“Beyond the financial help, Ezrah was always there for me and my children, providing constant emotional support and encouragement.”
“I had worked in a profession that I loved for 25 years and had finally reached a very prominent and financially rewarding leadership position. However, when I was diagnosed with a serious medical condition which necessitated medicines and procedures that were not covered by my insurance, I was forced to deplete my family’s savings and, eventually, even accrued a significant debt.” David sadly continued, “Around the same time I lost the prestigious position which was the zenith of my professional life and found myself unemployed. I accepted a job with a lower salary and long commute. This job was much less rewarding and did not fulfill my professional needs, but I needed to provide for my family.” David continued working, accepting the new reality and, along with the rest of the family, adjusting their lifestyle to fit the reduced salary and his long commute. Three year later, the company’s lowered his salary significantly and, though the family’s basic living expenses remained the same, they simply could not keep current. They tried to trim the budget wherever possible, but still could not pay all their bills and household expenses. “It was a nightmare,” Jennifer remembers. “Checks bounced, the mortgage company was continually calling, the credit card companies (who had been more than happy to loan us money) were now shutting off all our credit. The struggles, emotional, financial and physical, were crushing. We were both psychologically shot, we couldn’t smile, we felt terrible.”
David quit this job. With 35+ years in his profession, he believed that something else, something better, would soon become available. Unfortunately, subsequent job searches were unsuccessful.
“Soon, we had no money.” David continued. “The marital strife, unhappiness of the children, and the sense of professional loss were unbearable. We were beyond desperate.”
David and Jennifer turned to Project EZRAH.
All cards were put on the table and Project EZRAH’s professional team of financial planners and job counselors started to work with the family. Project EZRAH took over all the family’s bills and connected them with a supporter who arranged for David to train as an administrator in a specialized industry. He also placed Jennifer (who had previously worked only part-time) in a full time position that had great growth potential.
Project EZRAH closely followed the couple’s finances. The couple paid as many of the monthly bills as they could manage on their own; Project EZRAH subsidized the balance. Within two months Project EZRAH was able to reduce the monthly aid…by more than a quarter! Both David and Jennifer started to grow and thrive in their new professional fields and soon were able to cover most of the family’s expenses.
“For eleven years of married life, no matter how much we earned we always owed money.” Jennifer recalls. “There were always credit card debts and we were never on time with payments, which led to accrued finance charges.” With their careers back on track, both David and Jennifer agreed that, to continue to live a financially healthful life style, they needed financial counseling.
They worked out a budget with the Project EZRAH financial counselor and deposited their earnings in their Project EZRAH “account.” With this money, Project EZRAH paid their approved bills, and allotted a cash amount for sundries.
Both husband and wife worked together as a team.* With love and tough love, Project EZRAH showed both David and Jennifer how to achieve financial stability. Though some requests were hard, they listened to the advice. “The only thing we missed was the stress,” smiles David. “The bitter medicine was a wonderful cure. After one year with Project EZRAH, I was a different person, we were a different family.”
“Project EZRAH not only showed us how to manage our money and live within our means, but someone was always there for us to discuss, to smile, to offer new ideas” David concludes.
Today, the family is financially and physically healthy. They are fully self-supporting and have not needed financial aid for years. More importantly, David and Jennifer love their new professions and feel a true sense of fulfillment in their new careers. The children, living in a happier environment, are themselves happy and productive.
* Note: At Project Ezrah we firmly believe: that in order to put a family back on the right path, both husband and wife must work together as a team; therefore, all meetings are held with both present.