When Samari arrived in the US as a teenager, she lived with a distant relative who turned out to be more cruel than supportive. With her mother and close family back in Honduras, Samari felt lost. She finally found a caring community when her teachers referred her to the Identity-managed Wellness Center in her high school.  There she found mental health support as well as basics like food and clothes, a computer to help her make the most of her education, and rental assistance to allow her to work fewer hours and spend more time on schoolwork.

That’s why, after Samari graduated from high school she knew where to turn when she found herself in a dead-end job with unpredictable wages she could barely live on. She joined Identity’s Upcounty Youth Opportunity Center to help her work toward a better future. “Identity’s workforce development staff helped me greatly with education opportunities and to find a good job” Samari explained. “They helped me enroll in a Clinical Medical Assistant course at Montgomery College. When I started, I was very intimidated. But I studied harder than I have ever studied before and was able to pass the CMA exam and get my certification!  Now I am working as a CMA where I am using my skills and learning more every day how to help others."

Samari says that Identity brought her to a place where she feels secure for the first time in her life. Samari is one of so many Identity clients who are moved to give back to the community. “I really enjoy helping people and I want to help others like Identity helped me.”

Please consider donating to Identity today to help promising young people like Samari who, with the right support at the right time, thrive and give back.  You can donate online or mail a check to Identity, c/o Nonprofit Village, 15800 Crabbs Branch Way, Suite 300, Rockville, MD 20855. We also accept stock or other financial transfers.