2025 Alumni of the Year

On Friday, April 25, Supports to Encourage Low-income Families (SELF) honored six outstanding individuals as 2025 Alumni of the Year. This annual recognition celebrates graduates of SELF programs who have turned personal growth into long-term change.

Congratulations to this year’s honorees.

Your perseverance inspires SELF staff, partners, and the entire Butler County community. You prove that change is possible, and the future is something we build together.

You embody SELF’s mission of impacting the causes of poverty and empowering individuals to achieve, sustain and advocate self-sufficiency. Your success shows what’s possible when people are connected to the right supports. By sharing your stories, we honor your strength and reinforce a core truth—every person can build a better future when equipped and supported.

This is what it means to be an Alumni of the Year.

It means continuing the work long after a program ends. It means staying committed and serving as an inspiration to others.

Each honoree faced real obstacles such as housing insecurity, addiction recovery, and unemployment. Then, they made bold choices to move forward. SELF provided tools to save intentionally, plan confidently, and pursue long-term goals.

Some used SELF’s Individual Development Account (IDA) to launch small businesses with matched savings. Others joined Getting Ahead to understand systemic barriers and explore new life paths. Many started emergency savings, returned to school, or rebuilt their careers.

The honorees remind us that transformation continues after program graduation. Self-sufficiency is a lifelong journey of learning, adapting, and reaching forward.

The Alumni of the Year recognition is more than an award. It’s a reminder that progress is happening every day and why SELF continues this work.

Want to support this work? Your in-kind or financial donation helps SELF continue to deliver life-changing services. Visit our Ways to Help page.

Have questions about this or other programs?  Reach out through our Contact Us page.