Rebecca Spinler is a wife and mother of a 13-year-old son, who all live just outside of Randolph in Cattaraugus County. She also works as an administrative assistant at the local Girl Scouts Summer Camp.
"I love watching the kids grow and develop. And those ah-ha moments," said Spinler.
Spinler has had a few ah-ha moments of her own lately, thanks to The Resource Center and it's Invest U program, which supports people living in poverty to take charge of their lives, funded through The United Way.
What You Need To Know
- Five people from the Southern Tier complete intense Invest U program
- Invest U uses a curriculum that supports addressing poverty and pulling people out of it
- The program is administered locally by The Resource Center and funded locally by the United Way
Students like Spinler looked at the impact poverty has on their families and their community.
"I actually really enjoyed the opportunity. I made connections with people I never knew. And it really made you reflect on yourself, from your past and your present and see what might change in the future," she said.
Spinler is one of five recent graduates of the 16-week program, which teaches a national curriculum used in 46 states, including other part of New York, like Watertown.
The group took part in assessing the condition of the community, learning about class and debt to income ratios.
"The information that you shared with us doesn't stay just with us, we're hoping to move that information to make a difference in our community," said Beth Jermain, facilitator, Invest U, The Resource Center.
They also explored and investigated issues like poverty, housing, jobs and childcare and their impact on the area.
"They're trying to push themselves and by doing that, they're bringing others with them. They really self-reflect which is not easy to do. And they self-reflect with the purpose of moving forward and making things better," said Jermain.
Which is exactly what Spinler is looking to do for her family and community.
"Everyone has the ability to do better but to do better, you have to know better. It's just like a big accomplishment. I'm really proud," said Spinler.
The Resource Center hopes to roll out the program again early next spring. This is the third go around for The Resource Center administering the program, making the total number of graduates just under 20.
