Education is the key

I have a girlfriend who told me that her whole life  took an unexpected turn for the worse when she made a major mistake in her early 20s.  She told me that she was still paying for that mistake 30 plus years later.  She felt like that one bad choice changed the direction of her life and it has taken her many years to get back to where she wanted to be all along. There were few helpers along the way and she was left to suffer along doing the best she could.  She had to drop out of school and was nver able to finish her degree.  She started working then and has had to work ever since. I admire her courage and determination to get back on track.  I admire her owning her mistake and acknowledging that choices have consequences, sometimes dire and long-lasting consequences.  As the saying goes, when you pick up one end of the stick, you pick up the whole stick and all that comes with it.
I've seen this scenario play out over and over many times through the course of my association with young women.  They think they know what they want when they are very young and inexperienced.  They think they know what they are doing (and often they do, but sometimes they don't.)  They sometimes won't take or follow any advice. I suppose they think that they will escape the bad consequences of their unwise choices.  Unfortunately, that is seldom the way things work.  But, they need to have a way back and a way up and out of the hole they may have dug for themselves.  They need a second chance.  Everyone needs a second chance!
I don't think a person should have to give up their dreams because their choices (or the choices of another person who impacts them) cause them to get off track.  I believe that some young women who are in this circumstance find it hard to dig themselves out.  They sometimes continue on as single mothers in low-paying jobs and are often trying to support themselves and their children with no training or education. We all make mistakes and we all need mercy and help to learn from those mistakes.  Often they need a caring mentor.  Often they need a helping hand and a way back to the path they were once traveling.
Enter the Women's Success Center at UVU.  
This is a center that is having a great impact on the lives of young women in our area.  They are actually doing something to help bridge the gap between success and failure.  The wife of the President of the University is behind this movement and lives are being changed. I admire her determination to get involved.  She is making a difference!

UVU has established the Women's Success Center to offer women the support and resources they need to complete their degree and gain the confidence, opportunity and knowledge that come with a diploma. Utah Valley University is dedicated to providing higher education opportunities to all who seek them, especially to women.
President and Mrs. Holland are behind the Women's Success Center 100% - they want you to succeed!

"I use my Bachelor's degree every day. I couldn't be the kind of mom, wife, and First Lady of UVU I should be without my education."

-Paige B. Holland

A major need that has been identified and addressed is the need that young mothers have to find a safe and affordable place to leave their young children while they attend class.   How can they gain the education and skills they need if they can't find a way to attend class and get the education they need?  The Wee Care center was established for this very purpose.  Through generous donors (many of whom were young mothers who were struggling along themselves in their youth) the center was established to provide child care while the moms are in class.  I think they is a marvelous idea.  A new building is currently being built to allow many more children to attend the care center while their mom's are furthering their education.  Take a look at this beautiful center and imagine the lives it will impact as young women prepare for their futures and are better able to care for their families.  For example: 

 

Women Who Graduate:

• Feel more control over their lives
• Have more leadership skills
• Have more solid self-esteem
• Have greater resistance to alcohol/substance abuse
• Have greater teamwork capabilities
• Are more tolerant of differences

Moms with a degree:

• Have higher birth-weight babies
• Have children who are more likely to complete their own education
• Create healthier lifestyles for their children
• When they choose to work, have higher salaries and more autonomy/flexibility in the workplace
• Are more involved in civic & volunteer opportunities
• Care more about social issues and world affairs, knowing it's the world their children will inherit

A sea of pink

I didn't expect to be hit with emotion like I was. Neither did Rick.  It was overwhelming. I wasn't prepared for it.  We couldn't contain the tears.  It was a total surprise to me to feel those emotions participating in the annual Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure event in Salt Lake City last Saturday.  I really felt the love and the support of total strangers and my support team. There were so many people there. More than 10,000 to be exact.  Just think of that.  10,000 people who have been affected in some way by breast cancer.  10,000 people who know.  10,000 people who get it.  10,000 people who have seen it up close and personal.  And then to think that this walk was just for breast cancer survivors and also to honor those who have lost the battle.  What about all the other types of cancer? There would certainly be thousands more representing all those different types of cancer.  Cancer is a beast.  I hate cancer.
We walked with many people who were in family groups.  Some had signs on their backs that said "in memory of Mom or grandma or aunt or sister" or "in memory of __________(fill in a name)" or "celebrating with_________" or "standing with _____________"  Some people cried.  Some people celebrated.  Everyone felt the emotion.  It felt good to take off my hat and expose my head and in some ways stand together with those who have been through a similar experience.  It's just hard to imagine the human cost and suffering this disease has caused until you see the faces and read the names and look at the staggering numbers of people who are fighting to defeat it.  And that is exactly what we did.  We raced for the cure.

