FELICITY, Ohio — In the kitchen of her rental home, 58-year-old Joyce Bronson is explaining how United Way’s Project LIFT changed her life and made a brighter future possible for her large family.
“When people are dedicated to helping you — regardless of who you are or where you live — it makes a big difference,” she says.
Midway through 2024, Joyce desperately needed help.
“I’d been job hunting, struggling, worrying about my grandkids, because they rely on me. My self-esteem, my confidence, was gone,” she says.
Joyce is her family’s breadwinner. Her husband, Ronald, has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and no longer works. More than 10 years ago, a court granted the couple permanent custody of their eight grandchildren. The six youngest — ages 10, 12, 15, 16, 17 and 19 — are still in their care.
“Family comes first,” Joyce says. “It’s my place to make sure they have clothes and food and a roof over their head, and that they go to school, get an education and graduate.”
It has not been easy.
When Joyce and Ronald first got custody of the children, all 10 family members lived in a two-bedroom mobile home. The house they now rent offers more space. But in 2022, after the couple’s 39-year-old daughter died from a blood clot, Joyce sank into depression and was unable to work. She eventually was hired by a convenience store, but that job did not last.
Staff at the grandchildren’s school were aware of the family’s struggles. They helped connect Joyce to United Way’s Project LIFT (Lifting and Investing in Families Thriving). It combines short-term financial assistance with long-term coaching and connections to community programs. The goal: help families achieve long-term financial security.
Through a Project LIFT partner organization, Joyce met regularly with a family coach and a financial wellness coach. She was encouraged to discuss her strengths. She started to see that she could use her talents not only to earn money, but also to pursue her passion of helping others. She began to embrace the idea of setting goals and achieving them.
The coaches supported her by providing career leads and budget guidance. Joyce also received financial assistance to catch up on bills. Equally important, she says, was the “constant encouragement, the emotional support and the kindness.”
In September, Joyce began working again. She provides home care for a woman with early-onset dementia. “It’s what I do best — take care of people,” she says.
Her next goal is to complete the classes needed to become a certified home care provider. That will boost her income substantially, allow her to take on more clients and provide long-term financial stability for her family.
“The end goal is to be able to buy a home and provide a better life for my grandkids,” Joyce says. “I want them to have a forever home. I know what I want, and I’m not going to stop until I get it.”
