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On a recent morning at ForKids’ Landmark Center, eight women gathered with their families, children, mentors, and peers to celebrate a milestone years in the making. One more cheered from afar. Together, they marked the completion of something bigger than any single program.
They marked a turning point.
This spring, nine graduates of ForKids’ Economic Mobility programs completed a journey measured not just in months or years, but in decisions, setbacks, persistence, and growth.
Made possible through the support of Women United, with additional partnership from LISC and Virginia Natural Gas, these programs are designed to create lasting change for families across Hampton Roads.
Over the course of their time in Aspire, Strive, and the Financial Opportunity Center (FOC) programs, the graduates increased their collective income by $188,885, completed 142 goals, and showed up for 277 meetings with their ForKids mentors.
But the numbers only begin to tell the story.
“Behind each statistic is something more personal,” said Sara Olson, Senior Program Manager-Economic Mobility at ForKids. “A home purchased. A degree earned. A credit score rebuilt. A car paid for in cash. A family vacation taken for the first time. A future imagined differently, and then built, step by step.”
Or as one graduate put it, “When I came to ForKids I was newly sober and learning how to live life as an adult. Without ForKids, I wouldn’t have been able to do it. I turned my whole life around.”
More Than a Moment
The room was filled with family, children, friends, mentors, and a growing community of alumni.
With this class, the total number of graduates across these programs reaches 59 women. Each one has decided to invest in herself, often while raising children, working, and navigating systems that were not designed to make progress easy.
“Success does not require a perfect beginning,” said Desiree Johnson, a 2022 Aspire graduate who now serves on the ForKids Board of Directors, in remarks shared by Olson during the ceremony. “It requires persistence. It requires faith, especially when you can’t yet see the outcome.”
Building Something New
That message resonated across the room, and across the stories of this year’s graduates.
Take Lakesha Ferebee, who entered the FOC program in 2023 looking for a fresh start.
“I walked in and said I need resources, help,” she said. “I got that and more. Through all the trials and the roadblocks and detours, ForKids has given me a new vision for myself.”
Over the course of the program, Ferebee completed 39 goals and increased her assets by more than $280,000. Today, she’s a proud homeowner.
For Latasha Beall, the journey through the Aspire program was powered by consistency and support.
“When you have support, it keeps you going,” she said.
A mother of five, she completed financial literacy training, earned a promotion, and created space for meaningful, new experiences, including a family cruise that marked a different (and joyful) kind of milestone.
And for Calie Dorsey, who graduated from Aspire this month after previously completing the Strive program, progress came through structure and clarity.
“For me, the goal setting was huge,” she said. “I looked at a goal, and I thought of the steps, and suddenly I could see the path forward.”
Since joining Strive in 2022, Dorsey has become debt free, purchased a home, and is set to graduate with a degree in accounting later this spring, all while increasing her income and savings significantly.
The Secret Sauce
“It’s not just about the money,” said Denedra Tyler-Richardson, ForKids Mobility Mentor II, as she introduced one of her graduates. “You rebuilt your foundation from the inside out.”
That rebuilding takes time.
The programs themselves can span from several months to three years. ForKids pairs participants with dedicated mentors who walk alongside them through every goal, every setback, and every decision.
Olson calls that relationship the “secret sauce.”
“It has always been the time and attention that each mentor pours into their participants,” she said.
That investment shows up in ways visible and invisible: the 147-point credit score increase achieved by one graduate; the shift from unscored to scored for another; a bachelor’s degree earned while raising four children; the courage to start therapy; or the decision to leave behind harmful habits and relationships to move toward something better.
Creating a Legacy
It also shows up in legacy.
Many of this year’s graduates spoke about their children as their “why” and how their experience in the programs empowered them to take more time for self-care, reflection, and growth. They are modeling new behaviors, creating stability, and breaking cycles that may have shaped their own childhoods.
“You are not behind,” one mentor told her graduate. “You are building.”
That idea lingered long after the ceremony ended. Because while graduation marks an achievement, it is not an ending. It’s a beginning.
“At ForKids, economic mobility is not about a single moment,” Olson said. “It’s about creating the conditions for families to thrive over time. It is about giving people the tools, the structure, and the support to move forward, even when the path is not clear.”
Or as Desiree Johnson reminded the graduates in her remarks:
“Your past does not define you. Your struggle does not disqualify you. Your resilience is your power.”