My name is Marilyn Gone. I have been the receptionist at LIFTT since 2010, although I did a stint as an IL Specialist for approximately one year in 2011.
I grew up on the Fort Belknap reservation in the little town of Hays, in north central Montana, and attended a Roman Catholic Mission school. I spent the first three years of high school in out-of-state native boarding and Mission schools before graduating from Harlem High School. I obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology with options in both Social Work and Social Justice from MSU-Bozeman. I spent many years in various human service professions, both in direct services and administration, and taught Human Service and Psychology classes at the tribal community college level.
I had three children, my oldest son is now deceased, and raised them mostly as a single parent. I have four grandchildren and one great-grandson. I am a voracious reader of free kindle books and enjoy attending powwows and ceremonies, and am involved in the native community in Billings. I am now the matriarch of our huge extended family.
I was unable to work for several years after 2002 because of my mental health disability which had progressed over the years, finally resulting in a diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). My early life was full of many traumas. Finally feeling that I might be able to make it in the world of work again, I found a program called Experience Works and was placed at LIFTT. It was very difficult for me at first, not because of the work, but because I could not control my emotions sometimes and I tried to quit several times.
However thanks to our awesome Program Manager at the time, who understood bipolar disorder because of having family members with the disorder, she would not allow it! She let me work at my own pace and as many days as I felt that I could handle. I am very grateful to her and I have continued to progress and heal from trauma over the years since.
I used to be ashamed to disclose my disability but working at LIFTT was given me the courage and maybe my story might help someone else. I enjoy meeting and getting to know the consumers at LIFTT and am so happy when they receive what they need with the assistance of our dedicated team members.
About Living Independently for Today & Tomorrow (LIFTT): LIFTT is a Montana 501(c)3 corporation organized as a Center for Independent Living (CIL). With team members based in Billings, and Glendive, LIFTT provides people with disabilities with programs and services that help empower them to break down the physical, bureaucratic, and cultural barriers that prevent them from being fully independent participants in their lives and communities throughout 18 counties in southeastern and southcentral Montana: Big Horn, Carbon, Carter, Custer, Dawson, Fallon, Garfield, Golden Valley, McCone, Musselshell, Powder River, Prairie, Richland, Stillwater, Wibaux, and Yellowstone. For more information, please visit liftt.org or download our mobile app on Apple or Google Play.