CHOICES FIELD REPORT

Seattle Professional Recounts Impact of CHOICES on Her Life

Editor’s Note: When local business professional Paula Weigand read our February 2008 issue, she was so excited about the Bank of America grant we received that she ask for the bank's contact so she could personally thank him and share her personal CHOICES story about when she was a student years ago. Here's what she wrote…

Hello Mr. Mandala,

Leo Muller from CHOICES forwarded me your email address. I recently read in their newsletter about Bank of America’s grant of $125,000 to CHOICES. I wanted to send you a personal thank you for this donation and let you know this gift will make a big difference in the lives of many teens. I know, because I was one of those kids who benefited from the CHOICES program. I’d like to share a little bit of my story. In doing this, I hope it helps put a “face” on the thousands of kids that your donation will help through CHOICES.

It was the mid-1980’s and the program was then called the “Keys to Success,” but the content was very similar to what it is today. I was one of those kids who had thought very little about college or life after high school. Neither of my parents attended college; my dad dropped out of high school when he was 16. My older brother and sister didn’t go to college either. I had no reason to think I would go. 

Then a couple of great things happened to me. I became friends with other kids who were planning to go to college and spent a lot of time with their families. Also, my sophomore year in high school I went through the CHOICES program. I don’t recall many details of the workshop but something about it made that “light bulb” go on in my head. I started to think a lot about my future and what I wanted in life. I realized for the first time that it was my responsibility to determine what I wanted to do. 

After high school I went on to the University of Washington, graduating in 1992. Since then I’ve worked in public relations -- my last full time position was here at Nordstrom as Business Media Director. I’m currently working here part-time, while my husband and I raise 3 busy kids.

I can’t imagine what my life would be like if I hadn’t attended college…if that light bulb hadn’t been switched on by the CHOICES workshop…if I hadn’t been lucky enough to have friends who talked about college. I think about the high school drop-out rate today and hope that more kids will be able to go through the CHOICES workshop. I hope they are as lucky as I was.

Thank you again for supporting this valuable program. I know it’s difficult for companies to evaluate which programs to support with their charitable dollars. I think you can be confident that CHOICES is helping a lot of kids take ownership of their future and directing them down a path to success.

Warm regards,
Paula Weigand