A College Degree and a Brand-New Business
How Family PRIDE Helped Flora Achieve Her Professional Goals During COVID-19

The moment Midtown community member Flora Johnson turned the key and opened the doors to her own home health company in St. Louis this spring, it signaled the end of a difficult journey and the start of something incredible for herself and her family.

Two years ago, it was a different story when Flora stepped through another set of doors and into Midtown for the first time to learn about our Family PRIDE healthy baby and parent empowerment program.

“I was at a really low point in my life, and I didn’t know what to do,” Flora shared. “Someone gave me a Midtown flyer with resources for counseling, diapers and activities, and I decided to just go and check it out.”

Immediately, Flora felt the love of her fellow moms and quickly embraced the available programming. In addition to participating in playgroups with her two youngest children – Myrell and Brently – Flora took advantage of Midtown’s career empowerment workshops and our online group and individual counseling.

“I’m a big fan of the therapy groups where we have a safe space to be who we are and talk about the things we’re going through. Everyone is so supportive and encourages each other to uplift and move forward past the hard moments. In group therapy, I never feel judged for being who I am.”

One difficult year, two big dreams

According to Flora, Family PRIDE helped give her a boost when she needed it most. After spending years working in the medical field, Flora dreamed of starting a home health company where she could serve as a patient liaison, ensuring clients in underserved communities received the quality care they deserved. Just as important, Flora wanted to open up new job opportunities for others in her community.

With her Family PRIDE family cheering her own, Flora began working on a contract with the State of Missouri in June 2020 during COVID-19, and by March, Flora Care Home Health was approved to start seeing clients. At the same time, she was also working toward a college degree, a goal she had for the past 20 years.

Said Flora, “School was something I always wanted to do. I’ve always been intelligent, but I was a teenage mom, and I let that get in the way of a lot of things. I would start school, stop school – it was a constant back and forth. But with the support of Family PRIDE and my therapist, I thought, ‘Why not now?’ I received my associate’s degree in paralegal studies this summer, and now I’m starting on my bachelor’s degree. Sometimes you just need that extra voice, that extra push reassuring you that you got this.”

Flora’s hard work and determination has been an inspiration to both her fellow moms and her children. This summer, Flora was thrilled to be by her oldest son’s side as he registered for his first year of college, following his mom toward a future full of unlimited possibilities.

Sharing the support

Flora explained that Family PRIDE played an important role in helping her find her voice and advocate for herself in order to achieve her personal and professional goals. In addition, it showed her that asking for help when you need it is one of the bravest things you can do for your family.

“I finally have this picture of what I want my life to be, but I didn’t make it by myself. Pictures are made of thousands of pixels – the little pieces that come together to create a complete picture. And Family PRIDE was definitely one of those pieces. Midtown has played a crucial role in assisting and supporting me in accomplishing my goals to create that picture.”

To learn more about Family PRIDE and how to get involved, visit our Family PRIDE page.