In Memory of Jeralee Warmuth
Editor’s NoteJeralee Warmuth passed away at her home on August 12, 2006. She was 26 years old, from Hibbing, and a single mom with three young children. She also was a passionate and outspoken advocate for low-income people. Below are excerpts from her personal story that she shared at a forum on homelessness in April:
I went to high school in Nashwauk where I was on the volleyball, softball, and cheerleading teams. I got decent grades. I had good friends and a supportive family. I was looking forward to my lifelong goal of being a soccer mom, working at least part-time while raising a couple kids, and having a decent husband.
I was raised primarily by a single father. My dad shied away from discussing the birds and the bees with his three daughters. It sounds crazy now, but I didn’t realize that unprotected sex could get me pregnant. I got pregnant in 11th grade; I didn’t want to have an abortion or give my baby up for adoption.
I gave birth to a beautiful little girl during the second week of my senior year. I moved in with my boyfriend and went back to school, determined to do my best to provide for my young child. I finished high school, got a job at K-Mart, and started college.
The stress of being a young mother and work and school got to me, so I dropped out of school and got a job at Country Kitchen where I could make a little more money waitressing.
And then I got pregnant with my second child. There was no maternity leave; I was on my own. I lost the job but was determined to be the best mother I could be. I went on assistance and got involved with Head Start and other programs where my children could get their best possible start in life.
Five years had seemed like eternity when I first got on welfare after my daughter was born. I was shocked and surprised and totally unprepared when my time limit hit at the same time I had my third child. It became a full-time job to figure out how to live on the $120 per month I got for child support.
I have two years now until my youngest is in school. I’m back on MFIP now because of a medical exemption and I’ve had to fill out an application for Social Security. I don’t want to be on welfare or on social security. I’m a bright young woman; I’ve got brains and I’ve got energy. I want a decent job with benefits and a chance to grow; but those kinds of jobs require college. And I can’t go to college until my youngest starts school because I cannot afford childcare. I can’t get a job either because childcare costs more than most jobs pay.
So I’m stuck –- and determined to make the most of it.
I volunteer with my daughter’s Girl Scouts, I help out at my son’s school, my friend Holly and I babysit for each other when one of us has a meeting or appointment, I participate in AEOA’s Circles of Support Program where young parents like me meet with a wide range of community members at weekly dinners. Through Circles, I’m discovering opportunities that I didn’t know existed. I took my middle child last month down to the Capitol in St. Paul to meet with legislators about housing barriers for low-income people on the Iron Range. It was a great experience for me and Christian.
I’m hopeful about the future – I’m just frustrated that I cannot enroll in college this summer, that the systems we have to help are also holding me back – it will be good for my kids to see me graduate from college and it will be good for me to get a job where I can use my God-given gifts.
If I can leave you with one message, it would be this: I am on welfare, but I was never looking for a hand-out; all I’ve ever wanted is a hand-up. I am determined to do well; I’m going use that same energy and determination and intellect it took to raise three kids on a budget of $120 per month and I’m going to make a secure future for my kids and me.
