New Destiny Family Success Center’s success story for July is one of our own, Ms. M. Her personal story is not only her power, but her legacy. As a Community Health Worker in training to become a Doula, and set to graduate in August 2025, she has connected with many expectant mothers who have similarly encountered the same challenges she has. At New Destiny Family Success Center, she has not only found a career, but a calling.
Four years ago, she started at New Destiny FSC as an intern. At the time, she had just gone back to school at age 48 — something she never imagined possible after the difficult life she had led. She was once a young undocumented mother of two, stuck in an abusive relationship, relying on welfare and food stamps to survive. She worked odd jobs to provide for her children and slowly, over time, built a life. Eventually, she became a permanent resident, later a U.S. citizen, and then, finally, a student again — hungry to learn, grow, and give back.
When Ms. M walked through the doors of New Destiny, she didn’t know what the future held. What she found was a place that not only welcomed her but saw the potential in her she didn’t yet see in herself. She stated, “The Executive Director took a chance on me, mentoring me, encouraging me, and helping me step into my power.”
Today, Ms. M is proud to be part of the Healthy Women Healthy Families initiative under the New Destony’s collaboration with the Partnership for Maternal and Child Health. Through this work, she can support women and families facing many of the same challenges she once faced — poverty, abuse, lack of resources, and fear of the unknown.
At New Destiny, we connect families to vital services, including parenting support, housing assistance, healthcare resources, mental health services, and more. As a Community Health Worker, Ms. M provides culturally sensitive outreach, education, and advocacy to mothers who feel overwhelmed and isolated. Ms. M points out that she likes to share her story when appropriate, not to center herself, but to let others know that they are not alone, and this is not the end of their story.
Some of the most meaningful parts of her job are working with mothers who are experiencing crisis pregnancies, postpartum depression, or domestic violence. She guides them to the same resources she wishes were available to her — resources that can change, and even save, lives. Soon, as a certified Doula, she will be able to walk with these women through one of the most vulnerable and powerful moments of their lives: childbirth.
Ms. M expressed that New Destiny has not just been a workplace for her — it has been a place of healing, growth, and purpose. She is proud of the woman she has become and grateful to be part of an organization that believes in lifting others up, just as she was lifted.