Patrice Cleveland

Patrice’s Story

EMPOWERING FAMILIES TO MOVE BEYOND GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE AND INTO THEIR FULL GOD-GIVEN POTENTIAL.

Ripple of One has helped me moved forward and get out of ‘being stuck’. They have helped me to see things in a different way. Before Ripple, I was doing drugs, spending money and didn’t have a plan. I hadn’t finished high school so I still needed to get my GED. I would start my GED and then quit—- I started and stopped going to school so many times. I’m a single mom...so when I would get offered a job I would quit school because I needed money to pay my bills.

When I got into Ripple they told me that if I went back to school for my GED and stuck with it— they would take care of household products and give me a job (ripple internship) working at Adult ED while going to school. So I stuck with it and finally got my GED. Then I went on to College at Tri-County tech. During college Ripple gave me my next internship at United Way which complimented my hours that I worked in Work Studies job program (at Tri- County). The Ripple internship was excellent - I needed a job that would allow flexible hours while going to school or I think I would have just kept quitting.

My Ripple Team also helped me come up with a financial plan and a life plan. I didn’t have any savings account —no cushion at all for if an emergency would happen. Now I have a savings and if anything happens I’m prepared. The other great thing is that they match my savings up to $200 every month which helped me create the savings that I have today. The matching motivated me to get as much money into my savings in order to take advantage of the matching benefit.

My team keeps me laughing but yet they keep me focused. I need that because ‘life’ will show up and it will knock you down. With this program you are surrounded by so many positive people that lift you up...when you need it most.

- Patrice Cleveland