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Ashley Easley’s mother, Brenda, was inspiration not just for her life but for many others. Easley, who attended ���ϲ����� in 2006 as part of the Administrative Support program, is the founder of Brenda’s Helping Hands.

The non-profit works with young adults ages 17 to 24 to offer general guidance and support to help them live independently.

“We know as soon as our young adults turn 17, the first thing they’re ready to do is plan to move out, you know,” said Easley during her presentation at the Multicultural Center in February.

Brenda’s Helping Hands offers support for this group so they can show parents they’re able to do it on their own. The impetus for this came from her own experience.

Growing up in Chicago, Easley ended up living on her own at age 16 with her brother. She had to pay bills will still going to school.

“I knew I wanted to be special. I knew I wanted to do something different than where I was brought up, so I moved here to Minnesota, and Minnesota really helped me gain my independent living,” explained Easley. “It’s like my mom gave me the tools and resources I was able to use as a young adult to guide my life.”

She moved in with her older sister in St. Cloud and graduated from Tech High School in 2006. Right after, she started at ���ϲ����� in the Administrative Support program because she always knew she wanted to be on the front line of help with her passion for helping people.

While she was at ���ϲ�����, she was a work study in the Admissions office sorting mail and fondly remembers Mary Tholl, a retiree.  Unfortunately, just before she was set to graduate, Easley was in a car accident that set her back.

Fast forward a few years to 2013 when her mom passed away, and Easley moved back to Illinois where she had a chance to reflect on her purpose.

“My mom was a great leader when it came to helping people in any shape, form, or fashion. She took care elderly. She was the one in the neighborhood that always feeding the children, making sure the kids had clothes, making sure if anyone had somewhere to stay. She just always had that open door policy. She showed me how to care for others in any aspect that they may come into your life,” Easley remembered.

With her mom in mind, she found her why. She finished her associate’s degree and then went on for a bachelor’s degree in business administration. During one of her classes, she needed to come up with a company profile, and she “made up” Brenda’s Helping Hands because Brenda is her mom and Easley had always been her helping hand.

“And one thing about when we lose loved ones, they kind of become our vessel. My mom is my why, my purpose is my why I formed this organization, and why I want to help others.” In 2021, Easley gave up her job of seven years and Brenda’s Helping Hands was born.

Their mission is to empower young adults, ages 17 to 24, with essential independent living skills to foster self-sufficiency and confidence through education, mentorship, and support. We help navigate adulthood and help them achieve long-term success.

Challenges they help with via workshops and more:

1. Stable employment opportunities
2. How to look for a job
3. How to apply for a job
4. Criminal history
5. Background checks
6. Financial stability, budgeting, saving
7. Housing
8. Legal assistance
9. Tenant rights
10. Medical needs and care
11. Navigating independence: knowing the way you speak, dress, handle yourself in public

Additionally, they also connect young adults with nature through outdoor activities and environmental education so they can understand the world around them and their purpose. This project, the Angel Project, is so they can get away from screens and tap into nature.

In 2023, Easley brought Brenda’s Helping Hands from Chicago to St. Cloud. Since then, they’ve hosted workshops and partnered with organizations as well as served five young adults in the community. One of those five was signed up for a program here at ���ϲ����� after Brenda’s Helping Hands helped them find out what interested them and their purpose. After the student graduated with a nursing degree, they got a job at St. Cloud Hospital.

Easley was quick to point out that it’s the young adult who’s doing the work: “I'm just the guidance and the support. It's up to you to make those choices. I can't do it for you, but if you want my ongoing help, I'm always here to support.”

Looking to the future, Brenda’s Helping Hands is always accepting volunteers for mentorships or workshops. Easley would also like to help families, especially women with children. She’s out in the community working at increasing partnerships, working with other organizations that have the same goals, and finding like-minded people.

“If we’re all helping one another, why not come together and be one band one sound? We could be impactful at large.”

(ages 17-24)