Cora had big dreams, the kind a girl like her from a place like Black Bottom, TN, shouldn’t’ have the audacity to dream.

With the encouragement of a benefactor and the boldness of a young woman whose spirit is not yet broken by disappointment, Cora set out for a new life in a new place and found a world so much bigger than she ever imagined. The days seemed full of possibility and promise, but that was not to be her path.

Soon she was called back home to family responsibility and the small life she’d hoped to escape. Although her dreams crumbled just as they were coming to fruition, Cora resigned herself to the life she was given, honoring her faith and trusting the plan God had for her.

Throughout her life, Cora endured the kind of hardship and loss that robs people of hope, yet she found purpose in loving and supporting the people in her life.

Though life may not have offered her a crystal stair, Cora kept climbing, kept going, and ultimately, she kept her promise to do something meaningful with her life-she made it possible for others to do the same.