“I was scared to do this and put myself out there, but if you think sharing my story will help others, then I really want to do it.”
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We all confront obstacles in life, but it is the decisions we make in the face of them that sets us apart from each other. When faced with her obstacles, Angela Coon chose perseverance.
Like many others, Angela followed the classic path of going to college right after high school. But life had other plans for her.
“I just felt like I wasn't ready,” explained Angela. “I kept coming home and getting home sick. I wasn’t used to not being around family and friends.”
Shortly after leaving school, Angela was in a car crash that caused her immense pain. To cope with that pain, she began experimenting with substances. Before long Angela found herself facing legal trouble and community service.
At a moment where things could have spiraled out of control, she persevered. Angela turned her community service work into a full-time job and at 25, had her first child. With newfound motivation to succeed, Angela decided to go back to school, doing the best she could to better herself and her family.
Though she stayed on track for some time, school became increasingly difficult as Angela continued to work a full-time job and two part-time jobs. Experiencing burnout, Angela left school again to focus on work and supporting her child. She worked diligently for two years, building stability before welcoming her second child to the world.
“I worked my way up to supervisor and life seemed good,” said Angela. “I had two beautiful children, a solid job and a future.”
That stability was stripped away when Angela began to experience abuse from the partner she had built her life with. She made the difficult decision to leave, removing herself and her children from that environment. They found safety and support at the Barbara Kettle Gundlach Shelter Home at a critical point in Angela’s journey, but she faced more challenges underneath the surface. During this time, Angela lost her job, and found herself struggling more than ever with addiction. Eventually, she lost custody of her children.
“I fell into depression and became someone that my family barely recognized,” said Angela. “After more legal trouble, I was given one final chance – and I chose to take it.”
In the spring of 2022, Angela began attending AA meetings nearly every day, started substance abuse counseling and began seeing her children again. A few months after beginning counseling, Angela had her children back full time and began the process of regaining custody.
“My kids and I moved in with my parents,” said Angela. “That’s when my brother recommended the Bridges program. I started it at exactly the right time.”
Angela joined Getting Ahead, the keystone course of Copper Shores Bridges, in the fall of 2023. Getting Ahead provides people that are experiencing poverty and just getting by the opportunity to build resources, stability, a strong support network and maybe most importantly, hope.
“It was far more relatable to me than what I thought it would be going in,” said Angela. “Learning more about poverty not only changed my perspective on it, but also taught me to be more compassionate toward others and also toward myself. It made me look at my own journey differently after living with the guilt and shame of my past for so long.”
With the help of free transportation, food and childcare, Angela and her fellow “investigators” spent each week focussing on themselves and their future stories.
“It gave me the hope that I needed to break free from the tyranny of the moment. I turned my story from surviving day-to-day and not really sure of what to do with my future, into building a future really worth striving for.”
With support and encouragement from the Bridges team, Angela built the confidence and skills to ask for a raise at work and go back to school. In December of 2025, Angela will graduate from Gogebic Community College with an associate’s degree in General Business and an Accounting Specialty Certificate. She has made the Dean's List every semester. Since completing Getting Ahead, and the follow up class, Financial Bootcamp, Angela has also been promoted at work.
“Now, my children and I have our own home, our own vehicle, and a future that feels steady and hopeful,” said Angela.
When the opportunity to give back arose, Angela stepped in to become a Getting Ahead Facilitator, helping others in the very same Bridges program she went through. She’s now midway through her third session in the role, and couldn’t be more proud to be part of the program.
“One of the greatest blessings has been walking alongside others on their journey,” she said. “Bridges gave me hope, stability, resources, friendship, opportunities, connection and more. It’s been so rewarding to witness others find hope, break free from the tyranny of the moment and truly grow through the Bridges program.”
Angela's message to anyone struggling: You are not alone, there is always a way forward and you are stronger than you think.
Angela is excited to look toward the future, and proud of where she came from. Her perseverance has brought her and her family to a place that she could have never imagined at her lowest point.
You have it in you to rebuild and rise again. Beginning your journey with Bridges is simple; Copper Shores is always accepting applications on the Getting Ahead page. Take that first step toward something better - you deserve it.