Mary Castillo had her life all planned out. She married her husband when she was 20 and spent the next 35 years staying home and raising their four children while her husband supported them.
All of that changed when her husband was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer. Mary spent the next two years taking care of her husband and living off their savings. She didn't want him to worry, but Mary knew she couldn't support herself, or her youngest son who was still in high school, when her husband passed away.
"I knew I needed to go to school or receive training," Mary shares, "but I didn't want to leave my husband. He thought our families would take care of me, but I needed to take care of myself."
One month after her husband passed away, Mary saw an ad for Opportunity Junction in the paper. "I knew this was the place for me. I needed to start a career, and I needed to start it now." Not only did the Job Training and Placement program offer Mary the skills she needed to enter the workforce, it also was therapeutic during her grieving process.
"Being around other people, getting up and being productive, learning that I could learn new things all helped me grieve my loss and prepare for my new future."
Right before graduation, Mary was handed another challenge--she gained temporary custody of her four grandchildren ages 2-10. She now had four more people depending on her. "For the first time ever, not only was I a working mom, I was a single working mom."
As part of her internship, Mary accepted an internship with hiring partner GWF Power Systems as an office administrative assistant. Although the temporary position was supposed to end in February, Mary proved herself in the workplace and had her position extended. Just this month, her hours were increased and there is the possibility of her position becoming regular/full-time in the next couple of months.
"Because of Opportunity Junction, I have what I need to be successful," Mary says. "I know how to make myself indispensible, and I don't let self-doubt stop me from supporting my family."
Staff | Board of Directors | Advisory Board | Alumni Council | Funding | Success Stories
