Special to the NKyTribune
Brighton Center wraps a community of support around individuals and families by tackling the issues that prevent people from becoming self- sufficient, removing the barriers they face, and creating hope so that goals can be achieved and dreams realized.
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 those firsthand accounts with our readers.
In the coming weeks, the Trib will publish these accounts, which demonstrate the breadth of services Brighton Center provides in the region.
Occasionally some slight edits may be made in the text and, to protect confidentiality, we might sometimes 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.
Brighton Center at its very core is a community based agency.
The people in the region and their needs are the driving force behind the work it does.
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
Every day, Brighton Center works to engage all members of the community from young children to seniors so that real change can become reality. Every one of them has a story worth sharing.
Karis Hawkins: “Brighton Center has enriched my life easily tenfold.”
I first became involved with Brighton Center in my youth. Specifically the Youth Sewing Class that was taught by Helen Brewster when I was 12 years old.
When I joined Sewing Class there was a waiting list and just getting added to the list was a process. I remember asking my mom if I could do it and then begging Helen to let me skip by the list. She added me to the list but then let me join like a week later. I was so eager to learn from her.
When I was younger I utilized several programs, the biggest and main one was Sewing Class both youth and Adulthood. I also was part of the very first Youth Leadership club that was developed.
It was somewhat a piloted program of the Youth Leadership Development program that exists today. At the age of 14, I participated in a work/study summer program. It was amazing. It was awesome to get the various experiences of working in four different positions as well as learning life skills. I then went on to develop relationships with not only Bob and Helen but also Jean Brown. We were very close and when she passed I was honored to receive the Jean Brown Memorial Scholarship created in her honor.
Some of the obstacles I have been able to overcome are probably mind-blowing when I really think of it. I was able to graduate High School and not have a kid then, so I will say Teen Pregnancy. Also not to mention I actually graduated High School. My entering freshman class was around 302 students but my graduating class was only 115. I went to college and not just locally. I was built up enough by my mentors and parents to go away to school. I was able to graduate college and had my first professional job lined up at Brighton Center before I had even officially graduated.
After being involved with Brighton Center I learned quickly that I have a passion for helping and serving others just like how others helped me. It is a huge reason why I went into Social Work, well that and a very informative and nurturing conversation over lunch with the Brewsters one day.
I continued to be impressed by Brighton Center’s ability to nurture its staff and new professionals. It’s great place to work and grow. It also is a place that continues to adapt to the ever changing needs of the population but still holds the ability to be firmly planted in our Appalachian roots. So while some new ideas are introduced, tradition is still embedded throughout the organization and community, i.e. The Block Party and Holiday Drive.
When I was younger Bob and Helen were truly my mentors who opened my world so much more than what my parents could give and I’m still learning from them. However, the dynamic is a little different now that I’m 37 years old, although there is still plenty they teach me.
Sewing Class, to me, has made such an impact on my life. Not only did it give me a skill but it allowed me to explore my creative spirit, develop lifelong friendships as well understand the importance of volunteering and teaching others.
Brighton has enriched my life easily tenfold. My relationship with Bob and Helen helped shape my young adult life.
They helped guide me and showed me that I could do pretty much anything I put my mind to.
I cannot tell you how vital it was for me to have someone else other than my mother or family members nurture me. They were truly invested in my success and me as a person. The kindness, patience and culturally rich exposure I was given is invaluable. Not to mention being shown what a healthy relationship looks like.
It was very powerful.
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.
For more information about Brighton Center and its programs and services, or to become a volunteer, click here.