Save Up Program

How many times have you watched a television show or read a magazine and said to yourself, I can do that.  Well, Alicia Blakley did just that when she watched a broadcast interview on the news about the RISE Foundation.  Although it was going to be challenging for her, she knew that RISE was in her future, and she also knew what she wanted to accomplish by joining the Save Up component of RISE. 

When Alicia was laid off it got hard for her to meet her savings commitments to the program.  She credits Mr. Lomax, her Save Up coordinator for helping her to stay the course.  She says that RISE has taught her patience and planning. 

“RISE has helped me to face my fears.  My greatest fear was failure.  I was so afraid that I would fail, that I never acted on my own dreams.  The RISE staff have really been a motivation and inspiration for me.  Mr. Lomax always worked with me even when I wanted to give up on the program.” Now when she sets any goal she always reminds herself that all great achievements require time, so never rush the process. 

Alicia was determined to do something that her community desperately needed, so she created the "Robbin's Nest" and with the help of RISE her dream of becoming an urban farmer is coming true.  After completing the Save Up program, she chose lawn equipment and a greenhouse as her savings asset.  When she can purchase these necessities, they will greatly reduce time and labor spent gardening and the greenhouse will allow her to start growing produce year-round.

You don’t have to be a corporation to be an urban farm or have a large tract of land. An individual, a couple of friends, a nonprofit entity, or neighborhood group can start and run an urban farm. There is no one correct sales outlet for an urban farm. Food can be sold to restaurants or at a farmer’s market, given to a local soup kitchen or church.

Alicia is choosing to help her community by growing and producing food in the inner-city.  Her journey to becoming an entrepreneur through the RISE micro-enterprise component is amazing.  There are hundreds of people just like Alicia who are looking for a hand-up and not a hand-out.  Won’t you donate today to the RISE Foundation to help us to continue to make their dreams a reality and our communities more financially healthy.