April is National Volunteer Month, and to celebrate our outstanding volunteers, IDignity hosted a get-together at Azalea Lodge in Mead Botanical Gardens! We were able to share our love and gratitude for our volunteers’ dedication to IDignity’s mission, compassion, and generosity. Volunteers celebrated the night with good food, great company, and lots of laughs. Check out the photo gallery below!
Thank you to every single volunteer; you are the heart of IDignity!
Black History Month – Hafford’s Story
It’s the last ‘official’ day of #BlackHistoryMonth but we know it doesn’t stop here. We will continue sharing stories and lived experiences of our clients to celebrate diversity, history, and individual accomplishments. Like Hafford, who has many reasons to celebrate. What he thought was a simple task of replacing his ID after not having it for over a year was much more complex. An error on his birth certificate held him back from his ID, which in turn kept him from obtaining his Social Security card and unable to receive Social Security. He came to IDignity multiple times to work on correcting his documents. After receiving his corrected birth certificate and ID, Hafford told us he went from having $0 income to receiving monthly social security payments and went from living on the streets to having three roommates. Congratulations, Hafford, and thank you for letting us share your story. 💚💛❤️
Quote from filmmaker Ava DuVernay.
Black History Month – Lindsay’s Story
By learning another’s history, listening to another’s story, and walking in yet another’s shoes, we increase our respect for those with different lived experiences than ourselves. IDignity works to prioritize this by sharing those stories. Stories like Lindsay’s, who came to IDignity in need of an amended birth certificate. See, someone accidentally circled ‘female’ on his birth certificate, so when he went to get his ID, his documents didn’t match. With the help of our lawyers, Lindsay was able to obtain a corrected birth certificate and, in turn, an FL ID. Having his identity was important to him for many reasons, one being his business. That jacket? Lindsay designed it. He owns @Yasdinlco, a custom-design brand where he and his team paint custom pieces. With his identification in hand, Lindsay can expand his business, travel to new places, and share his art with the world. Congratulations, Lindsay; now go make history. 🎨
Quote from former first lady Michelle Obama.
Black History Month – Lisa’s Story
In celebrating Black History – we also celebrate the possibilities. The possibilities for the future and the history being made by new generations. Lisa is a mother raising members of such new generations, and like all moms, she wants the best for her kids. That meant getting them into school, something she needed their birth certificates for. So, she came to IDignity for assistance, and when she did, she was all smiles. Congratulations, Lisa, and thank you for helping raise the next generation of change-makers. Go make history. 💚💛❤️
Quote by cleric and theologian Desmond Tutu.
Black History Month – Barb's Story
It’s important to know where you come from to know where you are going.🫱🏽🫲🏾 Sharing client stories allows everyone to appreciate and celebrate the richness of Black history as well as individual accomplishments. Accomplishments like Barb and Ernies’. Barb had NEVER had an ID but needed it desperately to obtain her medication and receive health care. With the help of her friend Ernie, the two came to IDignity, where Attonery Sharlene was able to assist them in obtaining a court-ordered name change to get Barb her FL ID. Barb described the feeling of obtaining her documents poetically, “It’s like being a brand new person. It’s like being reborn.”
Quote from American tennis player Arthur Ashe.
Black History Month – Charlene’s Story
Happy Black History Month💚💛❤️ IDignity is proud to embrace the diversity of our clients and supporters alike. So, as we embark upon this month, we are celebrating by sharing client stories and their successes. Successes like Charlene’s who came to IDignity for her New York City birth certificate. She needed it to start a second job. New York City birth certificates often take several weeks to arrive – but Charlene knew what she wanted and remained persistent. When her birth certificate came in, she told us that getting another job wasn’t her only goal. She wants to go back to school and become an accountant. Congratulations, Charlene, go make history! 🎉
Quote by entrepreneur, philanthropist, and activist Madam C. J. Walker.
AdventHealth surprises IDignity with 1 million dollar donation!
Santa’s Surprise for IDignity!
AdventHealth surprised IDignity with a generous donation of $1 million for IDignity’s first-ever permanent operations headquarters. Read the article and watch the clip HERE.
Thank you AdventHealth!
Orlando Sentinel – Orlando Nonprofit IDignity plans 10m campus south of downtown
IDignity’s first-ever operational headquarters
Check out the amazing article by the Orlando Sentinel by clicking HERE. In this article read about IDignity’s plans for our first ever permanent home.
Watch IDignity’s Annual Souper Douper Fundraiser and hear Karelyn’s story of determination, hope, and identity. With your help IDignity is able to help thousands more like Karelyn, and bring awareness to the barrier that is the lack of legal identification. A barrier that leaves many with no way to obtain employment, proper healthcare, food, access to their bank account, and much more.
To donate click HERE! Help us reach our goal of $100,000, the equivalent of 4,000 Florida State ID cards. Share this with your friends, family, and colleagues! Together, we can restore dignity and hope by providing identification.
