Embodies the Spirit of Hope

Lisa Bryant – Associate Family & Community Services

Program Manager

Hope – A simple word with so much power, and something that Lisa Bryant sees instilled in families on a daily basis through the work of GECAC.

You see them struggling and you know you’ve been there. They’re this close to giving up. You can hear it in their voices. All they need is a little bit of hope. Someone to say that everything will be alright. They can count on us. If they need something, we’ll do our best to help them get it.

Lisa and her husband decided to move back to Erie from Columbus so they and their children could be closer to family. Shortly after moving back, her aunt, Evelyn Carr, a former Head Start teacher, suggested that Lisa enroll her son in Head Start. She did and quickly found the program impacting her as well as her son. She volunteered in the classroom on a regular basis, and when her son became jealous of the attention she was giving other students, she didn’t quit volunteering – instead she just switched to volunteering in another classroom. Her case manager suggested that Lisa apply for a position with the agency and a few months later, she was hired. As her son was exiting the program, she was only getting started. That was 13 years ago, and Lisa hasn’t looked back.

Lisa appreciates the opportunities that GECAC has offered her. She takes great satisfaction from seeing the families and children improve through the programs that GECAC helps them to access. She also has been exposed to “all kinds of people from around the country.” Through the Head Start National Conferences and Community Action events, Lisa has traveled to New York City, Dallas, Detroit and Indianapolis to name a few. One of the most inspirational events that Lisa remembers is the poverty rally in Washington DC in 2004.

Lisa’s says she wouldn’t trade working here for a larger paycheck elsewhere. “If you help a person a little bit, it will go so much farther. You’ll get your payback eventually.” Lisa was able to witness one of the paybacks recently at her son’s graduation. She saw a girl who had been in Head Start with her son. The family had encountered a lot of obstacles and hit many roadblocks along the way. As a small child, the girl often came to Head Start dirty, hair uncombed due to extenuating circumstances in her home life. Despite her rough background, this girl graduated top in her class and is headed to college in the fall – pre-med. “I know it (Community Action) changes people’s lives.”