Achieving goals toward prosperity: UpTogether

When Johanny began her journey in UpTogether (formerly known as Family Independence Initiative or FII), she had a two-year-old son and was pregnant with her second child. She was referred to UpTogether by a medical staffer at the hospital where she received care. She felt it was a timely blessing. 

At the time, she had no employment, an empty apartment, no license, no car and wanted to pursue a college education. As her UpTogether cohort met every month, they inspired each other. It was a friendly competition, as members reported their progress each month, thus motivating all to work on their own goals. 

At first, it simply was a relief to receive the resources from UpTogether. With these, she was able to pay bills and address living costs. Then, through her activities with UpTogether, she saw the need for community building. She grew into leadership positions herself, even becoming an UpTogether Fellow. After she met her initial three goals, Johanny continued to add three more, and three more after that. 

Currently, she is working as a family counselor for a community organization and is studying at Lesley University, pursuing her bachelor’s degree in Art Therapy. Through hard work and the momentum created through the UpTogether partnership, she was able to reach the goals for her and her family.