Recognizing in retrospect the impact of her past actions and decisions on her children’s lives, Ms. Collins decided to volunteer at Dignity, teaching workshops on anger management for children. In her words, “When families have been separated for whatever reason, in reuniting sometimes parents focus on themselves, and all we think about is that we are reconnecting with our children, and we don’t understand that there can be a lot of anger from them."  Attending the workshops helped ease the family's transition.

Leading the workshops is not the only way Ms. Collins chose to give back to Dignity. She is passionate about what Dignity offers its tenants, because she has experienced much personal growth throughout her time here. “Dignity has been a real help for me.... I remember wanting to be a part of going down to city hall and letting them know how important programs like these are, especially for women such as myself." 

Lynn was also an intern with Dignity for several months, working with directors Alicia Christian and Beverly Roberts, a job she says she “LOVED!" For Ms. Collins, it represented a unique opportunity to observe Dignity from a whole new perspective. 

During this time, Ms. Collins was also taking classes at Alvernia College, for which she received a scholarship.  Unfortunately, Ms. Collins suffered an injury and had to take a break from classes and work. She describes this time as particularly difficult for her; she had been at the top of her class, loved her job and enjoyed “feeling so productive." However, this time off freed her schedule to spend more time with her children, which is the top priority in Ms. Collins' life. She is working now and planning on returning to school shortly and becoming the first person in her family to earn a degree. 

Her children have made inspirational progress as well. Her son, 16 years old, is enthusiastic about learning, an idea his mother is constantly encouraging for all her children. He made student of the month for March as well as honor roll this semester. Thanks to Dignity staff, her 15-year-old daughter had the opportunity to attend a program which allowed her to visit several historically black colleges and universities. She is now considering her options after high school.  Her youngest daughter, age 13, demands the most attention, Ms. Collins lovingly admits. She describes her daughter as creative, talented with hair design, and very driven toward success.