Setting your sights on a goal, whether it is graduating high school, acceptance into a college program, attaining your dream job or buying a house, is the first step to making it a reality. Many fortunate or privileged people simply combine this focused intention with a bit of motivation and hard work and they succeed with flying colors. The vast majority of the world typically has a few more obstacles to overcome and barriers to break through, and sometimes simply don’t have the resources to do so. With mouths to feed and three jobs to sustain there isn’t time, much less money to make a change. Thanks to organizations like Mi Casa Resource Center, they are giving low-income individuals the help they need to attain their goals and make their dreams come true.
Mi Casa’s mission is to advance the economic success of Latino families, through an integrated program strategy comprised of Career, Business, and Youth & Family Development services. The Career Program is particularly important as  it offers sector focused job training designed to help people launch careers with strong earning and advancement potential in growth industries such as:

  • Green Construction and Energy – An intensive nine-week course trains people to work in the high-growth renewable energy, energy efficiency and sustainable construction industries. Video – Green Jobs Training at Mi Casa
  • Bilingual Bank Teller – An intensive, four-week course prepares individuals fluent in both English and Spanish to begin careers in the financial services industry.
  • Healthcare Professionals Training – Mi Casa partners with Community College of Denver, Emily Griffith Technical College and other training providers to provide students with both the technical skills and the soft skills they need to begin and advance their careers in healthcare support and allied health
  • Vocational English Learning – Students spend 15 hours per week in class studying English with a contextualized, vocational curriculum in construction/energy, banking, and healthcare. The other 20-25 hours per week are spent in community-based training designed to cultivate language and work-readiness skills for the workplace.

 
Below is a story about a woman named Simona who truly overcame her fears and with the help of Mi Casa made an incredible reality for herself and her family!
Meet Simona, a graduate of Mi Casa’s Bilingual Bank Teller career training program:
Mi Casa’s Career Development programs offer a practical pathway for workers who face barriers to employment to launch a promising career
Simona has been working since she was 15 years old, often working two or three jobs at a time to make ends meet and provide for her children. For more than six years Simona worked as a manager in a fast food restaurant. Though she lived paycheck to paycheck, Simona was pretty sure her job was secure.
But in mid 2009 Simona was laid off, and she immediately realized that if she was going to pay her bills and stay in her home, she needed help. The day Simona applied for welfare benefits stands out in her mind as one of the hardest.
“I was embarrassed because I have always been able to provide for my family and I have always been proud of that fact,” says Simona, mother to five and grandmother to four.
Through her TANF counselor, Simona found out about and enrolled in Mi Casa’s Bilingual Bank Teller intensive career training program to prepare individuals fluent in English and Spanish for careers in the financial services industry. As a fast food manager, Simona had supervised more than 20 people and was responsible for the hiring of new employees. But the prospect of being on the other side of the interviewing table after so many years was terrifying.
But after working with her case manager, instructor and career coach, Simona began to see that despite her fears and with some help, she was perfectly able to start a promising new career with strong earning and advancement potential.
“I was excited to be in class again after so many years,” Simona says. “Learning new things, meeting new people and coming to Mi Casa every day brought me back to life. It’s given me another chance to do something exciting.”
Mi Casa helped Simona secure a full-time job with benefits at a local credit union, where she works full-time as a bilingual teller. To once again feel the pride of financial independence and stability has given Simona renewed hope and energy for the future.
“More important than falling down is always getting back up. And at a difficult time in my life, Mi Casa helped me prove to myself and to others that I have the ability to learn new skills, start a new career and be successful.”
More Success Stories:
Meet Gabriela, a graduate of Mi Casa’s Business Success entrepreneurial training course
Mi Casa’s Business Development programs help entrepreneurs and emerging businesses find success through self-employment
Gabriela moved to the United States from Mexico to take her fashion design dreams to the next level. A student of fashion who once owned a small clothing boutique in Chihuahua, Gabriela realized her upscale, handmade creations needed a larger base of potential customers.
Gabriela enrolled in Mi Casa’s entrepreneurial training course in Spanish and spent the next three months learning about market research, marketing, finance, and strategic planning. Now, Gabriela is the proud proprietor of Gabriela Designs Denver, a business with a steadily growing clientele.
“Mi Casa helped me grow my business and I depend on Mi Casa for counseling and advice – it’s an invaluable resource.”
Gabriela’s long-term goal is nationwide distribution of her clothing line, which would give her the opportunity to offer employment to other women who, like Gabriela once did, need a hand up to be successful.
 
Meet Deon, a participant in the Mi Casa Neighborhood Center afterschool enrichment programs
Youth & Family Development programs offer out-of-school time enrichment focused on positive academic, emotional and social development, with opportunities for family engagement and adult learning.
Deon is a future aviation engineer who attends afterschool programs at the Mi Casa Neighborhood Center every day. Deon’s energy and enthusiasm are evident in his every interaction, and he loves coming to Mi Casa after school to program his own robots and video games – all of which involve airplanes.
“After school Deon can express himself, play, learn, and indulge his wild imagination in a safe environment. Mi Casa has given Deon a community and a voice, and I see him take a great sense of pride in that,” says Sheryl, Deon’s mom.
Deon’s passion for the computer programming instruction after school at Mi Casa has opened new doors for him. With the help of career activities and field trips, Deon is looking forward to combining his passion for airplanes and computer programming into a career in aviation.
“I didn’t really think of myself as a leader before this. But after what I’ve learned and the experiences I’ve had, I realize that I am a leader, and that makes me feel really confident.”
 
For more information visit: www.micasadenver.org