Saundra Boston accepts her diploma from the "Getting Ahead" program at Ochard Park Seventh-Day Adventist Church on August 22.With "Pomp and Circumstance" playing over the loudspeaker Thursday evening, the four graduates of a nationwide program addressing poverty walked down the center aisle of Orchard Park Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Their graduation marked the end of the eight-week "Getting Ahead" program. Together, they worked to identify resources in their communities and change the way they think about their lives, said Krystal DesChamps, who led the local classes.
Monieyon Smith said her 3-year-old daughter motivated her to participate in the class. Smith said she wanted to improve her situation to create a better future for her child. The group learned together, through good times and bad.
"It hit on so many subjects for different people that we had to take time and address those situations. Sometimes we would cry, sometimes we would laugh. Whatever the situation was, we dealt with it as a family," Smith said. " This class pushed me to want better and do better."
The Thursday graduation marked the fourth class Orchard Park has hosted through its outreach ministry, the Chattanooga Purpose Center. Previous program graduates addressed the most recent graduates on Thursday. Malisa Parham, who was in the first class, said she was nearing homelessness when she began the program. The group had a family like feel, she said.
"There was such a life experience just sharing what I went through or what I was going through, and others sharing what they went through," Parham said. "It was like, wait a minute. I'm not the only one doing this. I'm not the only one experiencing not being able to find a place to live. I'm not the only one experiencing not being able to find a job."
Other graduates said the program gave them confidence in themselves and a hope that they could thrive in situations that were demoralizing. The Thursday program celebrated four of the six graduates; the other two were unable to attend.
Troy Brand, pastor of Orchard Park SDA, said the program is about serving the community, not trying to get new church members.
"What we've done is created the opportunity for people to improve their lives," Brand said.
More than 20% of Chattanooga residents live below the poverty line, according to the U.S. Census. At the same time, problems such as not having reliable transportation, healthy food or a well-paying job create barriers to leaving poverty.
The program is free to participants, though it costs the church between $8,000 and $10,000 a session. In the first year of the program, the church paid the entire bill. The Chattanooga Purpose Center since has applied for grants to offset the costs, Brand said.
More Info
For more information, on the “Getting Ahead” program, visit https://acscpc.org/.
Each week, the participants are offered transportation to the class and free childcare at the program to reduce the barriers people in poverty may have to participate in this kind of program. The group also shares a meal each week and each participant receives a $25 gift card.
The recent graduates will now enter the second stage of the "Getting Ahead" program where they will work together to make change in their communities around a local issue. The group has chosen to improve children's health.
The next "Getting Ahead" class will begin Tuesday, DesChamps said.
Contact Wyatt Massey at wmassey@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6249. Find him on Twitter at @News4Mass.