On a visit from Central Africa to Fort Kent, my wife and I decided that Aroostook County would be a good place to raise children. We moved and eventually settled in Presque Isle, where I learned about New Ventures Maine. I took the My Money Works class, which was an eye-opener; we came from a place where the systems around money are so different. This class helped me find money within our budget, even with four children, and I developed a savings habit.

After completing My Money Works, I opened a Family Development Account (FDA) with the goal of purchasing a home, but qualifying for a home loan took longer than we expected. We were also facing another challenge: our work credentials did not transfer to the U.S. I started attending community college and obtained my nursing degree; my wife has been working on her Bachelor’s in cybersecurity at University of Maine at Augusta. She secured a job in Augusta, which was wonderful, but requires a long commute. Working one-on-one with NVME, we decided to re-prioritize and purchase a reliable car with our FDA account. We’ve been able to secure a car loan to complete our purchase of a family car and are working on building our credit score toward securing a loan to purchase a home in the future.

NVME is ready to assist you in achieving your goals. This organization helped me to grow personally and has had a real impact on my family’s financial well-being.