Donna ‘Rosie’ Rose Johnson, is a Community Engagement Officer at Cape York Employment (CYE). Born in Mareeba, Rosie moved to Coen after finishing high school and worked on her family homestead, Glengarland.
Rosie has been signed up to MPower since November 2011 and learned about these products while attending activities run by the O-Hub.
“I signed up because I wanted to save my work money and wanted to learn easier banking.”
Rosie says she found budgeting quite difficult, and she needed to stop giving money out to friends and family. “Now I am confident to say,
‘I can’t give money out because I’ve got to do this with it’.”
After taking up MPower, Rosie said she feels more responsible. “I now know that you don’t need to spend all your money in one day when you get paid.”
To date, MPower has enabled Rosie to buy a laptop, iPad, DVD home theatre set, sheets, pillows and also $2,000 worth of clothes.
“I am proud of the way I am improving. I have enough money from week-to-week. Then I have money left over to enjoy the weekends and take my family out for a picnic.
“When something new comes out, I know I can buy it as I budget and save.”
Over the next 12 months, Rosie hopes to move into a home of her own and buy a car. “When I move into my home, I want to sign up for [ITAV] Home Pride and House Blitz.”
On the work front, in 2015 Rosie will be undertaking a Diploma of Management, with aspirations to manage and lead others at Cape York Employment (CYE). “I am also very keen to be on the Cape York Leaders Program.”