About
Redeaux, is a grandmother of seven. Her daughter Levonnia Iwuoha is also a graduate of CSU Dominguez Hills (Class of ’01, B.A., human services) and her son Frederick Redeaux IV is an electrical technician chief currently assigned to the USS Makin Island. She looks back on the rigors of single parenthood and returning to college at a mature age as less challenging than taking on New Impression.“This has been probably the biggest growth I’ve had in my life – taking a dream, going on blind faith, and putting myself out there,” she says. “I learned a lot about myself, about my faith. I’ve put my own home in jeopardy. Raising my kids as a single parent, I thought that was hard. It was. Going back to school at 40, I thought that was hard. It was. But when you take in account the lives of other people that are depending on you – that caused me to grow up.”Redeaux has a special empathy for those in need of housing, particularly single parents, having been left to struggle with inevitable homelessness herself. Abandoned as a Marine Corps wife stationed in North Carolina with a young son and daughter, she was fortunate enough to be helped by members of the military community that had been her home and where she had begun working on her Associate of Arts degree at Craven Community College in Newburn.
“I was renting a house, but I couldn’t afford it so I was going to be homeless,” she says. “I didn’t know what I was going to do. One of my classmates told her husband that her girlfriend was going to be homeless. He was a commanding officer and went to one of his subordinates and said, ‘This woman needs a place to stay. You live by yourself and you’re gone a lot flying all over the place.’ So this [soldier] who didn’t know me, took me and my kids in. (This article is an excerpt from Cal State Dominguez Hills Alumni Newsletter).
My professional and personal experiences has had a direct impact on my interest in Economic and Social Justice. My parents , former sharecroppers migrated to Chicago seeking better opportunities for our family. Education was key, my parents were unable to attend school as they had to work in the fields. For this reason, I was motivated to become educated. In, 1993 at the age of 46, I applied and was accepted to University of Southern California Graduate School of Social Work. In, 1996, I was awarded a Masters Degree in Social Work, a family milestone, as the first college graduate. I started my career as a Children’s Social Worker for Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services. My tenure was rewarding, as an Adoptions Social Worker, I had the opportunity to place children into forever homes, as a Supervisor, the opportunity to implement policies designed to promote family reunification. I was later promoted to Supervising Children’s Social Worker and had the opportunity to supervise, train, and mentor Social Worker Trainees. This worker’s are still employed at Los Angeles County and credit my supervision as the key to be able to survive such a demanding position. The legacy continues, as in 2002, my daughter followed in my footsteps, joining the Department as a Social Worker Trainee, and is now a Supervising Children’s Social Worker. In 2008, I retired from Los Angeles County after 18 years of service. In 2009, I had an opportunity to develop the New Impression, Inc, a non profit Social Service Agency dedicated to providing quality information regarding community activities, training services within underserved communities, and supportive services to homelessness via transitional housing and referrals.
My desire to give back to my community and to advocate for the underserved and underrepresented is a direct reflection of my prior work career as well as my life experiences. My biggest accomplishment has been raising my son and my daughter as a single parent. My ex husband deserted our family when my son was 8 and my daughter was five. I literally went from a married woman to single parent overnight. At the time, I was a military dependent, and my husband was a high ranking Marine. I was referred to the newly formed Family Counseling Center on the Base and my life was forever changed. I met a young social worker who encouraged me to return to school. He gave me hope, a new lease on life, as well as igniting my life long desire to give back to others what he gave to me. I was able to remain in North Carolina, earned an Associate of Arts Degree, and started my Civil Service Career. In short, I was given an opportunity to rear my children, to provide for them financially, and later was able to relocate to California to attend to my ailing Grandmother. I am doubly proud of both my children, as they too, have followed the legacy of giving back. My son has been in the Navy for over 20 years and is serving as a Chief, on the USS Makin Island. Moreover, I am a grandmother to 7 with another one on the way Consequently, I am more inspired to create positive changes in the lives of those in need and leave a legacy of giving to my family. For this reason, I am working on my second degree, a Master’s in Family Therapy.
Volunteerism in my main passion and allows me to impact the lives of some many people. I am an volunteer with the American Diabetes Association, American Heart Association, and the American Stroke Association. I am affiliated with the University of Social California Alumni Association, Cal State Dominguez Hills Alumni Association, Compton Watts Faith Base Collaborative, and Special Needs Network, Police Training Task Force, American Humane Association, Family Team Decision Making Planning Committee, Institute of Violence and Trauma as a conference volunteer. Additionally, Co Founder of the 1st Annual Compton Diabetes Awareness Walk, a collaboration with Compton Unified School District. Our first walk, took place on April 28, 2010. New Impression received a letter from First Lady Michelle Obama, recognizing the important work we are doing to reduce childhood obesity.
Honors and Recognitions:
Long Beach Naval Shipyard Outstanding Female Employee of the Year.
Certificate of Participation, Lovelia P. Flournoy Elementary School, Career Awareness Day
Certificate of Recognition, Compton Unified School District and CSU Dominguez Hills 6th Annual Homeless/Foster Care Symposium(Panelist)
American Humane Association, National Family Group Decision making Conference in San Antonio Texas(Co Presenter)
Cal State University, Long Beach, Field Instructor Certification of Appreciation
Bishop T.D. Jakes Potter’s House Church – Storm Is Over Now
