Racheal's Story

When Racheal and her young son moved to North Charleston in 2019, life seemed full of promise. But the COVID-19 pandemic upended her career in hospitality, and in 2021 she was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic breast cancer. Soon, the savings she relied on were gone, and she faced the devastating reality of not being able to cover rent and utility bills.

That’s when Racheal discovered Trident United Way’s Dorchester Center for Strong Families. At her first appointment, center manager Torie Gardner welcomed her with warmth and compassion. “She treated me like a friend,” Racheal recalled. With Torie’s guidance, Racheal was able to access rental and utility support and avoid eviction, keeping her family stable during the hardest chapter of her life. By 2023, she was back on her feet and working again.

Her story is one of thousands. As the cost of living continues to outpace wages, more ALICE® families are turning to Trident United Way for help with bills, food, job searches, and long-term family coaching.

Racheal went on to become an AmeriCorps member through Trident United Way. She was later able to transition that role into a full-time job as a community health worker at MUSC, helping others connect to the very resources that once sustained her. “They changed my life, just by being nice,” she says. “Now I get to be that for someone else.”