LIFT Annual Report 2014: What Matters Most | Page 22

22

REAL STORIES

The Fuller Picture: A
Conversation Between
Dani L. & Steve P.
Steve Potter is Senior Portfolio Manager at
a privately held option trading firm and a
LIFT Advocate. Dani Lubin-Levy is a Shriver
AmeriCorps Fellow.
Steve: How did you get involved with LIFT?
Dani: I started in Boston as an Advocate between junior
and senior year of college. It was a powerful, moving
experience to see how much my work was valued
and to have that much responsibility as a 21 year old.
Now I’m a year and a half into my two year term as an
AmeriCorps fellow here in Chicago. What about you?
I came to consult on a business project a year ago. I
liked it so much I came back as a volunteer advisor,
meeting individually with Members for two hours
a month, helping them to overcome obstacles like
identity theft, credit repair, budgeting, and overdue
payments. It’s a nice break from trading options all
day, and, more important, it gives me perspective on
what people go through, the challenges they face.
Financially, the deck is stacked against people, and I
want to keep helping Members get out and stay out of
the debt trap.
Being here makes me so grateful that the things my
Members worry about are things I never had to worry