Is stimulus helping you?

A civil engineer, Sara Kelley owes her job to President Obama's $787 billion stimulus package.

Her employer, a national engineering firm, was preparing to lay off dozens of workers after work dried up and her name was on the list. But, her job was saved after the company won a contract to build high-occupancy vehicle lanes on heavily trafficked I-405 in Los Angeles.

"I am very grateful for the stimulus package and the funding it provides to keep civil engineers employed across the country," said Kelley, 33, a San Diego resident.

Kelley's job is likely safe for at least a year. By then, she hopes, the economy will have picked up and her firm will have more contracts. Meanwhile, she's putting some of the per diem money she receives for working in Los Angeles back into the economy.

"I feel it's my civic duty to spend all of the extra money I receive as a result of the stimulus program shopping and dining out," said Kelley. "I'll admit I'm also saving more of my regular paycheck, knowing there may not be another project after this one is completed."
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