Nearly a year after graduating from Digital Works, Nora Hively is still working and providing for her family. When we last spoke with Nora in July of 2016, she was trying to recover from a difficult time for her family. Her husband, Isaac, was left disabled after he fell from their porch breaking his neck.
“I spent a year at home caring for him and couldn’t go to work as a substitute teacher,” Nora said. “We were able to keep our house but we quickly went through our savings, and our life together changed completely.’’
Married for 41 years, Nora was ready and willing to do whatever was needed of her. She went to Gallia County Job and Family Services to get medical help and was taking part in the food stamp plan. It was there that she learned about the Digital Works program in Gallipolis, Ohio.
“I think Digital Works really helped me a lot,” Nora said (pictured right). “The staff there was so supportive and trained me to handle customer service and improve my computer and online skills. There were other students who had been through the program who were also there to support me. They were a lot of help, and so was Sherri [Shaw], who was my Digital Works teacher.”
In September of 2016, Nora was placed with the 1099 opportunity LiveOps. In the short time since beginning this opportunity, Nora already began averaging more than $10 an hour working the Pizza Hut dedicated line. She still works there today.
“I like it because I can still substitute teach if I want,” Nora said. “My job has given me more responsibility and work opportunities, but I’m mostly available through the week. So that means I can chose my own hours which makes it easier on me, my husband, and my whole family, including my three grandchildren, who I love being able to see.”