Some students are forced to grow up before they get to college.
Jackie Baker, a College of Arts and Sciences sophomore, raised three younger siblings while her family struggled with drug and alcohol addictions.
For her ability to overcome such adversity, the United Way of Massachusetts Bay honored Baker with its annual Courage Award yesterday at 66th Annual Campaign Celebration at the Mariott in Copley Place.
The United Way awards individuals such as Baker, who grew up in a family with multi-generational drug and alcohol addictions, for using help from United Way agencies to beat the odds.
“I chose to break the cycle and love my parents and not become them,” Baker told the audience after receiving the award.
“So many children, so many people, need your help,” she said, “and you’re doing the best thing possible.”
Baker, a Dorchester native, related her struggles through muffled sobs, telling the audience how she assumed the motherly role for her 3 younger sisters because of the drugs and alcohol addictions that plagued her family.
She said she would even put them to bed.
Attending Boston University on a four-year academic scholarship, Baker hopes to be the first in her family to graduate from college.
She credited her achievements to Little House, one of United Way’s agencies, where she first found solace from the obstacles in her life at the age of four when she began day care.
“They have supplied me with a normal childhood,” she said.
It was a place to go and have fun, she said, and the organization provided her with structure and guidance whenever needed.
Baker said she wants to help girls like her little sister, who spent the first part of her life in the intensive care unit being weaned off the narcotics in her body.
“Once you get where you are, it is important to give back,” she said.
Baker advised children to seek help for the problems in their lives.
“Find someone close to you who will listen,” she said.
Among the audience members was acting Gov. Jane Swift, who praised the joint efforts of the public sector and the state government in making the United Way of Massachusetts Bay stronger and more successful.
Swift presented United Way of Massachusetts Bay President and CEO Marian Heard with the proceeds, totaling more than $15,000, from a special statewide fundraising drive for the agency’s Sept. 11 fund.
“Together, I believe we’ve changed the Commonwealth for the better,” Swift said.
“We’ve dramatically expanded the number of families with health insurance. Today, 300,000 previously uninsured citizens are covered — 100,000 of them are children,” she said.
“The work of the United Way and its affiliating agencies is more important than ever before in lifting our spirits, but also in providing critical services for those who are most in need,” Swift said.
Swift also used her appearance to tout next year’s proposed budget, which she filed Wednesday.
“Some very worthy programs were trimmed and some very political popular programs were scaled down,” Swift said. “By sticking to our priorities and rethinking the way we do business, we did manage to achieve a balance.”
“We boosted Medicaid spending by over 11 percent. That means we’ll be able to maintain our commitment to providing access to health insurance to every child in the Commonwealth,” she said.
Swift also said that the budget will increase funding to the Department of Social Services by 34 million and will maintain the government’s commitment to education.
“Education is the best investment the government could make,” Swift said.
The budget boosts spending in education by $136 million and includes new funding for such programs as special education.
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