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Crisis Assistance Ministry

Crisis Assistance Ministry

Charlotte, NC

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Muriel & Myla: Where are they now?

Myla was the bright-eyed baby we met several years ago who was fighting for survival. Now she's the picture of health and happiness. We recently checked in with Myla and her grandmother, Muriel, to understand the impact of your help.

May 8, 2020

Remember Myla? 

She’s the bright-eyed baby we met several years ago.  Back then, her grandmother Muriel was thanking the community for ensuring that Myla, who weighed less than two pounds at birth, was safe at home with water and electricity.   

Born to Muriel’s sixteen-year-old daughter, Myla spent four months in the hospital before coming home to live with her mother, grandmother, and Muriel’s four other children.  Despite the family’s financial and medical struggles, Muriel was determined they would not only survive but thrive. 

Today, at age four, Myla is the picture of health and happiness.  

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“You’d never know she was born early,” Muriel says.  “She’s busy.  She speaks Spanish and she’s very intelligent.”    

Myla lives with her grandmother and Muriel’s two youngest children.  The two oldest are off on their own.  Myla’s mother is in nursing school, able to focus on her education thanks to the love and support of her own mother.    

That’s Muriel in a nutshell: a mom doing everything within her power to ensure her family has every opportunity to succeed.   

The journey from those fragile early days of Myla’s life to the relative stability of today wasn’t always smooth.  But the community wrapped its arms around the family through the services of agencies like Communities in Schools and Nurse Family Partnership, in addition to Crisis Assistance Ministry.    “It opened a lot of doors,” Muriel recalls.  “All the programs that we were in, they worked for us.  And with me not working and my family so large at the time.  What I needed, they were able to do.” 

As the months went by and Myla grew, the family needed less and less support.  After a couple of years, Myla was meeting her developmental milestones.  Muriel and her adult children were working.  The family was on its own.  But Muriel never felt abandoned. 

“You become like a family with these people,” she says of the agencies that helped bridge the gap.  “It’s never like, ‘oh, you’re not a part of our program anymore’.  They’re always still helping me . . . giving me the information to get me where I need to be.” 

Looking back on her life so far, Muriel sees that motherhood has been at the center.  “I became someone new after I had those kids.  I wasn’t the same person,” she says.  “It just meant so much to me to make a difference in their lives.”   

Now she’s making a difference in Myla’s life, but it’s a little different as a grandmother. “I call it having someone you can be stupid for,” Muriel says with a smile.  “Don’t ask me why.  I can’t explain it to you.  Myla does no wrong in my book.” 

Today and every day, we salute Muriel and the thousands of other hardworking mothers served at Crisis Assistance Ministry each year.  And we thank our generous community for making it possible to support these families through challenging times. 

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Filed Under: Customer Stories

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Crisis Assistance Ministry

Preventing homelessness.
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  • (704) 371-3001
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  • Main Office:
    500-A Spratt St.
    Charlotte, NC 28206
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    EIN 56-1416719

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Recent Photos

crisisassistmin

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We had an unusual 🐿️ visitor this morning. While we DO specialize in stabilizing families through emergency basic needs and financial empowerment, our services are designed for neighbors of the human variety! 🤣 
Fortunately, our little squirrel buddy has been successfully relocated to the outdoors where they can continue to take care of their family too 😁 🎉

crisisassistmin

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Pulitzer Prize-winning author Matthew Desmond’s thought-provoking message will help us understand the systemic issues contributing to poverty and inspire us to be part of the solution here in our own community. Tickets are free, but required. Seating is Limited. <Link in Bio>

crisisassistmin

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We aren't throwing a big party, but we ARE asking friends and neighbors to make a direct contribution to help stabilize families facing a financial crisis. Your help with this Non-Event will make more stories like this one possible. Join us with a gift to help neighbors avoid eviction and loss of utilities and to empower more people with the tools to rebuild financial stability for themselves. Don't Save a Date . . . Save A Future.

crisisassistmin

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We love sharing our mission with corporate #volunteers like this team from @humana today. Thanks to their help, families will find essentials like clothing, shoes, school supplies, and household goods—free of charge— in our store while they continue to build financial stability. #thankful

crisisassistmin

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Instead of planning a fancy gala, we're inviting you to skip the party (and all those costs) and instead make a direct contribution to stabilize families experiencing financial crisis right here in Charlotte-Mecklenburg.
It's our NonEvent 2023, and your gift will help hardworking neighbors escape the threat of eviction or loss of utilities while empowering families with the resources to stabilize their families . . . and their future.
SAVE A FUTURE: https://crisisassistance.org/mobility

crisisassistmin

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What a wonderful day to welcome #volunteers from @DukeEnergy during their Summer of Service. Nearly 100 Duke employees spent part of their day helping with everything from painting barrels to inspecting donations and stocking the store. A GREAT way to spend a Friday here in the Queen City!

crisisassistmin

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This might look like a #Barbie appreciation post, but actually it is a shout out to Team @duke_energy and the 100+ folks who spent their day as #volunteers here today!

crisisassistmin

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Starting the day with a wonderful snack ministry from @elevationchurch for day 6 of #loveweek2023! Thank you for making sure families seeking help today have a little nourishment along the way.

crisisassistmin

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Today's LOVE WEEK 2023 #volunteers from @elevationchurch created no-sew blankets for families who shop here free of charge, staffed the checkout counters in the store, and prepared newly arrived clothing from corporate donors for future shoppers. With help like this, more than 80 people per day find essentials to help stabilize their families when they visit our Free Store. #thankful #loveweek2023

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