‘Your support system is what gets you through.’

Meet Amber Flowers, a V Teamer for 16 years and Senior Analyst in our Customer Success organization based in Tampa, Florida.

Amber was one of two V Teamers chosen as Verizon’s 2024 Working Parents of the Year. She recently accepted her award at a ceremony hosted by Seramount Media Company in New York City with Spring Lacy, Global Head of Talent Acquisition and DEI.

“I was super excited to find out I was a working parent of the year,” said Amber. “It really takes your breath away.”

Amber and her now ex-husband always knew they wanted to be parents but they were unfortunately given the news that they would likely never be able to biologically have children. In 2016 they heard an ad on the radio for foster care and decided to sign up.

Amber welcomed her daughter Jazlynn in 2016. In 2020, she was asked if she would take Jazlynn’s older brother Jay as their foster child too, since the children’s biological mother had passed away. In 2022 Amber made what she called the hardest decision of her life and filed for divorce, and found herself as a single mother of two.In 2023 she officially adopted both Jazlynn and Jay. Since November is National Adoption Month, it’s the perfect time to celebrate Amber’s parenting journey.

Although becoming a single-parent was a difficult decision, Amber feels grateful to have had Verizon’s support and benefits throughout.

After finalizing the adoption, she was to be able to take advantage of Verizon’s Parental Leave, which allowed her to spend quality time with her kids. She also leaned into Verizon’s Employee Assistance Program which she says supported both her and her children when they needed services like therapists and attorneys.

The benefit that Amber says has helped her grow most as a parent is Verizon’s Tuition Assistance Program. She’s earned two degrees and feels it’s been instrumental in demonstrating to her children that you can accomplish anything with endurance and self-discipline.

Amber shared how grateful she feels to work for a company that has supported her in so many ways: “Your support system is what gets you through. And a big one has always been our company and the people in our company. Without them, I wouldn't have made it this far. It isn't easy being a parent in general, but to be a working parent, that's a great accomplishment. And I hope all of our working parents know that they are just so appreciated.”

Click here for a transcript of the episode.

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