Janeisha Kirksey: A Ripple of Hope
Hi I’m Janeisha, and my wish is that my story will bring hope to you or someone you know that struggles.
I was raised by a single mom and spent the weekends with my Dad. I saw my Mom struggle a lot to take care of us. She worked so hard to keep us afloat. It was a daily goal for her that we had food, a roof over our heads and that the bills were paid. Through all of that, I never saw her complain. However, she was so focused on surviving that we weren’t able to form a close relationship during my childhood. Because of this, there have been times that I’ve struggled to develop close relationships with other people. I didn’t have the best experience in high school. Getting my education was not on the top of my list. I often felt alone and almost dropped out in the 11th grade. Knowing how important having a high school diploma is, my mother convinced me to stay and graduate high school. I am so grateful that she did that because I don’t know where I would be if I hadn’t kept going. I had supportive parents in my life. Being taught a strong work ethic by my parents, I decided to begin working when I was 16 years old. My Mom taught me how to be independent and to work hard in life. After High School I felt lost, I didn’t have any set goals for my life. I decided to take a break and didn’t enroll to any college. Looking back, I do wish I would have gone to college to further my education. It was becoming very clear how hard it would be to get a place of my own and stay above water but I was determined to leave my mom’s house. I was just trying to grow up too fast but didn’t have the tools or resources.
I ended up meeting a man and we fell in love. We moved in with his Mom which turned out to not be such a good idea. We really needed our own place. In desperation we got a motel room where things always seemed chaotic and stressful. I got pregnant and had our first child. We didn’t have a car so in order to get diapers, or anything I had to take the city bus everywhere with our baby. This was such a stressful time. But I finally got a job at Goodwill and applied at The Housing Authority where I was accepted and was able to get an apartment. Now we finally had stable housing which was exciting but then I became pregnant with my second child. This became more of a struggle because I didn’t have enough for childcare and the bills even though I was working. I enrolled in night school but had to withdraw because I got behind in the bills. Then came my third child. It was a vicious cycle. We became more and more behind and I was absolutely crushed that I had to quit school. It seemed like no matter what I did - it became a dead end!
From Left to Right- Janeisha, Ty’javion, De’asia & Kash
An employee at the Housing Authority told me about Ripple of One and suggested that I apply. I immediately applied because I knew I wanted better for me and my three children. I wanted to break the cycle of living paycheck to paycheck. I’m now learning how to save and budget my money. I used to pay bills at the last minute and make payment arrangements. It feels so much better to pay bills on time. It’s such a relief to have everything in order and organized. Now I’ve started school at Greenville Technical College to be a Patient Service Representative! I feel like I would have been stuck if I didn’t have my Ripple Team in my corner. They have helped me step out of my comfort zone and set goals. I’ve loved being a part of the Ripple family so much. I’m in awe of how someone can be a complete stranger to you and care so much about you, as if they’re your family. I’ve been in situations where I’ve felt embarrassed to tell my story or people got offended by my circumstances. I have never experienced judgement by anyone at Ripple of One. Someone is always willing to help. If you have an issue, they will find a way to help you through it. Ripple of One has inspired me by showing me what healthy relationships look like.
Over time, my Mom and I have worked on forming a more open relationship with each other. This has inspired me to have a close and personal relationship with my children. I would like others to know that they don’t have to live their life alone. There’s always someone that’s in a worse situation than yours and with organizations like Ripple, there’s always someone willing to help.
“Thank you Ripple of One.”