A positive outlook for life

Monroe County Grants Office

Amber Julia Koert

Amber Julia Koert, a single parent living on very little money, became a widow at the young age of seventeen. Raising a child was not an easy task, but Amber was determined to give her child a good life. She enrolled in a local General Equivalency Diploma (GED) course, obtained her diploma and found employment.

Eleven years later, Amber met and married her husband, Mike.   They had two daughters and a son, born in 1993, who was not well at birth. Operated on several times in his first year, her son's care took an emotional and financial toll as the medical bills began to escalate.  

Amber's son, diagnosed with multiple disabilities as well as an undiagnosed syndrome, had been receiving services through Developmental Education Services and the local Intermediate Unit but needed additional supportive services to thrive. With encouragement from a county caseworker, Amber sought help through Pocono Services for Families and Children (PSFC), a partner of the Monroe County Grants Office. PSFC helped Amber enroll her son in Head Start. He began getting assistance to enhance his language and social skills and address his developmental delays. Amber was touched by the good work that Head Start offered her son and became a volunteer parent so that she could give back to the beneficial program.

To help take some of the financial pressure off of Mike, Amber set a personal goal with her caseworker to obtain employment. In 1998, she applied for a part-time Head Start position with PSFC and, being familiar with all areas of the program, she was quickly hired.  

Through PSFC both Amber and her son continued to grow and gain skills with the support from the teaching and social services staff. Her son's language and social skills improved while Amber enhanced her professional skills. When her son entered kindergarten Amber moved into a full-time position at PSFC.

Things were going very well for Amber and her family when, in December 1999, a random act of violence destroyed Amber's home by fire. The family lost nearly everything in the fire, but thankfully still had each other. With assistance from a number of social service agencies they were able to purchase a new home and make a new start.

Two years ago, Amber took advantage of the career development benefits at PSFC and enrolled in Northampton Community College, pursuing her degree in social work. She volunteers annually for the United Way of Monroe County and serves on the Pocono Healthy Communities Alliance (PHCA), supporting services to individuals in the county. Amber is a tireless advocate for children with disabilities as well as a Girl Scout leader. She has completed the rigorous training program to facilitate the exploring parenting curriculum and facilitates ten-week sessions of the parenting education curriculum for current PSFC parents as well as parents in the community.

In 2004, Amber was awarded PSFC's Former Outstanding Head Start Parent of the Year award. She was honored for strength, commitment and courage in assisting others in PSFC and her community. At the awards ceremony, Amber was also recognized by State Representative Mario Scavello and presented with a monetary scholarship to assist in continuing her education.  

Amber says, "Without the support and guidance that I received from PSFC, I would not have been able to achieve what I have today." She continued that her son truly received a Head Start during his time in the program. "His vocabulary increased; he gained the social skills needed to succeed in kindergarten," she added. Speaking of her own growth through PSFC support, Amber said, "I am taking college classes, teaching workshops to other parents and I have owned my own home for six years."  

Amber is grateful for the support and guidance that PSFC has provided for her and her family and feels that she will always be a part of the PSFC family.

Monroe County Grants Office is a public Community Action Agency that assists residents of the county in making a better life for themselves by becoming self-sufficient.