COMMUNITY STORIES

Sonia is a 33-year-old mother of two, Ikuzo and Michael, and helps support Savannah, her step daughter, with her husband Jeffery Schmitz. Sonia moved from Rwanda to Tucson four years ago and is currently enrolled in the LPN course at Pima Community College. When she first moved to America with her husband they found out they would be expecting a child and Sonia was worried about not having family there for her first pregnancy. Looking for community support, Sonia and her husband became involved with Healthy Families, a program supported by United Way of Tucson which provides free in-home assistance and education on parenting techniques.

“I was a new Mom and had no family to help, Healthy Families came to our apartment and gave me information on what to expect for every trimester and techniques to help raise and play with the kids. I’m so grateful to United Way and the help they continue to provide for my entire family.” – Sonia Schmitz