About Us

Our Story

In the Fall of 2010, with a vision in her heart, Daughter of Charity Maria Nguyen rented a 100-year-old building in central Ogden, and began offering sewing classes to low-income women. She saw the skills they would learn as a pathway toward better paying jobs in the workplace, and thus a step closer to self-sufficiency.

Her vision quickly caught on, as members of the community joined her in making the program a reality. Within a short time, Sister Maria noticed the women who were attending the sewing classes needed a safe place for their children, so she started an after-school program where the children could find help with their homework difficulties, and experience fun learning activities in science, music and art.

Sister Arthur Gordon joined Give Me A Chance as its new Executive Director in 2016. She helped the center focus on strategic growth as it continued to empower the women and children in the community. Under her, we began to offer more classes, including Computer Literacy, Sewing, Quilting, English as a Second Language, Summer Camp, and the After-School Program.

In 2020, we embraced Sister Martha Garcia as Executive Director. She helped us previously with our After-School Program, and helped us through the difficult times of COVID-19 as our Executive Director. Sociable and kind, her experience as a teacher and principal gave Give Me A Chance an opportunity to reach out and create connections with local organizations. It was through those connections the upper classroom of our learning center was completely renovated, much to the delight of the sewing and quilting students.

Sister Frances Vista is now our Executive Director, having been welcomed to the learning center in 2025. With her knowledge of business, Give Me A Chance hopes to strengthen its foundation and have a greater presence within the community it helps.