Twenty-two years ago, Michelle DeArmond was single, pregnant, and alone. Sadly, the father of her baby wasn’t interested in helping financially or otherwise. When her daughter Lydia turned one, Michelle decided to charge her life and start college. That’s when she learned about Brightpoint and the child care assistance program.
“I sat down with a lady who had compassion. She didn’t make me feel like a beggar. She told me how she could help me succeed” Michelle says. She appreciated the kindness that she got from Brightpoint because it was difficult for her to ask for help. ‘My pride was one of the biggest hurdles that I had to get over, they made it easy for me.”
Receiving the child care assistance boosted Michelle’s confidence. She got an associates degree in nursing and then went on to get a bachelor’s degree. Before going to school to become a nurse, Michelle had three jobs. Michelle still gets emotional talking about that time in her life. “I would have been stuck in the place that I was – which is okay – but it wasn’t the woman or the mom that I wanted to be.”
Michelle is married now and her family has grown. She works as a baby nurse at a local hospital and realized recently that if it hadn’t been for Brightpoint’s assistance years ago, thousands of people would not have been helped through the work that she does.
“I made a commitment to give back that same love, compassion, and a hand up that was given to me.” Michelle gushes when she talks about Brightpoint. “…you have blessed many people through me. Thank you for me and thank you from them.”