We are continuing to equip our community with Employment Training and Recruitment, Life Skills for the whole family, and the Real World program for young adults.

A new Life Skills class will start September 14. We will host an interest meeting on Zoom August 31.

The Life Skills class can transform lives. A one-year program for employed adults and their children, Life Skills offers:

• Budgeting 

• Goal Setting  

• Relationship Development 

• Financial Incentives  

• Mentoring and resource referrals 

• Workshops and individual support for adults and their children  

Register at www.stepupministry.org/get-help or call 919-781-0156 

Employment Readiness Training (group classes or one-on-one instruction) is for adults 18-60 and offers:

• Resume support

• Interview Practice 

• Support in overcoming barriers to employment  

• Referrals to StepUp’s network of employers and opportunities  

• Average starting hourly wage $13+ an hour 

Register at www.stepupministry.org/get-help or call 919-781-0156.

Group Life Skills group programs will continue to be offered virtually through the end of 2021.

“It is our goal to safely resume in-person programming,” says Linda Nunnallee, Executive Director. “It was a difficult decision to continue virtual programs for another quarter, but we carefully considered the health of every participant, volunteer and our staff. We look forward to exiting this pandemic together and resuming our group programs as soon as it is safe to gather.”

“We are incredibly grateful for the continued support of our donors as we provide Employment and Life Skills training for the entire family,” Nunnallee adds.  

If you have questions about Employment Readiness Training or Step2/Life Skills, please contact Angela Coleman. If you have questions about Children’s Life Skills or Real World Young Adults programs, please contact Colisha C. Stanford.  

Visit our Calendar to see all upcoming events or our Volunteer Page for opportunities to get involved as we transition back to in-person group programs. 

We celebrated the graduation of one Life Skills participant and two Real World participants on March 26th with a virtual ceremony. We are so proud of the dedication and commitment to the process and to their purpose that these graduates have shown.

"Spend some time with yourself because your purpose is inside of you. You don't have to look far, you don't have to look to other people. You will find your purpose sitting right there inside of you." - Jamar Davis

Nauresha joined Life Skills in January 2020 with her six month old daughter. She did not have her driver’s license so she was paying $40 a day five days a week in Lyft fees for transportation. She was ready for a change and wanted to do something different for her daughter.

Fast forward to December 2020, Nauresha graduated from Life Skills with her driver’s license, a new car, a new apartment furnished through The Green Chair Project and a full-time job with Amazon. 

Nauresha counts many of the accomplishments she had during her time in the program as some of her greatest.  “Since Life Skills I’ve got my license back, I got my car, I got a place and I start school in January so everything pretty much because I wouldn’t have thought about starting school again if it wasn’t for Life Skills.”

“My biggest takeaway from Life Skills is to never settle, keep pushing forward. If you have a goal then go for it and don’t let anything hold you back.”

“You have the power from this day forward to continue to grow.”
– Shareasa Dunn, StepUp Alumni

Our December 2020 Life Skills graduates made StepUp history as our first class to complete the entire program virtually! We celebrated with over 60 participants and their family members, staff and volunteers on Thursday night. 

Graduate Spotlight: Delshawn

“I found out about this program by mistake, but I think it was by design.”

Delshawn was supposed to pass on some information about StepUp to a friend, but ended up seeing the benefit of it for himself too. He graduated from the most recent Life Skills program in December along with eleven other participants. 

“StepUp transformed my life because I have been searching for the drive that I lost over the years so I was looking to do something to get out of my comfort zone."

He graduated as the class speaker, with excitement over his renewed passion for setting and achieving his goals alongside a class of peers that became a network of support and encouragement.

Nathaniel relocated to Raleigh NC in 2019.  His goal was to make positive choices and decisions that would improve his employment, housing and transportation status. 

Nathaniel entered StepUp Ministry through the Employment Training Workshop on July 8, 2019.  Upon completion of the Employment training Workshop, he enrolled into the Step2 process (formally known as the Life Skills program).  Nathaniel is currently in phase IV of the 48-week program.  

Since enrollment in the Step2 process, Nathaniel has worked diligently with his Case Manager to resolve issues surrounding a suspended drivers’ license, secured safe and affordable housing and landed a permanent full-time position as a Crew Leader with Erosion Control Solutions. As a Crew Leader, Nathaniel has been assigned a company truck, trailer and equipment to transport 3 fellow co-workers to and from Project sites. He also ensures that work quality and production are met. 

Two weeks ago, Nathaniel entered training for the position of Shop Manager. If you see Nathaniel, please help me in congratulating him for all of his accomplishments and I’m looking forward to hearing about many more.

