David Jones wants what every parent wants for their children: for them to have a better life than he did. As a LIFT-DC member, David believes (and lives) in a core set of values we can all learn from – courage, determination and integrity. With these virtues and the resources that LIFT connects him with, David is able to care for his children while also learning valuable job skills to expand his career opportunities. With LIFT’s guidance, David and his family are creating a better tomorrow, one step at a time.
LIFT: David, you’ve come a long way since you first started working with LIFT. Can you tell us what made you decide to become a LIFT member?
David: I worked a lot of part-time jobs where I was barely making enough to take care of myself, let alone my kids’ moms and my two children. And a lot of my jobs were temporary or seasonal. They would last either six or eight months. One lasted a year, but then I was right back where I started.
I was scared. Part-time jobs here, part-time jobs there. Basically, I was trying to figure out how I was going to do this. How was I going to take care of my kids? But I always stayed positive. I kept working all these different jobs just to make sure my children had what they needed. That’s when I first found LIFT.
LIFT: That strong work ethic is also something we see when you come to LIFT to meet with your coach.
David: I’m still working on my big goals, but I’ve finished a lot of the smaller goals I need to get ahead. My coach and I have been working on my computer skills so that I can find better jobs. That’s why I say LIFT is a program that will give you back what you put into it.
To me, I take it very seriously because everyone here is my family now and I want to make them proud. I’m getting ready to hit my sixth year here. Even while I’m working odd jobs, I still find time to come to LIFT because there’s still a lot of things I want to accomplish. I always try to achieve and push harder and harder.
LIFT: Can you tell us about some of the goals you want to achieve in the future?
David: My goal now is to see my children achieve their goals. My son wants to join the military so I’m pushing that effort to keep him focused because he watches what I do, and I definitely have to be a role model for him.
My daughter wants to be a school teacher so I’m on her a little harder because she’s in the 7th grade right now and I want to make sure that she stays focused on doing what’s right. So, my goals right now are to support my children. I explain to them every day, “God can call me to come home any day and I want to be prepared for that. But, at the same time, I just want to prepare you for what’s out there in the real world” because a lot of the resources that they have, I didn’t have growing up.
LIFT: Your family is so important to you. We love when you bring them to our events. We know you and your fiancée are about to get married and start a new chapter together. What does your next chapter with LIFT look like?
David: My next chapter is that I want to work a full-time job to provide for my family. I’m focusing on my computer skills because that’s the job market today. There’s still certain things I don’t know how to do and get a little lost with it, but I’m working with my coach to get better so that I can find a better job to support my family.
Once I get to the point where I’m confident with my computer skills, then yeah, I want to do something full-time for my kids. Like the Aerospace museum–they got a lot going on there, and lots of positions, but you have to know the computer!
This story was featured in our 2018 annual report, The Next Chapter. Explore the interactive, all-digital report now: Report.WhyWeLIFT.org