volunteer
volunteer
.jpeg)
It’s important to hope:
Aly and Logan's Story
“I think the only things we still need are a couple of bar stools,” Logan Hancock said with a smile. He and partner Aly just moved into their new home, an apartment that provides joy and stability for them and for their first child, expected in August. “It was unreal,” Aly said of learning she was pregnant. “I always wanted kids.” They know the gender of their baby but are keeping that news to themselves until the birth. They are clearly so excited to be parents and are planning a November wedding.
​
But life was very different just a few months ago when friends and a family member suggested the couple connect with Anacortes Family Center. “We were a hot mess,” Aly says. Both experienced serious childhood trauma and abuse at home and believe they are living with PTSD as a result.
It was all just a decline
The two were introduced by friends just before Aly lost her housing, and Logan tried to help. They worked but struggled with holding a steady residence. Coming to Anacortes Family Center made all the difference. “My life just flip-flopped,” Logan observed. “It was all just decline before, and now it’s just straight up.”
​
So, what happened at AFC that altered their lives so much? Logan and Aly both say the Life Skills courses were the key, along with a safe place to live. They were able to save toward a place of their own while also acquiring skills like building a resume, applying for jobs, and especially budgeting. “We’ve learned how to manage our money, and how to plan for future expenses. We were able to compromise on hobbies so that maybe we could take turns each month with extras and keep to our plan,” Aly said. Now, they’ve been able to furnish their apartment and prepare for the baby.
​
With the chaos of their childhoods and frequent moves, budgeting was not really a consideration six months ago. Now they see it as central to their lives going forward. The couple credit their Case Manager, Rachel for “changing our lives and always being a cheerleader for us.”
"Not Cinderella's Type"
Aly recalls a 2018 movie “Not Cinderella’s Type” that had played a part in forming a new perspective on life and a new sense of self. In the film, the main character is orphaned and living with abusive relatives until someone helps her recognize the gravity of her situation and find self-worth. Something clicked in Aly’s mind. “We aren’t who people say we are. We are what we decide to be.” The things she learned at AFC paired that new inner strength and faith in herself with the specific kinds of knowledge that put her in firmer control of her destiny. Logan, always a hard worker, and now a manager at his job, says that learning how to wrap his arms around the various aspects of their lives gives him a lot of hope for what’s coming next.
​
Now that they’ve graduated from the AFC program and are launching on their own, they muse about where they see themselves a year from now. Both immediately say, almost at the exact same time, “Being good parents!” Logan is laying out plans to become a supervisor at work and eventually owning his own home renovation business. Aly dreams of becoming a lawyer who could help children. She is currently taking online courses in Criminal Law.
There is light at the end of the tunnel
Logan and Aly exude love for one another and a new sense of optimism. They even have words of encouragement for other young people caught up in difficult lives. Holding hands with Logan, Aly says, “Life is hard but there are hands you can reach out to. There is light at the end of the tunnel. It’s important to hope.” Watching them quietly smile at one another, hope seems very real.
​
Story by Margaret Larson, AFC Volunteer Writer