What Is a Woman of Promise?

It’s springtime and things are abuzz here at New Directions Career Center. In just two weeks (April 19^th, 6-8 p.m.), we’ll announce our 2012 Woman of Promise at our annual signature fundraising event. 

The award winner embodies what NDCC is all about. To learn the stories of graduates who have changed their lives through hard work and determination is to know what a Woman of Promise really is.

Bonnie, our 2011 Woman of Promise, grew up in an environment where not much was expected of women. She struggled through college with an undiagnosed learning disability and worked a blue collar job with no vision for her future. During the “New Directions” program, she learned that she had value and things to offer the world. She graduated determined to have a career doing something she loved. Bonnie returned to school and became a certified travel planner. After working her way up to management, she pushed herself in an entirely new direction and started her own successful business.

Bonnie is an inspiration for us all: “The New Directions Career Center set me on a path that enabled me to see and activate a new vision of myself.”  

Many women come to New Directions Career Center during a time of transition, searching for a message of hope. Jacqueline, our 2010 Woman of Promise, described herself as “lost and fearful of reaching out for help” when she enrolled in NDCC after leaving an abusive marriage. At the Center, she learned how to set healthy boundaries in her personal relationships, embrace the  support network offered to her, and focus on her career goals. She worked a part-time job while continuing her paralegal education, obtained full-time employment as an Insurance Account Assistant and set her sights on becoming a family law attorney.

The stories of our previous Women of Promise honorees offer only a glimpse of the Center’s impact. With over 60,000 graduates and more than 30 years of experience providing quality career development at an affordable cost, the NDCC community has much to celebrate. Many women enroll at New Directions Career Center after hearing about how it has helped someone they know succeed. They arrive hopeful. They graduate with solid goals, momentum and confidence in themselves. The Center’s network of volunteers, motivational speakers and donors includes many graduates with their own stories of outstanding achievement.

I hope you will plan to join us on April 19^th, at 6:00 p.m. for the 16^th annual Women of Promise fundraiser, our biggest event of the year. Enjoy live entertainment, cocktails & hors d’oeuvres, and live & silent auctions offerings throughout the evening. You’ll meet community leaders, staff and supporters as we all come together to recognize the inspiring journey of our 2012 honoree. Celebrating the accomplishments of one person helps us each realize our own limitless potential.