A Success Story from The Gardens

Jacole Williams lives at The Gardens apartments with her 4 boys, and was recently featured as one of our resident spotlights during our annual event, Hope For The Future! Jacole was an LPN for over 20 years, having overcome a lifelong disability to be accepted into medical school. Meningitis at the age of 10 days old left the right side of her body much weaker than the left, but she never let this disability get in the way of her dreams: she vowed to never let anyone treat her differently or limit herself just because she was different.

Jacole and her boys moved into The Gardens apartments when her marriage ended. Suddenly, she found herself a single mom of 4 boys, all under the age of 5. She realized childcare was taking all the money she was making as an LPN, and on top of that, she didn’t have any time to spend with her children. Around the same time, her body was beginning to fail her, and for the first time in her life, said, “I need help.” That’s when Hope Communities came into her life. Jacole’s sister toured an apartment and reported back to the family that The Gardens was a safe, supportive and welcoming community. Jacole was sold! 7 years later, she’s been able to be a hands-on mom for the boys, investing the time and support they need to thrive at their language-immersion school: 3 of her boys are fluent in Mandarin Chinese. The youngest 2 – twins Kalief & Kareem – discovered their love of gardening when they participated in summer camp. Their mom even recalled weekends when the boys would wake up and tell her that wanted to go check out the garden and make sure there was plenty of water for their sugar snap peas, lettuce and tomatoes.

Jacole credits the programs, services, and caring staff at Hope Communities for giving her and her children a life they might not otherwise have: from summer camp for the kids, to a safe place to call home, to a community that truly understands the phrase “it takes a village,” she has high hopes for the future for her and all 4 boys.

You can hear Jacole talk about Hope Communities in her own words on YouTube!