'I just wanted to tell my story': El Paso family featured on PBS' Opportunity Knock$ show
An El Paso single mother, willing to share her financial struggles, will be featured on a new PBS station show, Opportunity Knock$. The show will air on PBS stations across the country beginning in November, including Nov. 6 in El Paso.
The show, which premieres this winter, pairs six families with one of three coaches to help them chart a path out of debt and toward financial stability.
Patricia Reyes, who is an artist and has six children, said she was interested in participating because of the educational component. Her oldest is 24 and graduated from college during the pandemic and her youngest is 12.
"It was bringing awareness to financial development and education to the community. And with the state I was in, I was needing of that help," she said over the phone. "With the pandemic, I was struggling, and it was getting difficult."
Reyes said a combination of factors led to her not being able to secure income, including recovering from a fracture and having to shut down her art classes during the pandemic. She also had to put a non-profit organization that promoted the arts and creativity as part of well-being on hold.
"I just wanted to tell my story and to my surprise they picked it up," she said.
Unfortunately, when the production company was set to come for the first time, Reyes had an issue with her well water, where she lives in Socorro.
"I felt so embarrassed at the time but it was the reality of my life," she said. "On top of everything else, I didn't have the money to fix it. It was a pretty bad situation."
Reyes said the show experience made her realize it's ok to be vulnerable.
"In being vulnerable I learned to ask questions, to search and not be ashamed of my current situation. There comes some kind of shame that you don't want to ask for help and do things on your own. As a single mother, you want to be strong for your children and put up this front that things are fine. But at end of day, you're not fine."
Reyes said getting access to financial information and resources is what make it worth it and was empowering.
"Yes, I'm in this situation, but it's not the end of the world, let's see what our options are," she said.
In the show, families are guided to use an online search tool, The Opportunity Finder, to find resources and non-profits that can help them move forward.
The show is set to air at 3 p.m. Nov. 6 on KCOS-Channel 13, the PBS affiliate.
The show can be watched online.
María Cortés González may be reached at 915-546-6150; mcortes@elpasotimes.com, @EPTMaria on Twitter; eptmariacg on TikTok. Tips for dealing with financial struggles
Tips for dealing with financial struggles
Give yourself permission to stop suffering in silence due to financial stress. Talking about financial challenges is the first step to finding solutions. Balance is a free nonprofit providing financial counseling agency.
Don’t be ashamed of your credit score. Everyone deserves dignity and many nonprofits will put you on the path to saving money by helping you to build credit.
Keep more of your own money by lowering your car payment by re-financing.
Eliminate credit card debt immediately to save hundreds of dollars a month. A $300 credit card bill can be cut down to $150 a month by converting credit card debt at 20% interest to a personal loan at 10%.
If you are struggling to make ends meet, move from a profit driven financial institution to a not-for-profit that exists only to help you. Most people don’t know that credit unions are not for profit. They are led by a volunteer board. Almost always they can save consumers money on loans.
Source: Jamie Strayer, executive producer and creator of Opportunity Knock$.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso family featured on PBS show, Opportunity Knock$
