Oh, Thank Goodness : A Job That Lets Mom Pay Her Own Bills

In 1989, the Earth trembled, skies poured, killer winds howled, tankers spilled and revolutions swept the globe. In Los Angeles, gang violence claimed yet more victims and traffic seemed to grow ever worse. Still, amid the tide of oft-tragic happenings, small rays of hope keep shining through. Here are a few of many stories worth sharing on a day of feasting, family and friends. They’re enough to remind that it’s still worth saying: “Oh, Thank Goodness.”

Two years ago, Lupe Talavera was a welfare mother with three children, a former husband who wouldn’t pay child support and a bleak future.

Today, the 40-year-old El Sereno native is celebrating more than just Thanksgiving: She’s celebrating a new job and new life.

“We’re having Thanksgiving with all the trimmings,” she says proudly. “I’m going to buy everything myself. And I’m going to feel real good.”

Married in 1976 to an El Sereno truck driver, Talavera was divorced in 1987. Somehow, the housewife had to raise, clothe and feed her family and keep a roof over their heads by herself.

“But you can’t get a job when you have no skills,” the high school dropout says.

She moved her family into a crowded one-bedroom apartment, and her children found odd jobs such as doing yard work and delivering newspapers.

But still there wasn’t enough money to go around. “It was very hard to survive,” she says.

Angry and embarrassed, Talavera went on welfare.

Then, her sister read about a new program to help women get off welfare and find work. But the nonprofit National Women’s Employment and Education Inc. (NWEE) was still just setting up.

Meantime, Talavera moved in with her mother and earned a degree as a medical assistant from Glendale College of Business and Paramedical.

Once NWEE started its three-week program in September, Talavera learned typing, filing, preparing a resume, even dressing for the job. “It helped me with my motivation and self-esteem,” she explains.

Most importantly, NWEE helped her get a job.

On Halloween, she started work as a secretary in the downtown offices of the California Primary Physicians Medical Group. She earns $1,245 a month, almost twice what she received from welfare.

“Just to know that I’m working and providing for myself and my family is such a good feeling,” she says. “I know my children are very proud of me.”

So, today, besides baking her favorite pumpkin pies, Talavera will say a small prayer before dinner. “I will say I’m thankful that the Lord has been very good to me these past few months. And I’m very thankful to the NWEE. They really give you a chance.”