The absolute best part of ManifestWorks is the transformation that happens over our 12 week course.
For everyone who helped us prepare for 2019, its important to know that your generosity makes a difference. Bianca, who finished our program last June, reminds us why our mission to serve those impacted by foster care, homelessness and incarceration matters:
“When I started ManifestWorks, I was in a bad place. I was somewhere I never expected to be. I was living in a homeless shelter, and this was after I had been in the Air Force and was a veteran. I had lost hope.
Someone told me about ManifestWorks and said I should apply. I was really cynical, I didn’t believe anything could come of it. I finally got it together to fill out an application, and I remember the interviews were hard and thinking it didn’t go well. When I got in, I was surprised, but still doubtful.
And then I showed up and saw other people who were going through the same thing, and I started to come around. The big moment was when I heard that I didn’t have to focus on my past, but could focus on my potential and my future. That really changed things.
It got me to return to my writing. And got me to enter the Academy Nicholl Fellowship. I got to feel proud that my script is in the top 50 screenplays, among thousands of submissions.
ManifestWorks helped me transition out of survival mode so I could start living and start thriving.
Today, I've signed with a manager who represents me, and I have a bunch of scripts I am getting ready to share with the world with my eye on directing my own work. It was a year ago that I was accepted into the program, and as I look back, all of this change couldn’t have happened without ManifestWorks."
Today, Bianca is a new member of our advisory board, and helps us select our next cohort of participants, in addition to regular class visits to support those following her in the program. More than just stable housing and consistent income, Bianca has big plans to share her voice. We are so excited to be a part of her journey.
