Save Up Program

Tameika has plenty to be happy about the year 2016.  It is the year that she landed her dream job, got engaged, and became a home owner.  It is the year that Tameika and her 19-year-old spent their first Christmas in their new home! 

Tameika became a Save Up participant in 2015, after hearing about the program from a relative who was already a Save Up program participant.  She said, “I found that renting was a waste of my money, and I really wanted to use my money to purchase a place of my own rather than pay someone else’s mortgage.  The Save Up program gave me the opportunity to learn how to budget and save, which ultimately helped me to stay focused on my goal of homeownership.  I have to admit that I am a reformed impulse spender.  Save Up taught me how to resist temptation and stay on task with my spending plan so I could reach my goal.”

No stranger to goal setting, she landed her dream job in February 2016, as an educator at a local beauty school, and in November 2016, Tameika purchased her home.  She stated “purchasing this home has provided me the stability that my family needed.  I will continue the habit of saving that I developed during my participation in the Save Up program.”     

Inconsistent policies within financial institutions are barriers for families as well as for professionals. Understanding what the policies mean, how it applies to your family and determining which benefits add value to your money can be overwhelming to learn for those with no experience or prior knowledge.   Please consider donating today so RISE can continue working in the community.

Tamika believes her shift to a more positive perception of life has led to a more joyful reality and RISE was key in that transformation. By focusing on the moment Tamika is continuing to RISE, even though it may not have always been the case, her daily walk is filled is thanks and gratitude.

Tamika heard about RISE’s Save Up program at a resource fair held at Department of Human Services, where she formally worked.  Tamika was looking to make a change in her life financially. She had a budget, but wasn’t receiving the outcomes she knew she should. It wasn’t until she came to RISE and learned how to develop a spending plan that she able to see on paper where every penny of her income went.

Tamika says that another aspect of class that impacted her life was creating a vision board, a critical piece of the class. Designing the vision board helped her visualize a clear purpose for her life and she keeps it as a daily reminder of what her intentions are.

Tamika is focused and determined. She used her RISE match funds to pay for her college tuition. She says the money from the Save Up program will allow her to graduate a year earlier as she continues to learn and live a debt free life. Tamika learned that you should take life one day at a time and you can accomplish what you desire and she reminds herself daily to not focus on what tomorrow or next week holds, but to focus all energy doing the best she can today.

Please consider contributing your resources and support RISE as we transform lives! An investment in RISE is an investment in the future of Memphis.  We have proven that it pays dividends to give people the tools they need to become and remain self-sufficient rather than pay for social services that only treat the symptoms.  When the cycle of generational poverty is broken, we all win in terms of decreased crime, increased productivity, lower healthcare costs and more engaged citizens.