Sammi tries to forget her past.
The future is hard for her to get excited about. She is stopped in her tracks every time she thinks about who she once was. What she needs is a chance, an opportunity to prove that she is not the same anymore.
But Sammi has a criminal past that bobs to the surface when she applies for a job. Most applications ask her a humiliating question:
“Have you been convicted of a felony?”
Filling out an employment application is a nervous moment for Sammi.
The truthful answer usually ends in a rejection. But Sammi is able-bodied, she works hard, and she wants to do more!
Since her incarceration, her new home has taught her much more than just how to cope. She has learned about herself and what she is capable of.
She appreciates the time with her mentor at a women’s transitional home. She’s been practicing her cash-handling skills through role-playing. Her coach has been walking her through the interview process. The classes she’s taken on budgeting and life-skills have set her up for success.
But that situation can only take Sammi so far. What she needs is a way to demonstrate what she’s capable of.
Sammi dreams of a setting that where her past isn’t a waste, but a catapult to her future. Her “real world skills” can be molded and morphed into something profitable, something self-sustaining.
Sammi imagines a life that she can now dare to hope for.
The team of Omega Espresso Bar dream along with Sammi. Our hearts pull toward all the “Sammis” among us who long for a better way. All they need—besides their desire—is a chance.
These past few months we’ve begun a partnership with a local coffee shop who is allowing an intern to start her future there. We’ve met with a professional funding organization to project our 2017 timeline with purpose. We continue to meet with like-minded organizations, networking and developing.
Thank you for dreaming with us. We long for the day when we’ll open the doors of our shop. Until then, we work hard. We pray hard. We trust.
We trust that the dream given to us is shared for every Sammi that waits.