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Congratulations Jerry Broughton!

Wow! Not wanting to sound like a cliché’ but…REALLY? Yes it is 2015. It’s hard to believe…Starting off the New Year we wanted our FSS success to be special.

We did not have to look too hard or long to come up with Mr. Jerry Broughton. Jerry is a great example of what results we strive for in the families we work with here at the New Albany Housing Authority. FSS met Jerry back in 2009. He was a single father and needed help so one of the first things he did was enroll in parenting classes that were being held here at NAHA. It was very apparent that Jerry was willing to go to any length to learn, grow and move forward. Jerry regularly attended the monthly FSS mandatory meetings and there were many nights where Jerry was the only man in a sea of women. That never stopped him. Jerry volunteered at the drop of a hat whether we needed extra help. Jerry was always available with a huge smile and positive attitude and he never gave up on wanting to do more. He applied for any job he could find. He worked as a childcare bus driver, in factories and even here at the agency as a maintenance worker. At one point Jerry was up for his big dream job driving for TARC and he went through the entire hiring process only to find, at the very end, he failed the vision test. Jerry not only failed the test but was informed he was legally blind and needed to apply for disability. Faced with another obstacle that would have stopped most folks Jerry was still not giving up. He was determined to push through this setback and keep moving forward. He applied for even more jobs! He was hired on as a temporary employee at Ford driving cars from the plant onto trains to be shipped across the country. He did such a great job and was so well liked for his hard work and upbeat attitude that he was hired on as a regular employee. He proudly admits that he is making BIG money! Here we are 6 years after meeting Jerry and he and little Jerry, his son, are moving into a big house in Louisville. When asked if we could use his story in our report Jerry enthusiastically said yes and wanted to add, “I feel like I am a prime example of how FSS can help people achieve success.