Sweet nieces Kate and Maridon.  Love you girls!

I did last June 22, 2012 and it saved my life.

The best supporter a girl could have.

In my mind I'm gone to Carolina

In my mind I'm gone to Carolina
Can't you see the sunshine?
Can't you just feel the moonshine?
And, ain't it just like a friend of mine
To hit me from behind?
Yes, I'm gone to Carolina in my mind
James Taylor

I went to Charlotte, North Carolina in my mind and literally a couple of weeks ago.  It was heaven.  It is so beautiful and green it is hard to believe.  Growing up and living in the west almost all of my life, I remember the first time I went to Virginia and saw all the green trees as the plane landed.  There were trees as far as the eyes could see.  Roads cut through never ending groves of trees.  North Carolina is no exception and it is something to behold. It is also something to get use to since I'm more comfortable seeing my surroundings for miles in any direction.  That isn't possible when you live in a forest.
The BEST part was seeing little Charlie man and Dave and Courtney.  Charlie had just learned to walk and he was busting a move and walking all over the place, all the while holding his little chubby arms in the air to balance himself.  We took some wonderful walks through the surrounding neighborhoods and shopping centers and a couple of drives through the city to get a lay of the land.  Charlotte is a beautiful and sprawling city. I helped them get packed up and ready to move to their next assignment.  It was so much fun to spend time with them and to chat and chat for hours on end. I'm so proud of this young family and for the good life they have carved out for themselves!

Here we go, off on an adventure!

The skyline of Charlotte.  It is a financial center with lots of banks.

Meeting Dave for lunch and seeing where he
 worked.  His building is in the background.

Charlie rocking his shades going out for an adventure.

This baby boy loves books.  Lots and lots of books.

Courtney and I went to breakfast with Jenny
 who is a great family friend.  We chatted for
 hours and enjoyed getting caught up.
 She and her family also live in Charlotte!

In front of Dave and Courtney's apartment

Darling Courtney having some play time
 with Charlie who was laughing his head off.

Enjoying some southern cooking at Mac's.

No meal would be complete without lots
 of different choices for BBQ sauce.  Yum!

I've never seen this phenomenon anywhere else
 but the south...using pine needles as ground cover and mulch.
  Cool!

The view outside of Dave and Courtney's
 apartment...trees all around.

Getting out and walking around a beautiful lake

Sitting pretty in his Cadillac stroller!

Off to church

The cute family

Packing up and moving out

Some stuff stayed in Charlotte and some stuff went to Boston

Goodby my sweet little friend! Until we meet again.

Something to get excited about!

Education! 

 For young men and young women. 

 Especially for young women who are also single mothers. 

I was invited to attend a gathering of about 300 women in our area in support of education at Utah Valley University.  It was such a worthwhile meeting and I felt like it was for a worthwhile goal. The main objective was to network with other women and learn how we can help young women be more successful in college and help them complete their education so that they can support themselves and their families if needed.  There were plenty of women there who could contribute financially, and others like me who could contribute time and experience.  Figuring out ways to help women complete their post secondary education, especially women who are also young mothers, is such an important goal.  We enjoyed a delicious luncheon and some nice entertainment, but more importantly, we learned about what is happening at UVU to help young women and specifically young mothers succeed in starting, continuing or finishing their educational goals.

