Answered Prayers, Focused Work
Like so many pregnant mothers during the Flint Water Emergency, Sanika Williams drank the lead-tainted water. When she learned that the water was poisoned, she stood in line for bottled water and boiled water for bathing.
Her daughter Kei’Onye is now a 4-year-old. Sanika is concerned that her motor skills are off, and can’t help but wonder if that is because of the water. She cried tears of joy when her daughters Kei’Onye and Kei’A were enrolled at Educare Flint, a high quality early childhood education facility located on the campus of Durant Tuuri Mott School in Flint. For Sanika, knowing her children are receiving the highest possible early childhood education is a gift.
“It’s really a great feeling to know my children are left in the best care possible,” said Sanika. “From the day they got here, they loved it. We’ve made friends, it’s a great environment, and we are part of a larger community. I just hope that we can fix the water now. Then these kids can have a brighter future.”
Sanika is also focused on a brighter future for herself. As a teenager, she dropped out of high school to help care for her three brothers. She always wanted to go back to school to accomplish her own dreams. In 2017, she enrolled in St. Luke New Life Center’s GED program and recently completed the final math exam.
“It means a lot to me because I’m my mother’s first child to have a high school education,” Sanika says. “I had big dreams and never gave up hope, for myself or my children.” She loves to write and keeps journals. Sanika will attend a local college or university to study business, and perhaps become a motivational speaker. And she’ll continue to contribute her volunteer time at Educare, attending Women of Worth meetings where she can share her best parenting tips with other mothers.
Sanika is a shining star who is focused on continuing her education for herself, and her children. Foundation grants directed to the Flint and Genesee Literacy Network provided funding for the literacy program at St. Luke’s New Life Center, where she proudly earned her GED.
