At 26, Donna Beegle, founder and president of Communication Across Barriers, was a single mother trying to provide for two young children, with just six months of ninth-grade education in her pocket. A pilot program designed to support displaced homemakers brought her toward opportunities that ultimately shifted her trajectory by providing her with housing. She encountered helpful figures who connected her to resources and opportunities and gave her the hope and the luxury to study for her GED. At 28, she secured a place at university. "So much of my life is a fluke," she reflects. "I come from a line of migrant laborers, and I'm used to picking fruits in the day to have food at night."
A significant mentor in Beegle's life was a professor who lent her a shoulder to lean on while she was trying to carve a path out of the harsh realities of poverty. He helped her develop better communication skills so she could be heard. Out of this, Communication Across Barriers, a consulting firm, was founded to provide poverty-informed education to professionals and assist people living in the crisis of poverty on their journey to move away from it. "He filed for a business license, printed out business cards, and listed me as president and himself as vice president. In 1989, we got our first contract," she reflects. "He was so supportive, and I had so much trust in him."
