Sarah’s Story: Finding Her Foundation
Watch Sarah share her journey in her own words in the video below.
Sarah remembers the exact moment she realized something had to change. Standing in yet another apartment after having to move again, boxes scattered around her feet, she looked at her young son and knew they both deserved better than this constant uncertainty.
“The biggest thing I struggled with was stability,” Sarah reflects. “I was a single mom with no money and no real place to stay. I think I moved eight times in three years.”
Growing up, Sarah had known stability. Her parents were both teachers, and holidays were spent together as a family. But life took unexpected turns, and at 30, when she found herself pregnant, Sarah knew there had to be more than just surviving.
Hear more of Sarah’s inspiring story in this video
A Door Opens at Play Café
That’s when Sarah discovered the Play Café at The Salvation Army Connection Point Church & Resource Centre. During one visit, a caseworker approached her about Christmas assistance. When Sarah’s sister intervened on her behalf, it opened the door to the Pathway of Hope program.
“Pathway of Hope is a handful of people that will walk you through finding any sort of life you want to create.”
Unlike traditional assistance programs, Pathway of Hope works with individuals to identify their own goals and create personalized plans to achieve them. For Sarah, this meant pursuing massage therapy school.
Working with her caseworker, Sarah identified six specific objectives—from applying to massage school to renting a stable home for herself, her son, and her mom. Recently, she sent an excited text: “I just finished with the Pathway of Hope program. All 6 of my goals I had made were met! How cool is that?!?!”
From Survival to Possibility
The program wasn’t about receiving charity—it was about building capacity. Sarah’s caseworkers helped her see that asking for help wasn’t a sign of weakness, but a step toward strength.
“I felt like my life for so long was just about survival. And it’s so much more than that now.”
Today, Sarah is a registered massage therapist with renewed hope for the future. Where once she saw only uncertainty, she now sees possibility.
“It provided me with people who saw stuff in me that I didn’t see myself,” Sarah says. “I honestly feel like I could accomplish anything in life now, and there’s so much hope in that.”
Your support makes stories like Sarah’s possible. When you give to The Salvation Army, you’re not just helping meet today’s needs—you’re investing in tomorrow’s possibilities.
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By Sipili Molia