Corina Wyche is a single mother of two small girls who decided that it was time for a change. She took the first step by entering the doors of StepUp Ministry, enrolling in the Employment Workshop program in April of 2019. Upon completion of the workshop, Corina utilized the skills that she learned and gained employment as a Front Desk Clerk at a local hotel. Obtaining full-time employment enabled Corina to continue with her goal of completing the entire StepUp process. Corina entered Step 2 in January of 2020. She remains determined as she navigates through online virtual Life Skills classes, homeschooling a 7-year old daughter, creating activities to keep a 2-year old entertained as well as maintaining her employment.

Corina still has goals and aspirations to achieve. Join us in congratulating her on her past and future achievements.

Social distancing may keep us from gathering at White Memorial Presbyterian Church on Tuesday nights, but it’s NOT keeping us from supporting our families!

Our Children & Young Adult's Team is bringing Life Skills to the participants creatively! Schools are closed, folks are staying in to remain safe and healthy, and our staff is working remotely to connect with adults and children and provide support in any way they can. They are determined to keep our families engaged and continuing to work towards their goals!

Most parents are with their children all day now, and plenty of new challenges will arise as we all adjust to the current climate. Phylicia Barr, one of StepUp Ministry's Children's Program Case Managers, pointed out that "the REAL parenting begins now." Staff members are increasing Triple P (Positive Parenting Program) education sessions via email, phone, and even Facetime. Colisha Stanford, Director of Children and Young Adult Programs wants to ensure "parents have adequate and evidence-based tips in front of them to help them during this period of uncertainty."

Our team is engaging with children of all ages to provide activities and resources. Ashton Herbert, case manager and coordinator for the Baby Steps program, celebrated St. Patrick’s Day remotely. She shared the crafts by email and facetimed with the children to read Shamrock stories! Collin Morrison is supporting the young adults in the Real World program as usual.

Whatever the coronavirus pandemic brings, we are all in this together! We are keeping close relationships with our families, providing remote instruction, and remain ready to help wherever we can.  

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Shawn Bonnett entered the Life Skills program on January 8, 2019, with the determination and dedication to complete the 48-week journey.  The 24-year-old worked a fulltime job, lived independently, and relied on public transportation as his means of travel during his Life Skills journey.

Shawn graduated from the Life Skills program on December 12, 2019. While in Life Skills, Shawn enrolled in a GED program through a partnering agency and acquired an NC Driver's License with the assistance of the Blanchard Community Law Clinic at Campbell Law School. Shawn continues to be engaged with StepUp Ministry by attending the Alumni program.

When you see Shawn, please join us in congratulating him for his dedication and achievements!

Johanna Catedral-Arias is a native of Puerto Rico. When she came to StepUp Ministry she was seeking an opportunity to improve her life by making necessary changes that would positively impact her family. She is a mother to three wonderful boys, Ramsesses, Hector, and Zahid.

Johanna began her journey with StepUp Ministry on November 13, 2017, when she completed the Employment Workshop. As a result, she gained full-time employment with the Hyatt House at North Hills. Johanna then entered the Life Skills program, eager to learn more. While active in Life Skills, our staff was able to assist her in gaining joint custody of her children. On August 27, 2019, Johanna began her new career with Alliance Medical Ministry as a full-time receptionist.

Johanna has made great strides by securing her very own two-bedroom apartment as well as furniture from The Green Chair Project. She was also able to purchase a laptop computer through the Kramden Institute. We would like to thank all of our community partners that helped Johanna StepUp!

If you see Johanna, please join me in congratulating her for all of her accomplishments.

Meet Jamekah. Jamekah enjoys fashion designing, writing songs, and singing. Jamekah has been employed at Nationwide Insurance since March 2017 as a Member’s Care Representative. James Ivy, her father and a Life Skills graduate, referred her to the program. After a year in Step Two, Jamekah and her two children, Cashual and Cali, will graduate tonight. 

Come celebrate all the graduates’ hard work and resilience with us TONIGHT, March 28 at 6 pm at Christ Church.

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LeaAndra Faulkner, a 2018 Life Skills Graduate, is very creative and is compassionate about assisting those who are in need. She and her daughters crochet sleeping mats out of plastic grocery bags for the homeless population and distribute them to individuals.

LeaAndra Faulkner, a native of Baltimore, MD, currently works as a Certified Nurse Assistant. When she came to StepUp, she was seeking an opportunity to improve her life by making necessary changes that would positively impact her and her family. She is a mother of two beautiful girls, Joelle and Johanna.

LeaAndra began her Life Skills journey on January 3, 2018 and graduated on December 13, 2018. She has not gone anywhere, and we love seeing her each week in our Alumni Program.

