CAC Success Stories

Family Overcomes Medical Crisis

When a local teenager was diagnosed with cancer it hit her family hard, emotionally and financially. It was unexpected. The cancer was aggressive and so was the treatment needed to stop the disease from spreading to save her life.

The mother of the family had to leave her job to care for her daughter. Thankfully the cost of the surgery was covered, but with other children at home the family started to feel the strain of living on just one income to support household expenses and additional medical costs. Then someone suggested CAC.

CAC formed a coalition of agencies and congregations to help the family pay their rent and other basic needs they could not afford at the time. CAC kept the family afloat and from becoming homeless in the face of a crisis. The teen showed incredible bravery throughout. Her recuperation was long and painful, and she continues to face challenges, but tests have been negative and she is back to school!

Overcoming an ordeal like the one this family faced is not easy, but they were helped by many who gave the support they needed to make it through their crisis and forge ahead.

Helping a Single Mom Reach Self-Sufficiency

Cindy was a single mother supporting herself and her son on a yearly income of $21,000, significantly under the poverty level. She had no means to get health insurance and was paying out of pocket for prenatal care expenses. During her pregnancy her work hours were reduced.  Struggling to make ends meet, she reached out to CAC hoping to find help so that she and her son would not become homeless. Volunteers at CAC welcomed her with compassionate assistance. CAC provided financial assistance toward rent and utilities which allowed the family to remain in their home and keep the utilities connected during their crisis situation.

CAC continued to support the family while she worked toward self-sufficiency by providing food, clothing for all members of the family, school supplies for her older child and holiday gifts for the children. In addition, she took the required CAC financial management class to help her better manage her income. She also began utilizing the VITA free tax filing service at CAC, saving her annual tax preparation and filing fees and ensuring she gets all available credits and refunds. CAC’s multi-faceted approach to assistance helped Cindy overcome her crisis situation.

Now, three years later, she has reported that her salary has increased and she is now supporting her children and herself without the assistance from CAC that was so critical to them in their time of need.