This concept has been in the back of my mind for years and years.  Working at BYU I've seen thousands of young women on campus working towards their educational goals.  The old adage "if you educate a mother, you educate generations" - rings true to me.  I love to see thousands of young women educating their minds and preparing for their futures.  However, BYU has not made it easy for those young women who may also have children.  25% of the student body at BYU is married and 48% of the 29,000 student body is female.  Young married women either have to delay having children or figure out how to juggle education with child care while they are in class, drop out of school or delay their education until later. There is no day care available on campus.  I think BYU (the LDS Church) is being cautions in avoiding sending out the message that they endorse young women leaving their children in day care to pursue their education.  To me, it's a catch 22 because the LDS church values education and regularly encourages young women to receive an education or training so that they can support themselves in the future if needed.  They just don't make it that easy to do that at BYU.

Enter UVU.  Utah Valley University is located only a couple of miles from the BYU campus.  They are a state run university and hence don't have to worry about sending out the message that young mothers are supported in leaving their children in day care to pursue their own educational goals.  And more importantly, they are sending out the strong message that young SINGLE mothers have support on their campus by providing affordable or discounted day care for children to attend while their mothers are in class.  There is such a need for this service. In another post I'll share what they are specifically doing. 

The state of Utah has established the Utah Women and Education initiative just for this purpose.

Utah Women and Education Initiative

The Utah Women and Education Initiative (UWEI) is the outcome of a need to increase the number of Utah women holding postsecondary degrees and certificates, enabling them to:

• more effectively contribute to the local, social, and economic development of the state;
• realize their own potential for positive influence and contributions to the public and private good; and
• positively influence and contribute in family, societal, and work contexts.

The Initiative will orchestrate a collective effort for Utah to become one of the most innovative and successful states in the union by harnessing the power of education for its residents. Educators, business people, and community members are working together to achieve the goal of having 66% of Utahns aged 20-64 attain postsecondary degrees or certificates.  Utah leaders believe that we must harness the power of education for our residents and continue to help more women complete college degrees and certificates.
 
Both men and women with postsecondary degrees and certificates, whether they participate in the paid workforce or not, are better prepared for roles as community members, homemakers, and caretakers. As noted by Dr. Susan Madsen and colleagues, “A college education is more than a gateway to an affluent lifestyle. Earning a college degree has implications far beyond the workplace.  The non-tangible benefits of receiving a college degree are, at minimum, equivalent to the monetary ones, and they extend from individuals to families and communities.”  Among other benefits, Dr. Madsen cites research that shows the following advantages for college educated women: a healthier lifestyle, increased life satisfaction, better lifelong learning skills, expanded knowledge, enhanced analytic skills, deeper creative thinking, better decision making, increased civic and community engagement, strengthened leadership skills, more developed social skills, heightened self-esteem, and stronger reasoning. These benefits are felt tangibly as women help mold the next generation of Utah children and strengthen our society.

I hope to get involved in this worthwhile goal in some way.

St. George (again)

 

Rick attended his annual conference again this year and I got to go with him and work on my projects and enjoy some warmer weather for four days.  This year I took four large boxes of papers and treasures and continued to go through them and keep the good stuff to put in plastic pages/binders and get rid of the rest.  I found some good treasures along the way. I also watched several movies on HBO that I hadn't seen before. Rick and I took some lovely walks and discovered some new places. We saw two movies - Jack Reacher and "42" about the life of Jackie Robinson and enjoyed them both. We're going to return with our kids in June after Andy's wedding and now we know of some good places to visit.  I love to discover new things to do in St. George.  We also drove around and saw some mansion houses that are in the surrounding areas and wondered if they are all second homes or if people live in those homes year round.  Hum..interesting.  So much construction is still going on there.

The Town Square park is lovely with a splash pad and a carousel and a children's museum will be opening this summer.  We'll be going to this:

 to see this:

We went to this place to see this sculpture that we had heard about. It is an interesting representation of what might happen when a person passes away as they go through the veil and return to the Savior.

Althought we've been here before, we always enjoy visiting the St. George Tabernacle

to see the workmanship of Rick's great, great grandpa Miles who was the head architect responsible for building the tabernacle.  We both commented that the apple has fallen very far from the tree since Rick, his dad and his grandpa don't know a hammer from a screwdriver.  Seriously, they aren't handy at all but they have other skills that have made up for it.
I really love to visit St. George and this year was no exception.  We had a great time and enjoyed a delicious meal at The Painted Pony restaurant the last night we were there and also did some temple sealings in this beautiful place.

  I did my very best to show some self control and NOT eat pie for lunch and dinner at this place.