Autumn's email is at bottom of article lets send her our love
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JW RECOVERY STORY SEND HER OUR LOVE
by DannyHaszard 4 Replies latest jw experiences
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DannyHaszard
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unique1
Which of those stories is it in?
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DannyHaszard
"I am going to share something that up until recently I was ashamed of," said Autumn Allen, the attractive well dressed woman sitting on the couch in my office. "I dropped out of school when I was in 8th grade. I was involved in teen gang activity, and I was a teenage mom." Allen never went to a high school prom or rally. She didn't spend her teen years worrying about what to wear, talking on the phone for hours with friends, or even just simply living in the warmth and comfort of her family home.When asked how she manages to deal with crime victims everyday, Autumn Allen replied that she gets to help people on the worst day of their life. Then she gets to go home and have the privilege of hugging her children and husband. She says it puts the day in perspective for her. At the age of 14 she had two jobs, working at a McDonalds and bussing tables at an Asian restaurant-jobs obtained by lying about her age. Her father, who by then was divorced from her mother, helped his daughter by cosigning on a studio apartment. Allen, at 14, lived on her own. Her apartment became a hangout for the "wrong crowd" that she had hooked up with. Living in the Hilltop neighborhood in Tacoma in the mid-80s, it wasn't hard to fall in with a gang. "My parents were both dropouts," explained Allen. "Going to school and getting an education was not emphasized at home; plus my parents were Jehovah Witnesses. I was not allowed to participate in any school events because of their beliefs." "At 14 I was very young, very mischievous and liked making my own money," she continued. By 17 Allen was pregnant. "Even though I was street smart, I was still young and naive," she described. The father of her child was much older, and as the relationship became complicated by a child, it also became abusive. What may have seemed like a burden turned out to be a blessing for Allen. She credits the birth of her son for getting her away from gangs. "It was no longer about me," she said of her life. The responsibility for taking care of a child as a single mother was the catalyst for wanting a better job and a better way of life. Allen started that better life by attending a technical school where she earned a computer certificate after nine months of training. Her efforts paid off with a clerical job that offered better pay and even medical benefits. Eventually she got a job in property management. "It was more than I ever made," Allen said of her property management job. "It gave me a two-bedroom apartment as well. I was barely 18." Allen said her new job taught her many things about herself. She learned that she could sell, was good with numbers and could manage people. By 20 she had advanced in the company, managing a 30-story elite high rise in Seattle. "I constantly strived for better. I wanted more. I did not want to be poor," she explained. "I grew up on a farm and my mom had $20 a month for groceries. We raised a lot of our own food. I did not want to live like that or have my son struggle." Allen was a driven worker and had learned how to survive in a corporate world, but one event changed her life. As part of her work, she occasionally was forced to evict tenants who had not paid. On one particular occasion, Allen found herself faced with a family begging for help. "This family had lost their business," she said. "The children were crying and pleading, but my response was all business, very corporate. That night I realized how rigid I had become." Allen did not like the fact that she had sacrificed her humanity for the bottom line. It was time for a change, and she felt part of the answer was to go back to school. In the meantime she would still have to work, and she needed a job that would allow her the time to continue her education. She found work helping low income families find the resources they needed. "I could work from home. It was the total opposite of what I had been doing." Allen applied at Edmonds Community College (EDCC). It was close to home and a place to start, but because of her lack of a high school diploma she would have to take the GED test first. "What are you saying! I've been managing multimillion dollar properties, and you are telling me I can't go to community college," she said about her reaction when the EDCC told her she couldn't just register. The college helped her to take the test and she passed in the 94th percentile. Allen was now 26. She had a new husband and two small boys at home. She was about to embark on a quest to find herself and her passion. "Before I took my first class, I spoke to my aunt who has her own company, Career Design," she confessed. "I wanted to help solve crimes. I was fascinated by the topic, watched all the TV shows, and I felt that being a very matter-of-fact kind of person would be an asset in this field. My aunt said 'get a mentor.'" Allen admits that subconsciously her new career choice might also have been motivated by the fact that her brother was killed at the age of 16-his body found by some railroad tracks. The police said it was an accidental death, but Allen has always been suspicious of the boyfriend her mother had at the time of the incident, a convicted felon. "I consider my life in a lot of ways to be very lucky," she contemplated. "Things have worked out for me. I seem to be in the right place at the right time." This is how she felt about her first class at the college when her professor brought in a speaker, Chuck Wright, a man who had worked on numerous criminal cases including the Green River killer case. Allen asked him to be her mentor, and although he at first agreed to only one visit, Wright has become not only a regular mentor but a good friend. It was Wright who suggested that Allen volunteer while going to school. He recommended she work with the Families & Friends of Missing Persons & Violent Crime Victims (FNFVCV), which advocates and provides support. "I really started to find my passion," described Allen. "I remember watching Oprah about this time and she said if you do something you are passionate about you will never really work a day in your life." "Today I'm a full-time mom, I go to school, I volunteer, and I work full time and I never feel like I'm working," she declared. She is now the Outreach Supervisor and Regional Training Coordinator for the FNFVCV. She will graduate June 10 from the University of Washington, Bothell campus with a bachelor's degree. She plans to continue her education by attending graduate school. "My mom is overjoyed with pride. My husband and kids are very excited. I am the first one, other than an uncle, that has ever graduated from college," she exclaimed. Allen has just turned 30; her boys are 6 and 12. She feels that everything has happened so quickly that she hasn't had the time to reflect on her accomplishments, nor is she planning to take time in the near future. Allen wants to start her own consulting and public speaking firm. "I have a hell of a story to tell," she relayed with a smile. And she already tells it, by giving inspirational talks to alternative high school students, service clubs, legislatures and anyone else who shares her passion. The first thing she says to a room full of troubled teens is, "I get it." "I went to speak at an alternative high school in Seattle. When I walked in, I was given no respect, not even from the staff," Allen alleged. "The principal said I wouldn't last a half hour, even though I was scheduled to speak for an hour. "I was really flabbergasted when I walked into this room of 200 unruly kids," she continued. "They (the staff) wanted me to talk at the podium with a microphone, but I wouldn't do it. I got down on the floor with the kids. "Over an hour later the kids were ecstatic and the principal hugged me. These students have asked for me to come back to speak on several occasions." The students responded to Allen, just like the crime victims respond to her; because Allen knows life is tough and not always fair, and she is willing to say so. She also says that you can't feel sorry for yourself in a tough situation and has set an example with her own life. "When I speak to a group I open myself up and allow for very personal questions," she commented. "I don't shy away from the answers." "Example is a much more effective tool than preaching," she concluded. You can contact Autumn Allen by e-mail at [email protected] http://www.zwire.com/site/?brd=1024&pag=795&newsid=18424385&action=submit post a comment
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compound complex
This story is a real inspiration! I'm feeling motivated again.
Thank you, Danny.
CoCo
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juni
Dang that woman is an inspiration!! I'm sure many other kids who are aimless in their lives - who perhaps don't have a good example or encouragement from mom/dad will grab hold of her every word. She is a mentor for many. Even many adults too.
How encouraging! I applaud you Autumn, and I wish you continued success in helping others.
Love, Juni
