“I’m happy that I have the job, and it’s consistent and it pays me. It pays my bills. Before TCR, I had low-self esteem. I didn’t think highly of myself, so I never tried. Personal Empowerment has helped me to make better decisions and not let my feelings control my actions all the time. Everything that they taught me in empowerment has helped me on the job and in life.”

A Twin Cities R!SE Engagement Leader met Ronald at a point in his life, where several bad decisions had led him to a halfway house. Today Ronald has kept his full-time job placement for over two years and teaches his children everything that he learned in TCR empowerment classes. Because of Twin Cities R!SE, he is able to better support himself and his family.

“TCR is a place for new beginnings. It’s a place for structure, discipline. and encouragement. TCR is not just a place where you come and sit in a class. TCR is a place of opportunity. It’s a place for you to discover what your skills are. It’s a place for you to have people help you build upon your skills. It’s a place to meet new people. It’s not just a learning institution. It’s a place where you can feel welcome and safe and happy and motivated to increase in your life.”

When Anna came to Twin Cities R!SE, she had reached a low point in her life . As a single mother dealing with homelessness and joblessness, Anna was spending 3-4 hours a day at the library looking for work and applying for jobs with no luck. “I was at a point in my life, where I wasn’t working and didn’t know what I was going to do. I heard Twin Cities R!SE could help.” Years of unemployment and sporadic part-time jobs came to an end for Anna when she graduated from TCR this spring. Anna has been at her full-time job placement at Wellington Homes for over a year and has been recognized by her employer several times for exceeding sales goals. Today Anna is excited about her future and only sees good things ahead.  “The empowerment and core values that I learned at Twin Cities RISE really motivate me to keep pushing and moving forward.”

“I’m 34 years old, and for the first time in my life, I can say that I’ve held a job for a year. And it doesn’t even feel like work. I have found my career and my passion.”

A pick up game of basketball at a St. Paul park led Doniel to the doors of Twin Cities R!SE.  One of the guys at the park had shared with Doniel how TCR had helped to shape his career and gave him the job skills that he needed. Doniel followed up the very next day and enrolled at TCR. For Doniel getting a job was not a problem, however keeping one was a different story. He would often find work at dead-end temporary agencies.