Hermalinda Ramirez's Story
About five years ago, Hermalinda Ramirez moved to Winona from Chicago with her husband and daughter. Her daughter Maria is 30 years old and has Down Syndrome. Because of Maria's high needs, Hermalinda has been caring for her daughter ever since she was a little girl.
Upon arriving to Winona, Hermelinda and her family were faced with the challenge of building a new life in our community. Since they had left their support system and moved to a much smaller community, they found it very difficult to find employment, housing, and educational services for Maria. When Hermelinda heard of Project FINE, she contacted our Hispanic Community Liason with her needs in hope of help.
Project FINE was able to help her family find housing and share job opportunities. Before long, her husband was able to find employment. Their life was coming together, but they struggled to find services for Maria. In Chicago, Maria had been connected with several programs that provided appropriate education and skill-building, but she had not been involved in anything of that nature since moving to Winona.
While she enjoyed spending time with her daughter, caring for Maria full-time was a challenge for Hermelinda. She wanted to be able to work and help support her family financially. Project FINE shared several options available and made contacts with several agencies that could be of assistance. In time, Hermelinda decided to enroll Maria in skill building services provided by REM and programming at the Winona Developmental Achievement Center. Project FINE helped her connect with these agencies and register for these services.
They have been extremely happy with both services, and Hermelinda recently found a steady job outside the home, so she can contribute to the family finances. Maria is also enjoying her time with friends and the opportunity to build living skills and meet new people. In spite of these changes, Hermilnda stilll faces several challenges. A few weeks ago she received some paperwork that she could not understand and had a hard time filling out. She was planning to drive to Chicago to get help with the paperwork, since she knew people there who had assisted her in the past. She came to Project FINE fot help and the Hispanic Community Liason was able to help her understand and complete the necessary paperwork.
Hermelinda is very thankful for the assitance Projet FINE has been able to provide her family as they navigate life in our community, She said "Thanks to project FINE, I have been able to find services for my family. They were even able to save me a 5 hour trip to Chicago. Project FINE has made my life in Winona a lot easier."
Shua Kue's Story
Life in the big city was becoming increasingly challenging for Shua and his family, and he longed to make a change. In January of 2010, they decided to move from St. Paul to Winona to see if their life condition would change. Like many immigrants and refugees, the moving process was difficult for Shua, due to the language barrier and his unfamiliarity with the community.
Prior to moving to Winona, Shua contacted Project FINE to help him navigate the housing, employment, and school systems in Winona. He met with Project FINE staff, who gathered information about his family and their needs. The main concerns at that time were finding a place to live and enrolling his two sons in school. Project FINE connected Shua with the Housing and Redevelopment Authority and helped him apply for housing. Staff also connected Shua with the Winona Area Public Schools and assisted with the paperwork necessary to enroll his children. In February 2010, they moved into their townhome and his two youngest sons began attending Winona Middle School.
With his family settled, Shua and his wife Bao began to search for employment. Project FINE informed them of job openings and helped complete several applications. Through Project FINE, they also learned about Adult ESL classes offered through Community Education and have been attending the classes regularly for almost a year.
Though Shua and Bao applied for several jobs, they were unable to find employment for several months. Back in St. Paul they had tended a large garden and grown produce to sell at the local Farmer's Markets. They approached Project FINE for assistance with finding land to garden. Through partnerships with Winona County Community Gardens and local landowners, Projec FINE was able to find 10.5 acres of land for Shua and his family. As a result of finding this land, Shua was able to provide healthy produce for his family and earn income through the Farmer's Market. To express his appreciation to Project FINE and Winona County, Shua and his family donated over 200 pounds of fresh produce to the local food shelves. For Shua, this was a way to give back to the community that has given so much to him and his family.
In the Fall of 2010, Shua and Bao participated in Citizenship Classes offered by Project FINE. They attended eight sessions, covering US History and Civics and the Citizenship process. On March 1, 2011, Shua passed his US Citizenship exam. When asked about what becoming a citizen means to him Shua replied "This is my home; I want to be a citizen to be more involved in this coutry. This is also a chance for me to gain respect and trust and to inspore others."
The last year has been very busy for Shua and his family. They have gone through many changes, but are finally beginning to feel at home in Winona. They are very thankful for the help they received "Project FINE provides ways for me to navigate the community--to help us find our way in Winona and give us the support and education we need to succeed."