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(gentle music)

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<v ->Me and the mother of my child, we were both homeless.</v>

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<v ->When I was young, I was going down a rough patch.</v>

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<v ->Our daughter Ashlynn was born two months premature.</v>

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When she was two weeks old, we found out

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that she had brain damage.

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<v ->When you think of bringing a baby into the world,</v>

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you wanna have a job, and a house, and a family

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that are supportive for you.

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<v ->I went from sleeping on trains, to going house to house.</v>

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<v ->When I first discovered the United Way,</v>

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I was currently homeless, I'd been homeless

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for two years with my two-year-old son.

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<v ->We did get that cerebral palsy diagnosis.</v>

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As you can imagine, there was a lot of emotions.

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<v ->Going through struggling and asking people</v>

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for help all the time, it was just one of those (sighs).

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<v ->My parents always instill into me two things,</v>

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community, and giving back.

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<v ->When I think of United Way, I think of the logo,</v>

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the hands, and to me, that symbolizes hands

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that are lifting us all up,

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and making us all better as a community.

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<v ->I worked for a non-profit organization for 10-plus years,</v>

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and United Way was a huge, huge funder

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in our employment services program

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for those teens and adults.

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<v ->A lot of people don't realize that,</v>

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where there's daycare centers,

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where there's homeless shelters, places like that,

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is because United Way is in the backend of that.

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<v ->United Way so efficiently, and effectively,</v>

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helps people when they, more than anything else, need help.

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<v ->We were down in Miami, with the Hurricane Irma,</v>

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and the efforts that they were putting on

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for the people down there was unbelievable.

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<v ->I got a chance to see first-hand, them using the things</v>

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that people were giving, to help the people that needed it.

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<v Greg>You just never know if it's gonna be</v>

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your own community, your own family members,

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or one of us, that you work for.

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<v Nicole>This funding is everything.</v>

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It's everything that a parent could ever hope for

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when they want to fight for their child

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to have a life that they deserve to have.

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<v Lavelle>The program gave me more confidence,</v>

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as a man and as a father.

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<v Michaela>The United Way has provided me</v>

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with job training, and educational resources.

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I have a 4.0 major for my bachelor's degree.

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<v Krista>I have been able to be stable</v>

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and have secure housing.

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<v Jeremiah>I had a case manager, and she</v>

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always motivated me to go to school, and to be somebody.

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<v ->My son loves that I do my homework (laughs).</v>

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He always, every time I do my homework,

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he wants to do homework too.

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<v ->The more resources she gets, gives her so much more</v>

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of a chance to, hopefully, one day walk.

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And, be an independent adult one day,

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and to me, that means the world.

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<v ->The reason we're so involved in the United Way,</v>

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is the impact is has on the communities

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where we live, work and play.

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<v ->As you experience successes in your life,</v>

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there's an obligation to reach back and lift those folks up.

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<v ->We were all put on this earth to help people, right?</v>

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And any chance you see to help somebody out,

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I think you should do that.

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<v ->I love being a part of a company that wants to give back.</v>

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<v ->Not only does the United Way help educationally</v>

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and financially, but it definitely allows people

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to get involved in the community

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and build a stronger community.

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<v ->By collectively supporting, we make a difference</v>

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in people's lives that change generations.

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<v ->If you don't take that little bit that you've got</v>

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to help other people, then what are we here for?

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(energetic music)