Bernita Reclaims Her Strength
“I grew up in a small community south of Chicago as the second youngest of nine children. As a kid, I wanted to play baseball. That was my only plan. But as I became a teenager, I came to understand that wasn’t a reality. So, I decided that if I couldn’t be a ball player, I was going to leave my small town and experience the world.
“At 18, I enlisted in the Air Force – which took me to places like Washington D.C. and Spain. Through my service, I found work in accounting and finance, I got married, and I had two beautiful daughters.
“Two years after my service ended, my husband and I divorced. At that point, I needed a clean break. My daughters and I moved back to Illinois, and I raised them as a single mom.
“Starting over was difficult, even a little lonely. But it also pushed me to become strong. I had to for my daughters. I had to figure out everything from scratch.
“I was able to find work for the IL Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and then left to become a code enforcement officer. I built a good life for my daughters and I. They graduated high school as valedictorians and went on to earn degrees, start careers, and eventually settled in California and Germany. I think I did a great job.
“Then in 2020, my entire department was eliminated at the height of the COVID pandemic. On top of that I had also lost a neighbor to COVID very suddenly. That left me scared to even venture outside, let alone search for a new job.
“I moved into my friend’s house to be his in-home caretaker. I thought it would be a good opportunity to have a place to live and to make some money. But after a while, he became aggressive and it was not a safe environment for me.
“I knew things had to change. So, for my own safety, I chose to live out of my car. I never imagined my life leading to homelessness, but I also didn’t lose hope. I knew I had way more fight in me.
“I contacted the Veterans Affairs office and was able to receive housing assistance. At this point I was also referred to Cara.
“Stepping into Cara’s doors, I knew this program would help me. I saw so much warmth. I saw so much diversity. I saw a community. As someone who was a loner much of their life, I had never had community like that before.
“Cara also pushed me; to get uncomfortable in sharing. During the Transformations classes, I was asked to look in the mirror and share what I saw. Initially, I saw a lost soul, but I could also see parts of my old self. The exercise made me realize I get to determine who I am, not experiences that made me feel like nothing. During the Forgiveness Exercise, I was able to forgive my friend and then forgive myself.
“I had lost my identity after being in such a dangerous situation with nowhere to go. Cara helped me get back to myself. My confidence started to come back.
“I worked a few transitional jobs, one for a property management company and then one at Cara’s South Side Campus. When a permanent role opened on Cara’s operations team, I immediately applied and got the job.
“This role pushed me to develop my customer service skills, and connect and build relationships with participants, guests, and staff – a softer side of me I wasn’t used to showing in past jobs. The most challenging part was managing the front desk transitional workers because they would eventually leave after they got a permanent job. I advocated for the position to become a full-time role, and Cara made it happen. This allowed me to move into my current role as an Administrative Specialist, with a larger focus on directly supporting my colleagues.
“Today, I am so grateful for Cara. I am in a much more stable place. I am happy. I am planning for my future, saving up for retirement, and I get to take trips to see my daughters and grandbabies. But most of all, Cara helped me heal and reclaim my strength and my self-worth when I needed it most.”
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