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Nakol was introduced to StepUp in 2011.  She initially joined because she wanted something different; but, she hadn’t quite mapped out the path to reach “success”.  She completed the week-long employment workshop, secured employment and joined the Life Skills program.  Unfortunately, halfway through her Life Skills journey, Nakol had to step away from the program to regroup.  Fast forward to seven years later - Nakol never lost sight of her goal of successfully completing Life Skills.  In 2018, Nakol rejoined Life Skills to finish what she started.  She is currently in Phase III of Life Skills, a Wake County employee, and an amazing mother.  Nakol, we celebrate you and your resilience.

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This month’s featured participant of the Step Two Program is Tousha Fowler, who is currently in Phase One. Tousha has been employed at Community Management Corporation since June 2017 as their property manager. Tousha was referred to the StepUp Ministry’s Life Skills program by her aunt, Delores Lucas, who is a graduate of life skills. In 1992, Tousha was in a tragic automobile accident. While she survived the accident, she lost her hand, but she does not let that stop her. She copes with her handicap by playing basketball, softball, and attending Strayer University, all while working a full-time job. She is a former basketball player for Louisburg College and coached basketball for the Varsity Women at Knightdale High School for seven years. Tousha is an inspiration to us all. We applaud Tousha’s resilience and hard work. Keep on stepping up!

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Johanna Catedral-Arias is a native of Puerto Rico. When she came to StepUp she was seeking an opportunity to improve her life by making necessary changes that would positively impact her family. She is a mother to three wonderful boys Ramsesses, Hector and Zahid.

Johanna began her journey with StepUp on November 13, 2017, where she completed the Employment Workshop. She is currently enrolled in Phase IV of the Life Skills program. Since her involvement with StepUp, she has gained full-time employment with the Hyatt House at North Hills, moved into her own two-bedroom apartment, and was able to secure furnishing with the Green Chair Project.

We are so proud of all of Johanna’s accomplishments and can’t wait to see where her journey will lead.

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The month of September has been filled with unexpected blessings.  StepUp Volunteer and Local registered nurse, Erica Saunders coordinated a toiletry drive to support StepUp families for her birthday.  Erica shared “ …this year I wanted to do something different, so instead of receiving gifts I asked for toiletries and donations so that I could gift others.”

Local business owner, Reggie Winston visited our Life Skills program and donated 10 gift certificates for individuals to receive complimentary services at the Bar Ber Shop located at 4551 New Bern Avenue. Reggie stated that “he loves the program and wanted to be a blessing to StepUp.”  We love our volunteers and donors!  We could not do the job that we do without community support!  Thank you, Erica and Reggie for stepping up in service.

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It's graduation time again, and we want you to join us Wednesday, September 12, as we celebrate the accomplishments of our graduates and all those who have walked with them on this journey.

The ceremony will take place at 6 p.m. on September 12 at Christ Church. We hope to see you there!

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Jacquetta started with StepUp in July of 2017 as a participant in the Employment Program. Jacquetta was referred to us by Myra Bradley of Catholic Charities. After working hard to complete the Employment Training Workshop, Jacquetta was offered a temporary position with the NCDMV and she accepted.

She continues to work as an employee with NCDMV. In March of 2018 Jacquetta started the Life Skills Program, with aspirations of learning more about handling her finances and about herself. She is currently in Phase Two of the Life Skills program and is doing a fantastic job! When you see Ms. Boone around StepUp, say hello and encourage her as she continues to reach her goals.

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What happens when you put staff from StepUp Raleigh, Durham and Wilmington in one room for 2 days? Great things!

This past March several of our StepUp staff joined together for 2 days of brainstorming and information sharing. We love our staff and the great work that their doing to ensure StepUp remains current in our ever-changing world and relevant to the people we serve.

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Join in the celebration on Thursday, June 14, as a new class of Life Skills become StepUp Alumni. They have worked long and hard to get where they are, and we think they deserve to be celebrated.

The ceremony will take place at 6 p.m. on June 14 at White Memorial Presbyterian Church. We hope to see you there!

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This month’s featured participant of the Step Two Program is Mary Harris.  Mary has been employed at Holly Hill Hospital since 1985, where she manages about ten or more subordinates in housekeeping.  When Mary initially began Life Skills back in September, she joined with the intent of getting a better handle of her finances.  Fast forward, 24 weeks later, Mary has not only created a budget but is operating within her budget and checking off her goals.   Mary may seem quiet, but she is in fact silently making strategic financial decisions for her future.  We applaud Mary-keep stepping up!

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