Keshira and her mom were used to moving. By the time she was 8 years old, Keshira’s mom Sharon estimates they had moved 10 or 15 times. “It felt like 100!” Keshira remembers. Before coming to Raleigh, the lived in a trailer in Johnston County. “It was full of black mold,” Sharon says. “Keshira was always getting sick.” Her landlord refused to address the problem, so Sharon packed up her small daughter and left. They stayed with various family members, and ended up in a family shelter in Raleigh. Keshira had fun in the shelter – “there were so many kids!” – but the experience was exhausting for her mom. “I was so relieved to move here,” Sharon says of their CASA apartment. “The shelter was a stepping stone, but this place is a blessing.”
Keshira, now 12 years old, is healthy, full of energy, and excited about her future. “I want to be in the WNBA,” she says. Keshira recently joined a local Girl Scout Troop. “Everyone there is already my friend!” she reports happily. This fall, she started middle school where her favorite things are “new friends, doing experiments, math and science (those are my favorites), chorus, and dance.”
Keshira has her own room, right across the hall from her mom’s. Sharon is also in school, working on her bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice. After school, they cook together, watch their favorite TV shows, and help each other study. Now that they have a permanent home base, Keshira can join after school groups and get to know the kids in her neighborhood. Sharon is watching her grow up without the stress and worry of wondering where they’ll be this time next year. She says their CASA apartment makes things a lot easier: “I don’t have to worry about whether I can afford it or not. I’ve been able to save money and work on my credit. Allowing my daughter and I a place to call home is breaking a generational curse. That is truly a blessing!”
