Associated Black Charities Inc

Sharon Cheatom had lived a difficult life.  A long string of bad luck had left her with low self-esteem and fearful of what her future would hold.

She was referred by East Baltimore Development Incorporated (EBDI) to Humanim, a job readiness training program that works with Associated Black Charities to provide paid part time internships to Baltimore City residents.

Although afraid she wouldn’t qualify and just getting over a long illness, Sharon took a chance and showed up for her appointment and took the program entry test.  She passed with flying colors!

As she made her way through the internship as a Document Imaging Trainee, she felt her confidence growing stronger and began to see a brighter future for her and her family on the horizon. 

After completing the job readiness portion of the program as well as completing Microsoft Office training, Sharon transitioned into the second phase of her internship where she stood out among her fellow clients because of her strong work ethic and positive attitude.

She made quite an impression on the Humanim staff and was ultimately offered a full time position with ISCAN, a division of Humanim.

While excelling at ISCAN, Sharon was approached by hercolleagues and asked if she ever thought of owning her own home.  Sharon never imagined she would ever be able to own a home and would spend her life in a rental property.

After learning about becoming a home owner through Habitat for Humanity, Sharon took the courageous step of applying and being accepted into the program!  She learned basic skills such as putting in hardwood floors and the proper way to paint a room so that she could help the builders put together her new house.  She went to settlement in August of 2011.

Sharon credits Humanim and Associated Black Charities with opening the doors to new opportunities to her and giving her the tools she needed to build a new life.