Donna Lee Romans makes cards for Halloween, hoping to make her quota so she can have enough money to pay rent and day care fees.
Romans, 41, and five other women are residents of the Arbor House, a home for pregnant women and single mothers. This month, the women are busy making goods for the holidays to earn money and better the lives of their children.
Michelle Burton, administrator for the Arbor House, said in 2007 the organization decided to employ the six residents at the facility instead of sending them to work in low-paying local jobs.
She said through working for Cottage Industries, the women are able to learn work ethic by making bags for $12, purses for $15, Gators postcards for $3 and keychains for $3.
The women keep all the proceeds from the things they make, averaging $240 a week per woman and use the money to pay Arbor House rent and day care.
The products, available at Ward's Supermarket, Loop de Loop, Orange and Blue Textbooks, Earth Pets Natural Pet Market, Wild Iris Books and Ceciles, sold well in the past but declined during the past year because of the economy, Burton said.
"Most women are motivated to commit to the program because they want to give more to their children than they've been giving them," Burton said.
Romans arrived at the Arbor House two years ago with her two-week-old daughter, Brandie Rose.
Romans said she was staying at the St. Francis House but was desperate to find a home in a safe environment for her daughter.
Since arriving at the Arbor House in August of 2007, Romans said the Cottage Industries program and living at the Arbor House have changed her life for the better.
"It was the first place I could voice an idea and have it considered," she said.
Romans said it is an accomplishment when people buy her goods.
"Somebody thought something I did was worth buying," she said. "It's the most rewarding job I've ever had."
