Civic Dispatch: Resilience
Jean O’Connor-Snyder intern Sadie Keller shares how the strength and persistence of individuals in the community will continue to make a lasting impact in Walker County.
In my short time at the Jasper Area Family Services Center (JAFSC) in Walker County, Alabama, I‘ve heard the word “resilience” more times than I can count. I’m a summer intern through a joint program between the David Mathews Center for Civic Life, the Walker Area Community Foundation, and the University of Alabama’s New College. While I knew what resilience meant, it wasn’t until I began to work here that I began to learn its importance in everyday life. Taylor Johnson, the coordinator of JAFSC’s Family Initiative, defines resilience as the “ability to bounce back.” No matter the individual, life will bring difficult challenges. It is resilience that gives people the power to still achieve their hopes and dreams despite the challenges.\
In Taylor’s own life there have been countless times she has had to bounce back. From addiction in her family, to natural disasters, to a teen pregnancy, time after time Taylor has shown resilience. Resilience does not mean ignoring or simply forgetting these experiences. In fact, Taylor says that her early life motivates her working at the center today. “I wish my family had known about these services as I was growing up,” Taylor said in an interview. She said that still today “a piece of my childhood drives me.” This resilience has led Taylor to thrive at JAFSC. During her three years here, Taylor has emerged into one of the center’s greatest leaders. Taylor acknowledged that when she first came to the center she was in her shell. Now she believes “I have grown in communication, going after what I think the program wants. I have grown into a leader.” Taylor’s coworker, Kaylie Denny, further attests to Taylor’s growth and leadership at the center. “Taylor has taken the initiative to fight for what her program participants need,” said Denny; “She has strengthened community partnerships which are incredibly beneficial to her participants.”
Taylor reflects a resilience that is grown in both the JAFSC where she works and in the clients they serve. Through challenges of the global pandemic, the nonprofit world, and the problems facing the community, the center has continued to grow and adapt. The center has grown from a two-program center in a tin-roofed house, to the expansive non-profit that it is today. While she would never take enough credit, a large part of the center’s success is due to the work of Donna Kilgore, the Executive Director. Taylor describes Donna as “a visionary and a tremendous leader.” The staff at JAFSC is equally as tremendous. The entire staff meets weekly to discuss the business side of the center, but also prepares them to be equipped in their own resiliency. Every member of the staff must participate in exercises and games to build resiliency and trust. They must learn how to bounce back first before they go on to mentor their clients.
Just as everyone faces challenges and hurdles in their life, the clients that the center serves face countless obstacles. Many of their participants have experienced generational poverty and trauma, housing crises, drug issues, and a lack of transportation and childcare options. By teaching resilience in all their programs, JAFSC is helping their clients become self-sufficient and succeed in life despite the challenges. All clients of all programs create a “hopes and dreams sheet” when they enter the Center. These hopes and dreams are what motivate them to become resilient, to overcome the obstacles that block them from achieving their goals. Because of this resilience, the center has seen clients begin to thrive. For instance, a couple years ago, a mom came in with five children, did not have a GED, was not working, and came from an abusive marriage. Through the various programs at the center, she got her GED and is now enrolled in college, got a job at the center, and all her children are on the honor rolls at their school. Countless other stories of personal growth and resilience are why the staff continues to show up to work every day.
The community of Walker County has also displayed resilience. It is no secret to those who live in the county that they have faced a number of challenges. Taylor described the natural disasters, economic disasters, and other hardships that have knocked the community down. However, Taylor also said, “We have a pretty resilient community.” This resilience shines in the community foundation whose resources far exceed the size of the community. The resilience shines in the ways in which the community constantly lifts each other up. Taylor said that in her lifetime she has seen incredible growth in the community. She recognizes that issues such as addiction, homelessness, crime, and poverty still afflict the county. However, the community is raising awareness and is actively fighting these issues. This continued fight despite the challenges exemplifies resilience.
From individual lives, to community nonprofits and businesses, to the county as a whole Walker County has displayed and continues to display incredible resilience. The ability to bounce back means that Walker County continues to fight and thrive still today. The ability for individuals to show resilience, such as Taylor, means that there are solid people working to combat evil. No matter what issues befall Walker County in the future, I am confident that they will continue to show resilience and grow.
Originally from Longmont, Colorado, Sadie is a junior at the University of Alabama, majoring in mathematics with minors in civic engagement, liberal arts, linguistics, and psychology. She is also part of the Accelerated Masters Program, pursuing a masters degree in mathematics.
This photo of Sadie was taken by the Walker Area Community Foundation as part of the students’ internship with them over the summer.