In 2007, Dayna Gould-Behan, a 48 year-old mother of six children ranging from ages 20 to eight, realized she needed more financial and personal autonomy in her 24-year old marriage and, with her husband newly unemployed, more predictable income in her household.  With the help of a counselor, she set a goal -- return to school to complete training she had begun two decades prior to work as a phlebotomist. Dayna’s problem was resources. “It was difficult given our family’s economic situation for me to go back to school,” she said. Her counselor had heard of Pikes Peak Community Action Agency’s Transitions to Independence Program, a goal-setting, self-sufficiency program which supports low-income people seeking higher educational and employment skills by providing assistance for things like transportation, uniforms, tuition and testing costs for licensing and certification – even childcare. TIP was just what Dayna needed. From PPCAA’s Eastern El Paso Community Center in Calhan, Dana was led to TIP Program Manger Anthony Cherry at the Norvell Simpson Center, located in the downtown Hillside Community Center. Dayna completed the TIP intake process and was promptly enrolled in phlebotomy school. With guidance from TIP, Dayna sought and received a scholarship for tuition from the institute she was attending; however, she was still coming up short. “PPCAA helped me with gas vouchers, uniforms, books, and they will also help me pay for the cost of taking my state boards in Summer 2009,” she said. While this financial assistance was invaluable, Dayna said TIP provided her with something impossible to measure in dollars. “Without the help of PPCAA, I would not be on my way to freedom. I had lost my confidence and self-esteem. The TIP counselor helped me feel more secure about myself. I had to check in with someone, and I was expected to keep my end of the deal. Knowing someone was helping me in that way made me want to do my best,” Dayna said. Indeed, when Dayna opened the envelope containing her certificate of completion for the phlebotomy training, her best turned out to be exceptional – the certificate boasted a red gilded sticker that read “honor student.” Dayna said TIP and her new career have helped her live her life’s philosophy: “We all have a purpose in this life – mine is to help other people.” She sees phlebotomy as a way to help others. During her externship, she said she saw some of her patients who were on blood thinners twice a week. Because she and her peers had to get stuck in their veins so many times a night during training, she had immeasurable empathy. “I would lend them an ear, talk to them, get their mind off the blood being drawn. I would show concern and make them smile. With the children, I’d make them curious, explaining the equipment to them,” she said, eyes bright. A couple of her patients later returned with gifts to thank her for the way she cared for them. Her example has inspired her 20 year-old son to pursue post-secondary education – he plans to attend a TIP orientation and may consider enrolling in PPCAA’s matched savings program, Individual Development Accounts (IDA), to help pay for tuition and other educational costs. That Dayna returned to school at 48 sent him a message: “No matter what happens in life, it is never too late. You can always help yourself, and there are programs and people out there to help guide you.” Dayna, meanwhile, is busy spreading her goodwill beyond the workplace. She is an avid volunteer helping the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, providing everything from care packages and letters during deployment to counseling and life-guidance upon return, through the Any Solider and Soldiers’ Angels associations. She also participates in arranging funeral, memorial, sendoff, escort and homecoming services through the Patriot Guard Riders. “I know how much people have helped me. I want to return that favor and be a good example for my kids,” she said.