South Bend women speak of challenges of raising children, finding jobs
By NICOLE HADDAD
News Writer
Students were given the opportunity Wednesday afternoon to listen as two women described their personal challenges in raising children and earning a living in the South Bend community.
Guest speakers Yvonne Hudson and Dawn Chapla both focused on the importance of making the right decisions as young women.
Describing her life before coming to the Center for the Homeless in South Bend, Hudson stated she was a single mother of five girls and addicted to drugs.
"With no help and no job, I found myself wandering aimlessly," she said.
After undergoing a house fire and losing everything —including her children to the government, Hudson came out of her denial and stepped into the Center for the Homeless. She attributes the Center for helping her find out many things about herself.
"Life had brought me so many hardships. My mom was gay, and there were many other things where I just needed acceptance," Hudson continued. "My oldest daughter, 15, was pregnant and ran away."
After leaving the Center, however, Hudson was informed of her new position working at WNDU radio station. But even with this new job, Hudson still found that she still encountered struggles everyday. "I had to learn to keep away from certain people, places and things — it's like bowling, just knock down the pins."
Hudson still interacts with the Center. Through speeches and activities, Hudson says that she will never forget where she came from.
Dawn Chapla shared her experiences about her younger daughter Brandy who learned the difficulty of raising children as a single mother.
"Brandy was very bright, but had a poor self-image," Chapla said, "and this affected her whole life and the choices she made."
Chapla also shared her experience working at United Way, where she interacts with unions of the community and representatives from the welfare reform panel.
"Seeing more women working in the community, I am also seeing more domestic violence," Chapla said. "There are issues in the home of control and jealousy — and this leads the children to be more at risk."
In speaking of welfare programs, Chapla said the reform has helped many people get back to work "but they are still poor." She said she believes the jobs available today "simply do not offer livable wages with the benefits."
Chapla said the most important thing for people to look at are the issues that help the community.
All News Stories for Thursday, March 2, 2000
