Empowering stronger financial futures by giving back

Kim never thought she would own a house or go to post-secondary school, but she built a strong financial future for herself and her family with the support of United Way programs and funded agencies. 

In her early teens, a friend introduced Kim to partying. By fourteen, Kim had dropped out of school and moved out to be surrounded by others who used drugs

In 2012 she learned she was pregnant — and never took another drug. Kim recalls that with the pregnancy, she had to face the reality of how addiction had impacted every aspect of her life—financially, emotionally, and socially. And while starting over had always seemed impossible, she found the strength to break the cycle to build a better future for her family.

To do that, Kim needed income fast, but she worried about her criminal record. Kim recalls thinking, “Who will hire me with a record?”

And so, Kim started as an independent sales consultant for a wickless candle company in 2013, working from a small phone screen. As a solopreneur she didn’t have to explain her past to anyone, but it did require Kim to move out of her introverted comfort zone.

She didn’t have many social networks left since starting recovery, but she met other moms through social media parenting groups. They met in playgrounds and many became friends. Later, they would become clients, supporting Kim on her journey of financial security.

As her business grew, there were days where she would deliver product from eight in the morning to nine at night. Her daughter would come along for the ride.  Even as her difficult past receded farther, her daughter continued to play a significant role in her journey towards a more socially rich life.

“When I took my daughter on deliveries, she came to the door with me,” Kim says. “Often we would pet my customers’ dogs or play with their children. It helped to build friendships, not just clients.”

As her business created profits beyond her wildest dreams, Kim realized she needed to learn more about how to manage money. She hadn’t grown up with much, and her substance use through her teens and early adulthood did even less to prepare her to manage money.

“It was easy come and easy go. I never thought about saving, let alone investing!”

So when she heard that a friend was co-facilitating a financial literacy course at the Institute for the Advancement of Aboriginal Women, she decided to go. It was then that Kim discovered United Way’s Empower U collaborative.

The program offers financial literacy courses through local agencies, with a focus on the unique economic barriers that many women face. Empower U also includes a 2:1 matched savings opportunity with ATB Financial to help participants get ahead in their financial security goals.

Through Empower U’s match savings program, Kim chose to save for a computer and printer to manage her growing business.

“I became almost addicted to saving!” Kim laughs. The more she understood about how credit worked and compound interest, the more empowered she felt.

Empower U’s matching funds must be used to help pay for education, emergency funds, or another financial goal. Kim chose to save for a computer and printer. Instead of her small phone, she soon was managing her business on a big screen.

“The iMac and printer changed my business. I was able to create and print flyers, keep stats and reports on purchases, have Zoom calls with team members, and print labels for samples—just to name a few of the benefits,” Kim recalls.

As the COVID-19 pandemic sequestered everyone inside, orders for non-flame candles boomed. Because of Empower U, she knew that more money doesn’t make financial independence. Over the past few years, Kim had worked hard to improve her credit score from near the bottom to the top. As her business grew, she began putting a portion of the profits into savings.

She never thought she would own a house, but, in two years, Kim had a downpayment saved.

With her success, Kim’s business required less of her efforts in marketing.

“I think I was getting a little bored and I wanted to give back,” Kim reflects.

Like owning a home, however, post-secondary school had been something else she didn’t think would be in her future.

Because she’d dropped out of school, it wasn’t until her first time in jail that Kim worked hard to complete a General Education Diploma. At the same time, she began building a trusting relationship with staff from Elizabeth Fry Society, one of United Way’s funded partners.

Elizabeth Fry Society offers essential resources like employment services, a visitation centre, a record suspension program as well as a range of housing to support women, girls, and gender diverse people who are or may be at risk of criminalization.

“EFry is well respected within jails and institutions. We knew we could be ourselves and be honest with them. We knew they would still be on our side,” said Kim. Through the Elizabeth Fry Society, she received help with taxes and took a relapse prevention program. Once out, she didn’t know she could still access Elizabeth Fry’s housing and other supportive services. She did relapse, but the relationships Kim made would come back full circle.

Fast forward twenty years.

With business success and a family to care for, Kim had grown more confident. Kim signed up for the Addictions and Community Services Worker program at CDI College. A practicum was part of her program, and she found a placement at Elizabeth Fry Society — the same agency that was there for her all those years ago when she wasn’t quite ready to make a fresh start.

Now Kim works full time with the agency as their Indigenous Housing Coordinator. The work has given Kim exactly what she hoped for: an opportunity to give back, a chance to inspire and be inspired by so many women who—like her—have a deep need for safe housing, support, and financial security.

Kim’s life is deeply rooted in her love for her daughter, her independence, and determination. Her contacts and connections were there for her along the way: her friend circles have supported her business while her business has expanded her friend circles. It’s all led to a caring, healthy community.

Support from agencies have also been a key part of her journey. Empower U helped upscale her business and revealed an investment path that led to owning a home. Elizabeth Fry Society has given her opportunity to do for others what she once needed.

When you support United Way, you’re breaking down barriers to help people like Kim build stronger, more stable futures for their families and our entire community.