Jessica’s Story

Jessica Johnson was a sophomore in high school when she first became acquainted with Foundation 2. As a child, Jessica grew up in an unstable home environment. She became a troubled and suicidal adolescent, and when she was 15 years old her mother brought her to the Foundation 2 Youth Shelter. During her brief shelter stay and family counseling sessions, Jessica and her mom were able to:

explore solutions to troubling issues and build skills in order to prevent or resolve future conflicts,
support each other through listening and understanding, and
clarify strengths, values, and needs.

Jessica credits the tools that she learned at Foundation 2 with providing her better resources to cope with the trauma she experienced at home. After her time with Foundation 2 she was able to return to living with her mom and follow a better path at her school. She became involved in sports, joined student government and was involved in the Students against Drunk Driving (SADD) club on campus.

According to Jessica, “the tools I learned at Foundation 2 are critical for empowering youth to communicate and make better life decisions.” She credits learning these skills in an environment in which she was cared for as contributing to her future success as a community leader.

Jessica is the Community Relations & Development Manager at Venue Works of Cedar Rapids and is an active volunteer in the community. She is sharing her experience with others to encourage youth and families in need of shelter or family counseling to make the call to connect with life-changing services. We appreciate Jessica’s willingness to share her story!

Click Me