COEUR d'ALENE — The evening began with a few moments of grounding, an exercise that encourages practitioners to close their eyes, take a few deep breaths, and become aware of their senses and the room around them.

It was an opening that encompassed the heart and soul of Pathways to Prosperity. This program provides support, resources, tools and fellowship for single moms who, over several weeks, improve, enrich and elevate themselves and their children in challenging financial situations through lessons and coursework.

During the evening gathering at the Kroc Center on Wednesday, Nov. 19, the most recent cohort of 14 Pathways participants deeply breathed in relief and relaxation as they had finally completed the program; several were wiser about financial tricks.

"This was a good way to get support from other women in the type of situation that I'm in," Pathways grad Bethany Lemon of Rathdrum said. "It was very informative of how to get a good budget going. Also, there are a lot of things I didn't know about banking, resources that I wasn't aware of, and I liked the spiritual aspect as well. Emotional and spiritual wellness are really important. I like that holistic feel."

Terri Simmons and Brittany Selle created the program as they pursued social work studies in Lewis-Clark State College's bachelor's program in Coeur d'Alene. 

As they conducted research, they found a need for financial literacy programs. In their junior years, they worked in separate groups. Selle's group developed an evidence-based, community-based relapse prevention program for recovery. Simmons was in another group that worked with the eight domains of wellness: physical, emotional, spiritual, intellectual, environmental, financial, occupational and social,  with the ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) population.

The coordinator of North Idaho College's Center for New Directions, Louisa Rogers, developed Paths to Prosperity in collaboration with the nonprofit Charity Reimagined, with her participants in mind, namely, single mothers, many of whom struggle to stay financially afloat. 

"The impact of financial hardship was in much of the research that we discovered," Simmons said. “We found that it was really great to work with Brittany and weave those two ideas together and create this."

Selle said she began her own path on the same route and at the same level as Pathways participants.

“It gives me amazing perspective," she said.

She said that since she graduated, she can compare her growth over the last three cohorts and begin to see how her own life has transformed.

"It gives me so much hope for my future and for patterns that I hope not to pass down to my children,” Selle said. “And if I did, at least now I’ll have the tools to help them break that too, and I have a daughter who already is, so it’s pretty awesome.” 

She said it's pretty cool to look back at all of the big goals set and accomplished while developing the program.

"Trust me when I say I am full of ideas when it comes to this program and where I want to take it in the future, and I plan on spending as long as it takes to do so,” Selle said.

Info: nic.edu

    Adia Hite, with 2-year-old Iverson Hite, heads to the children's play area on Nov. 5 at the Kroc Center before a Pathways to Prosperity workshop commences.
  

    Bethany Lemon reviews pages in a workbook for the Pathways to Prosperity program on Nov. 5 at the Kroc Center.
  

    Pathways to Prosperity co-founder Brittany Selle speaks about her plans to continue and grow the program on Wednesday, Nov. 19, during a cohort graduation event at the Kroc Center.