As part of its 50th Anniversary Celebration this year, Brighton Center has introduced a “50 Years, 50 Stories” series to highlight some of the customers, volunteers, donors, community partners or supporters who are part of its history. The Northern Kentucky Tribune has partnered with Brighton Center to share some of those firsthand accounts with our readers.
In the coming weeks, the Trib will publish individual stories that demonstrate the breadth of services Brighton Center provides in Northern Kentucky. Occasionally some slight edits may be made in the text and, to protect confidentiality, we might only provide the first name of the storyteller.
These testimonials, however, describe some of the programs and services Brighton Center has provided in its first 50 years, in the words of the people who have benefited from them.
“What has stuck with me through all these years and has led me back to the Brighton Center is, I matter. I can do anything with an amazing support system like Brighton Center behind me,” April
My first experience with Brighton Center was with Mary Frankenhoff, a home visitor for Every Child Succeeds.
I became pregnant at the young age of 15, while receiving my prenatal care I learned of Every Child Succeeds. I signed up to be a part of the program and was introduced to Mary after giving birth to my healthy baby girl.
When my daughter was 6 weeks old I went back to High School but was told I had failed the year before and would need to repeat the 9th grade. During a home visit Mary told my father and me about the Young Parent Career Center which became my second involvement with Brighton Center.
Shortly after I started the program my father became sick with stage 3 cancer. My world fell apart in a matter of months. May 19, 2000 one month after being diagnosed, my father passed away leaving me to be teen mom to a 6 month old baby on my own.
During this time I continued my visits with Mary as she held my hand and guided me through this black tunnel.
I received my GED from the program shortly after, and then decided to move away to another state. While running state to state Mary never lost contact with me.
She went above and beyond to try and keep me on the right path while I was trying to be a mother. My story got extremely rough throughout the next three years but Mary never left. She kept in touch through emails, phone calls, and text messages.
On the one year anniversary of my father’s passing Mary sent me a beautiful card stating that she remembered too. I have never felt such love and compassion. I did return to Newport eventually attended the first Every Child Succeeds graduation with my daughter and Mary.
The past 16 years Mary and I have stayed in touch and she along with Brighton Center is the reason I’ve gotten this far. I will graduate in the spring with an associate’s degree in Early Childhood Education and plan to apply for a position with Every Child Succeeds.
I currently hold a full time lead teacher position at Northern Kentucky Scholar House.
What has stuck with me through all these years and has led me back to the Brighton Center is, I matter. I can do anything with an amazing support system like Brighton Center behind me.
In the words of Lauren Copeland, “We must meet people where they are in life” which is what this Center does. On a daily basis I’m surrounding by caring, loving, compassionate people here at Northern Kentucky Scholar House.
It truly makes my heart happy and full.
The opportunity to work with parents who are in similar situations that I’ve overcame is beyond this world empowering and fulfilling.
I wouldn’t have made it through the first three years of teen motherhood without Every Child Succeeds or Mary. I would have never gotten my GED through Young Parent Career Center which means I would not be a proud employee of this amazing company.
My message to others would be, if you need the support of an entire community, with all the love, compassion & respect they hold in their hearts, you need to become part of the Brighton Center. If you don’t believe in yourself we can and will believe for you.
From its beginning in 1966 as a modest Newport storefront, Brighton Center has grown to provide a range of programs and services which include meeting basic needs, adult and early childhood education, workforce development, substance abuse recovery for women, affordable housing, financial education and counseling, and neighborhood based programs.
Last year Brighton Center impacted the lives of 60,892 individuals from infants to senior citizens through 37 programs in Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati
For more information about Brighton Center and its programs and services, or to become a volunteer, click here http://www.brightoncenter.com/