Save Up Program

Xylina  learned about the RISE Foundation’s Save Up Program through a friend and entered the program on July 3, 2014. Her goal is to be able to purchase a vehicle. Because of her large family, whenever they attend an event, they need to travel in two vehicles. Her dream is to purchase a vehicle large enough to accommodate herself, her mother, and four children.

She stays busy raising her four children and taking care of her elderly mother, who has dementia. However, she has found the time to complete a Food and Beverage Degree from Southwest Tennessee Community College (SWTCC) and is currently at  working towards a degree in Speech and Theatre. Xylina has been a Memphian for 12 years but when she lived in New York, she enjoyed participating in off Broadway productions. A natural leader with a bubbly personality has enabled Xylina to participate in the Ambassador’s Program, recruiting students for enrollment at Southwest Tennessee Community College. She also completed the Southwest Tennessee Community College Leadership Institute.

While being helped by RISE, Xylina is still willing to help others.  When the RISE Save Up staff was asked to present information about the Save Up program to a group of Hispanic families, Xylina translated the flyers into spanish and volunteered to accompany them to the event in order to make sure that those present would be able to hear in their language the importance of financial literacy and how Save Up could really help them to make better choices with their financial resources.  She even shared a few ponters herself based on what she learned in the class.  So as Xylina is being helped, she also understands the need to cascade the tools and techniques that she has learned to others in the community like her, who want to improve their family situations.      

Xylina has learned a lot about budgeting and managing her credit through the Save Up Program. She says “I have learned what my worth is financially and have learned how to properly allocate my resources, to recognize my financial limitations and act accordingly.” She says “I am not going to lie, it has been difficult to resist making impulse purchases, but I have managed to stay focused and on target with my spending plan. I know that life has its challenges, but you just have to push through it and make things happen and never give up.” She is well on her way to making her vehicle purchase and plans to do so by February 2016.

As Xylina has been helped through your donations, other families are in need of the services of RISE through the Save Up program.  Your continued support will make it possible for RISE to expand it's reach further in the community.  As you can see by the smile on Xylina's face, being able to not only "make ends" meet but to "make ends overlap" with savings for a specific family need,  is something to smile about.