Danielle Wismer - CAPFSC 2008 Self Sufficiency Award Recipient

Each year the Community Action Association of Pennsylvania honors outstanding individuals who, with the aid of their local Community Action Agency, have overcome poverty and achieved self-sufficiency.

The following is a story of triumph -- stories that chronicle the lives of people who overcame insurmountable odds. People with the drive to achieve more in life, but lacked the support network that would allow them to do so.

Men and women who started with a dream that was shattered either through circumstances such as an unhealthy relationship, an accident or an illness. Or their dreams ended suddenly with an unexpected loss of employment and an education that provided little chance of finding a family-sustaining job. But a common thread binds these people together -- Community Action Agencies.

Our 2008 Self Sufficiency Award Recipient

Danielle Wismer

“Without Community Action Partnership for Somerset County's help, I would not have been able to find a job that uses my degree and background”

In the spring of 2007, Danielle Wismer was diligently preparing for the birth of her first child when she received the devastating news that she would be let go from her job. Danielle frantically began searching for a new career opportunity. She hoped to capitalize on her bachelor's degree in child education but was not able to find a career opportunity that matched the full-time job she had occupied. Worry became panic when she was informed that her medical insurance would only cover her for one more month. On the advice of her physician and her sister, Danielle sought assistance from the Somerset County Assistance Office.

Danielle met with a caseworker who helped her and addressed her family's healthcare needs. While discussing her future plans, her caseworker suggested that she contact the Community Action Partnership for Somerset County (CAPFSC) and inquire about their Employment, Advancement, and Retention Network program (EARN). The program would allow Danielle to receive help updating her resume and interviewing skills while also helping her seek employment.

In July 2007, Danielle enrolled in the EARN program and set a personal goal of finding a job in three weeks. The staff of CAPFSC were immediately impressed by Danielle's determination to make the most of the opportunities provided to her by the EARN program. She attended classes to brush upon her interview skills and reworked her resume to highlight her credentials. The EARN program also provided her with weekly incentives that included mileage allowances, as she completed her thirty-hour a week attendance requirements.

It wasn't long before Danielle found a job as the director of a Mennonite Daycare. She was excited to have obtained a job that utilized her background in education and provided her with the healthcare she needed to care for her child. Obtaining employment allowed Danielle to move into the retention phase of the EARN program designed to monitor her progress and provided her with professional maternity business attire. The EARN staff continued to pass along information about other career opportunities. One that caught Danielle's eye was an opening for a lead teacher at the area Head Start Program. The position paid more and offered her a chance to advance her early childcare development skills. She applied for the job and was hired as a lead teacher. In this role, Danielle assesses the needs of student and shapes the curriculum to make sure the children are prepared to enter kindergarten.

In December 2007, Danielle's anxiety about the future of her family was alleviated when she gave birth to her son Lucas. After just six weeks of maternity leave she returned to work energized by the birth of her son and the knowledge that she was self-sufficient and able to provide for her new family.

"Without Community Action Partnership for Somerset County's help, I would not have been able to find a job that uses my degree and background," she said. "This program [EARN] helped me improve my life; it made me feel like there were people out there to help me and give me insight."

Danielle is proud to be self-sufficient and is in the process of purchasing a home. She plans to marry in the coming years and add to her family while she strives to advance the lives of low-income children in the Head Start Program.

Congratulations Danielle!


Danielle and her son attend a reception with light refreshments and musical entertainment before the big event!		Danielle and her son are pictured with EARN Program Coordinator Annette Dively

John Wilson, Executive Director of CAAP talks about the success the recipients, and the Focus on the future.		Danielle is congratulated by Joe Ostrander, CAAP Public Relations/Communications Director.

Congratulations are given from John Wilson, CAAP Executive Director, and Darlene Bigler, CAAP President.		Danielle prepares for then delivers her acceptance speech.

Self-Sufficiency Self-Sufficiency is a journey; a journey that is filled with pitfalls, dreams, hopes, adversity, disappointments and joy. The following stories reveal the extraordinary people and exceptional deeds of those who have faced this journey head-on. They chronicle the lives of people who overcame insurmountable odds. People with the extraordinary determination to achieve more in life, but lacked the support network that would allow them to do so.. This is the 11th year for the Community Action Association of Pennsylvania's Self-Sufficiency Awards. CAAP proudly presented 31 individuals who demonstrate the accomplishments of self-determination and Community Action Agencies (CAAs) that have helped them to achieve a better life for themselves and their families. For over 40 years Community Action Agencies have been moving people out of poverty and into self-sufficiency through flexible programming tailored to their communities. CAAs evaluate the needs of their individual communities and pro-vide the services their neighbors need to succeed. That ability to shape services to fit community needs is the extraordinary legacy of Community Action. In Pennsylvania, 43 CAAs provide extensive services for low-income families in all 67 counties. These agencies work to empower the 1.3 million Pennsylvanians living in poverty, giving them the opportunity to gain the skills and confidence they need to succeed. Each CAA is firmly embedded in its community as it works to empower individuals and families. As you read these individual success stories, you'll see how widespread, far-reaching and creative our member agencies can be when it comes to fighting poverty. They identify community assets, stretch dollars, forge partnerships, gather resources, encourage volunteerism and tap into valuable resources in many, many ways. Providing truly comprehensive solutions, CAAs often act as "the agency of last resort" in the overall spectrum of human services because of their all-embracing approach. You'll realize from reading these stories that Community Action Agencies are not intimidated by complex problems, multiple funding streams or formidable obstacles as they help people in poverty strive for a better life. They simply keep looking for solutions and provide extraordinary services to extraordinary people.

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