When Yolanda Paige’s father passed away, it came as a shock. No one knew of his illness — not even his family. As her way of coping, she began looking for love in all of the wrong ways and places. Then, one day, her sister picked her up from work in the middle of the day without explanation. She eventually learned that it was because her mother, whom she saw every day and considered her best friend, had passed away unexpectedly. Yolanda was left shocked and it took a great toll on her mental state.
Picking Up the Pieces
As the second oldest of four siblings, Yolanda was left to care for her disabled youngest sister LaRuth after both of her parents passed away. She lost her job as a result, and she felt like she had hit rock bottom.
For a while, she said, “My daily routine consisted of taking care of the needs of my baby sister. After doing that, though, some days I would just eat and go back to bed. Some days I would not even take care of my hygiene. I didn’t want to talk to friends or family, and I isolated myself.” Nevertheless, her children and sister Tamara would try to encourage her to do something and make something more for herself.
“Doing Something” Through HIM
One day, Yolanda was running errands with her son when she passed by a sign that read “Free Job Training”. She told her son that he needed to call and enroll in the program for himself, not knowing that she was the one who truly needed it. She received an informational mailer from Hope Inspired Ministries a few weeks later, and held onto it. When she drove by the HIM Birmingham office, she decided to make the call to enroll in the upcoming program.
Although she was both scared and excited about coming to the class, Yolanda said that she learned a lot. She said, “The most important part of the class each day for me was devotion. We were given the book The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. The book touched on how to reconnect our relationship and fellowship with God, family, friends, and associates.” She earned Student of the Week during the second week of class for her commitment to growth, being encouraging to her classmates, and taking ownership. That commitment was further proven when she was awarded with the Perfect Attendance award at graduation.
Now, she is working at Regus, a corporate office space provider, as an administrative assistant. She said, “I thank God for the opportunity to be in the HIM program and for the HIM program itself.”
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