Finding Project Legacy: This is Sage's Story

Read the story below as Bryan Lund, Project Legacy tutor, Legacy Academy volunteer and facilitator of the Writer’s Workshop, shares the journey of one Project Legacy participant in her own words. This story is shared with permission.

So, where I was at when I found Project Legacy…. 

I was jobless, because of the pandemic. There wasn't any telling when my club would be reopened, and with everything that happened this year, I didn't have any interest in going back. I was in a tough place. At the time, I felt hopeless. I had no support in whatever I was doing, where I was at. Unemployment was one of the most complicated things I've had to do. They are still giving me a lot of trouble, actually. 

I was considering all sorts of avenues within sex work that I didn't want to take. Or, like, getting a job. I wasn’t very educated about what kind of job I should get. I just thought the worst was going to happen; I was going to end up working at Burger King or something, which is fine. But I didn't have any hope for myself even leaving the club. 

I trusted my friend in her opinion about Project Legacy. She just told me to talk to Karen and see if it was something I’d be interested in. 

Karen was real with me. She asked me, What do I want for myself? What do I want out of my future?

I knew that I really wanted to go to school and get my GED. I'm 26 and I have disappointment for myself for not already having my GED, for not feeling motivated and doing it. Talking to her helped motivate me. I started thinking, Once I have my GED, what do I want to do from there?

I want to go to herbalism school; I would like to be an esthetician; now I'm thinking about college. It's literally snowballed into so many things. I’m now seriously considering dermatology, when just a couple months ago, I would have never thought like, Oh, you're gonna join the medical field?’

The sense of support was talking, communication. Listening to me and my fears about going back to the club. I go to circle on Friday - it's a nice place to be, especially ours, because it's for sex workers, or those leaving sex work. Sex workers don't have anything catering to their mental health and being together, so it's refreshing.

They've also been helping me financially. It's given me time to think and not stress about my bills, which has never happened for me. Ever. It's been a huge blessing from them, both on the mental side and the community side. 

So many things have opened up in my mind for me. I didn't have health insurance, and Project Legacy helped put me on Medicaid. Now I’m in therapy. I knew that caring about my mental health was important, but I was doing a lot of self-medicating stuff, trying to educate myself.  Therapy was one of the things I didn't think I'd be doing anytime soon.

My teeth are doing a lot, too. I did not think about [going to the dentist] at all. It was out of my reach. I was like, Well, I'm not going to spend money on that, because I don't really have money like that. 

I had to get a deep clean, like a serious deep clean, in two parts. It was really painful. I had, um, nine cavities? Now I only have two. I had a broken tooth, which was rotting, basically, and I've had a root canal. I'm really happy about that. 

I feel hopeful about my future. Something I haven't felt in a long time. That’s changed for me. I was thinking that my life is just a certain way, like, is only sex work. It's been refreshing to think outside of the box and get out of that industry. 

I want to start working on a resume, so I can get a normal job. Because honestly, I just want to get the GED, I want to go to school, work a job, and call it a day and chill. I feel more comfortable with the normal job because I'm going to school. It's weird, but it makes it, like, worth it for me. Honestly, if I go to the club, and I make copious amounts of money, I'm gonna be paying for school out of pocket, like, straight up. So I need a normal job.

I really feel Project Legacy and Project Red Umbrella are safe places for people to come and care about their future and move forward with their future. Like, it's a good place.