Eric Weinheimer, President of The Cara Program was thrilled to get to his desk early one morning to find an email message from a woman who went though The Cara Program in 2003.

A single mother affected by poverty, Shanika came to The Cara Program in search of opportunity. She spent the first several weeks focusing on foundational skills that would facilitate her job readiness. She quickly aligned with key principles that stay with her to this day – including her email tagline, “proper preparation prevents poor performance”. Throughout her time at The Cara Program, Shanika built her confidence, made presentations without fear, strengthened her data entry skills and eventually secured a quality job with career potential at the prestigious company of JPMorgan Chase.

More than four years later, Shanika continues to thrive at JPMorgan Chase, and has quickly advanced in her company – now serving as Remittance Supervisor. As Supervisor, she is charged with the responsibility of hiring for her team and has had the opportunity to interview new Cara students looking to secure long-term employment within her company. In her email to Mr. Weinheimer, Shanika said:

“I am very impressed with the professionalism and wealth of company knowledge Cara candidates have. I shouldn't be surprised. I remember the intense training I had. It has helped me climb the corporate ladder here. I owe of all it to The Cara Program.”

Shanika was so impressed that she hired two former Cara students, who she now supervises. Shanika’s success illustrates the impact of The Cara Program. By providing intensive life and job skills training, as well as quality job placement and support services to Shanika and her classmates, The Cara Program did more than to give her the opportunity to begin to lift her family up out of poverty. Indeed, The Cara Program and JPMorgan Chase gave her the opportunity to begin an exciting, professional career path in which she could shine, and through which the relationship between both organizations was strengthened.

Shanika impressed the management at JPMorgan Chase when she applied the skills that she developed at The Cara Program to her work. She set precedence for other Cara students that would follow her. She modeled behavior for all to follow – not only as a service-oriented professional but also as a mother – financially empowered to better provide for her family.

The power of The Cara Program comes through in those moments when men and women reclaim their self-sufficiency – instilling in their children the power of commitment, and creating the foundation to stop the transfer of poverty from one generation to the next.