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A rancher and rodeo roper by trade, Kildee arrived in Cheyenne in 2004 after several years of part-time jobs and homelessness. When CALC Outreach Worker Richard McCullough met Kildee at an area homeless camp in late 2004, “he was struggling,” says Richard.

A couple of years ago, Kildee was burned over three-quarters of his body in a fire pit. To heal, Kildee spent several months in a Nebraska hospital. Though his life was saved, Kildee faces chronic pain resulting from the burns and scarring. To escape the pain, Kildee turned to alcohol.

Over time, Kildee came to trust Richard and agreed to visit the clinic for help. With the assistance of clinic staff and a local treatment center, Kildee quit drinking. He has stayed away from alcohol for several months now, says Richard.

Kildee also decided to make a home in Cheyenne, including looking for temporary or volunteer work—“preferably with animals, because of his ranching background,” says Richard.

For his successes, Kildee received an “Outstanding Personal Achievement” award from CALC at its recognition banquet in May. “Kildee has shown tremendous perseverance and strength in his recovery from alcohol and his desire to move on from a difficult past,” says Richard.

After so many years of misfortune, Kildee has even experienced some good luck. Last spring a landlady struck up a conversation with Kildee at a local fast food restaurant. When the lady learned of Kildee’s Community Action award, “she felt that she could trust Kildee and offered to rent him a one-bedroom bungalow,” says Richard.

Today, Kildee continues to do the hard work of recovering and creating a new life for himself.

Tena Slizeski, a Head Start family educator, met Gloria Garcia in 1998 when the young mother enrolled her preschool-aged daughter in Laramie County Head Start. Tena was the home partner for this family and visited with Gloria monthly. Gloria spoke little English, but “somehow we managed to communicate and understand each other," said Tena.

During her first home visits, Tena discovered the family was living a bare bones existence. “They were renting a one-bedroom home, which often lacked heat due to a broken furnace. They owned one vehicle, which t

hey shared to travel to work. They had no telephone or cable TV. They also lacked health insurance,” Tena recalled. “Fernando was a dishwasher at a restaurant and Gloria was cleaning rooms at a motel. They earned just enough to pay bills and eat," said Tena.

As she got to know the family, Tena learned that Gloria and Fernando had moved to Cheyenne from Mexico three years earlier. "When they arrived, they had a baby girl but little else to call their own," said Tena.

Despite the difficulties, Gloria and Fernando persevered. In 2003, Tena was able to witness just how far the hard-working couple had come when they enrolled another child in Head Start.

At her initial home visits, Tena discovered that Gloria had learned more English. Both parents were also working at better, higher-paying jobs. As a result, the couple had been able to purchase a mobile home with three bedrooms. They had also bought two reliable vehicles and were even able to afford a few extras, like taking camping trips with their children. Plus, the children were all covered by health insurance.

"All of these achievements have come about because Gloria and Fernando dreamed of a better life for themselves and their children--and they have been willing to work hard to get there," said Tena.

Community Action congratulates Gloria and Fernando for the achievements they’ve made and the futures they are building for themselves and their children.