future. "I'm truly happy
with my life and all that I've accomplished," she says now. She still
loves her job at Scottsdale Healthcare, where she's more than doubled
her salary. She’s also earned multiple promotions, rising
from clerk in the home health department to her current position as a
highly valued human resources assistant.
In 2006, Josie bought her first new car, a Toyota Corolla. A year
later, she purchased her first home. “I get a tremendous
sense of joy and satisfaction from helping people find jobs; from
giving to others what AWEE gave to me," she says today. "I'm so
grateful for everything they helped me to achieve."
Honoree
- Alex Lopez
 School
was always tough for Alex, who had a learning disability that impaired
his reading and made it difficult to remember details. But he was
determined to overcome these challenges and become the first member of
his family to finish high school. He also wanted desperately to help
his single mom, who worked day and night as a hotel housekeeper to
support Alex and his six siblings. One day, he hoped to earn enough
money so she could retire.
All of this seemed impossibly out of reach until Alex—at age
16—contacted AWEE. Soon afterwards, he signed up for AWEE's
Aspire Youth Program, which offers mentoring, leadership development
training, tutoring and other services for young adults like Alex who
want to finish high school and pursue a career. "When I told my AWEE
case manager how much I love cars, she drove me over to the Maricopa
Skills Center so I could learn about their auto body repair program,"
he says. "I never thought I would be able to go to college, but AWEE
helped make my dream a reality."
With AWEE's help, Alex improved his Tests of Adult Basic Education
(TABE) scores so he could graduate high school and be admitted to the
college program. "AWEE helped me with the application, paid for the
program and gave me gift cards to buy school supplies and gas. They've
been so supportive,” he says.
Today, Alex is excelling in his studies and excited at the prospect of
finding a sales associate job with a car dealer after he graduates in
February 2009. He’s also serving as a strong role model for
his
younger siblings, who have been motivated by his success to set new
directions for their own lives. "My sister, Cynthia, just graduated
from high school and wants to become a medical assistant,” he
says proudly. “Thank you, AWEE, for helping me make my way
through college and inspire others in my family to follow their
dreams.”
Honoree
- Gail Rossi
 Violence, drug addition,
homelessness, prison and despair. This was the world Gail Rossi
inhabited from the time she was 22 years old until she was nearly 50.
"Growing up, I was taught that I was worthless unless I found a man to
take care of me," she says. "So when men hurt me, I'd just turn to
drugs. I never learned to care about myself."
At 31, Gail left her abusive boyfriend and became a single mother,
leaving her infant son with her mother as she began a series of abusive
relationships and crime-fueled drug binges. During the next two
decades, she entered numerous rehab programs, relapsing 15 times in as
many years. "I realize now that I really didn't want to heal. I wanted
to be numb."
Instead, Gail wound up living on the street and was arrested more than
50 times. The low point came in 2005, when she was sent to prison for
18 months. That's when she learned about AWEE. Gail enrolled in AWEE's
Paths to Living Free program three months after her April 2007 release.
AWEE stood by her every step of the way, making sure she received
transportation assistance, clothes to wear to interviews, help with
updating her resume and improving her interviewing skills, and ongoing
career and personal mentoring. Soon, she found herself going on three
or more interviews a day. In July 2007, Gail landed a new job as a
legal assistant earning $40,000 at a local law firm. She's already
earned a significant raise.
"Everyone at AWEE has been so kind and supportive. They gave me the
confidence I needed to go out and rebuild my life,” she says.
“I'm now able to support myself and contribute to my son's
college education. I'm also taking college classes three nights a week
so I can earn my degree. I'm so grateful for this second chance at a
life I can be proud of. Thank God I found AWEE."
Honoree - Dana
Whitworth
 Dana’s
parents divorced when she was very young; so she was devastated when
her mother died, leaving her in the care of a stepfather who was seldom
at home. In her rage and grief, she got pregnant at 16 and struggled
alone to make a life while supporting her child. Although she and her
high school sweetheart eventually married and had two more children,
her husband's abuse and physical violence soon became intolerable.
Fearful
of leaving the marriage without achieving some measure of financial
independence, Dana put herself through school and became an x-ray
technician. This gave her the courage to call the police when her
husband attacked her for what turned out to be the final time. He's
been in and out of jail ever since and is no longer a part of her life.
Dana subsequently advanced in her career and met Jeremy, a kind and supportive
man who she eventually married. But her joy at learning she would have
a child with her new husband was shattered when the baby was diagnosed
with life-threatening kidney problems. She subsequently lost her job
when her employer learned she would have to spend the remainder of her
pregnancy in bed. As luck would have it, Jeremy lost his job soon after.
When
Dana and Jeremy came to AWEE in November 2007, they were in danger of
losing their home and at their wit’s end at their inability
to find
jobs. All of that changed when they enrolled in AWEE's career success
steps workshop. "We both learned so much from AWEE, not just about how
to market ourselves, but about what we are capable of achieving," says
Dana. "It made all the difference in the world."
Since then,
both she and Jeremy have found jobs, their baby’s health has
improved
and Dana has started taking classes to become a registered nurse. "AWEE
helped us make a budget and covered our childcare expenses for a month
after I started my new job,” she says. “They even
made one of our
mortgage payments so we could get back on our feet. Thanks to AWEE,
we're back on track."
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