This week we celebrate Independence Day, a day hard-won in our nation’s history. As we learned then, independence never comes easy. Those who fought for the independence of the United States were brave souls who had a dream and refused to give up until it became a reality. It took tremendous courage and the willingness to take a stand.

Every day people walk through our doors exhibiting their own kind of courage, their own kind of willingness to take a stand for their future.  And we respond by learning what they need and helping them take the next step – through education, behavioral health services, job training or employment supports to be able to achieve their dream and ultimately, their independence.

When you look up the word independence in the dictionary, you see terms like self-determination, autonomy, liberty. For me, these words get to the core of living an independent life—a life where we have options, where because of our hard work, we can make choices.

Generational poverty, incarceration, growing up in the “system,” having a disability, growing older, coming home from war with seen and unseen injuries—can seem to take away choices and present barriers.  At Fedcap, we believe that education and employment translate into a life with choices and a life of economic well-being.

This week, as I reflect on the original independence day, I am celebrating the accomplishments, the courage, the resilience, and the perseverance of all of those individuals who pushed through fear, doubt, and stigma to forge a better future and a legacy of hope, possibility, and better choices.