Fresh Start
Research has shown that investing in the education, training and leadership of women delivers high returns in terms of economic and social development. Some of the outcomes include lower infant and child mortality rates, disease prevention, higher incomes and productivity rates and broader economic growth. Healthy and educated communities in which all citizens have the opportunity to play a valuable and productive role helps create a stable and prosperous environment. Two major issues that affect women are poverty and violence. Our aim is to help women deal with these issues in a positive manner.
Fresh Start for Single Mothers and their Children program is designed for single mothers from a variety of life situations: divorced, never married, widowed, adoptive single moms and grandmothers raising grandchildren alone. Although we have great respect for marriage unfortunately divorce and other similar situations have crept into our society, causing tremendous pain for the man, woman and children involved. Our aim is to help these women and children pick up the pieces of their broken lives and move towards the road to recovery. The program aims at providing an environment of positive support for single mothers and their children where they will find encouragement, education, spiritual enrichment, growth, hope for daily living and a positive future.
The Program
The Fresh Start program seeks to break the cycle of broken relationships, generational failures and shape the hearts of the next generation by promoting positive life changing advancements, inspirational ideas and educational information. Teaching them ways to utilize the support and encouragement of other single mothers and the information presented in the program. The Fresh Start program promotes a mindset that the important decisions and positive life changes made by them today affect their children’s future.
A Fresh Start for Single Mothers and Their Children program offers community, hope, life skills, and encouragement to women who are handling the tremendous burden of raising children on their own. The program has its own uniqueness. Some of the weekly topics covered include:
- Budgeting, Credit and Finance
- Health and Wellness and Stress Management
- Domestic violence Awareness / Child Protection
- Parenting on Your Own/ Keeping Family Traditions
- Car Care Essentials
- Beauty out of Ashes – making something good from the bad
Through the Fresh Start program we try to create an environment where they will not be judged but educated, encouraged and supported. Teaching them in weekly meetings ways to utilize the support and encouragement of others single mothers, encouragers and the educational information presented in the program. The program promotes a mindset that the important decisions and positive life changes made by them today affect their children’s future. Fresh Start utilizes uniquely designed motivational tools and demonstrations to illustrate the power of education, inspiration, forgiveness and prayer. We also have a benevolent component to the program where we connect families to tangible resources within the community.
Our achievements through this program:
So far the Fresh Start program has served over 550 women and over 960 children. The program is a copyrighted curriculum and is now available on a national level for any church or organization to run. Currently there are 2 locations in the Greater Richmond Area in Virginia. Fresh Start is also available in Arkansas, Michigan, Mississippi, Texas, Florida and several others are under development.
Following are examples of what some of our Fresh Start Single Mothers and their Children have to deal with and what they have been through:
- a mom who was sexually and physically abused for 20 years by husband.a mom who is an alcoholic.
- a mom with two autistic boys ( 3 & 4 yrs.) living in a 15 x 15 living room, on welfare.
- a mom whose 6 yr old child was shot in the head and back in a drive by shooting and is now
- a mom who is disabled, she also has her disabled mother living with her, needs to find extra job to pay bills.
- a mom who is being stalked and life threatened by her ex husbands family,
- a mom who left an abusive marriage, needs job, has no health insurance.
- a mom who has lost her faith and has not been to church in years.
- a mom who lost custody of her children.
- a mom whose car broke down and can’t afford to fix it or buy a used one.
- a mom who was molested by her brother as a child.
- a mom with a mildly retarded son who needs an advocate for school meetings.
- a mom who has to work 60 hours a week to make ends meet.
- a mom with a child with ADHD and chronic behavior problems, left abusive marriage.
- a mom with 5 month old son who can’t afford to fix the oil leak on her car, had to sell her home.
- a mom who has an eating disorder.
- a mom whose husband was addicted to pornography.
- a mom whose husband committed suicide.
- a mom whose fiancé was murdered.
- a mom who needs surgery and has no one to help with childcare while recovering.
- a mom with a teenage son suspended from school.
- a mom who can’t collect her court ordered child support.
- a mom who suspects her ex husband molested her daughter, but can’t prove it.
- a mom whose husband left her for her best friend.
- a mom who was raped.
- a mom with reflex sympathetic dystrophy, was formerly severely abused,
lived out of her car with small son while in hiding from her ex husband, can’t work, lives in poverty.
Seven Staggering Reasons Why We Need Fresh Start Programs
The following statistics on children from fatherless homes is taken from The Belmont Foundation available at www.belmontfoundation.org
71% of all High School Drop Outs come from fatherless homes
9X the average
National Principal Association Report
80% of rapists with anger problems come from fatherless homes
14X the average
Justice & Behavior Vol. 14, page 403-426
85 % of all youth in prison come from fatherless homes
20X the average
Fulton Co. Georgia TX Dept. of Corrections
63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes
5X the average
U.S. Dept. Of Health / Census
70% of youth in state operated institutions come from fatherless homes
9X the average
U.S. Dept. Of Justice Sept. 1988
85 % of all children who show behavior disturbances come from fatherless homes
20X the average
Center For Disease Control
75% of all adolescent patients in chemical abuse centers come from fatherless homes
10 X the average
Future Goals for Fresh Start:
We are in need of our own facility which would serve as a Center where we can have educational and inspirational classes for single moms on a regular basis. Currently Fresh Start meets in various churches and has classes once a week; many moms are not able to come at those particular times and would like to have classes at other timings. A facility of our own would enable that. In addition there is need of a computer lab where single moms can complete their education online. The facility would also have child care so that while the moms are attending class or studying online the children are taken care of. In addition this would be the place where our graduates can connect with other single moms and continue to be a blessing and pour into the program. If you would like to connect with us either as single mom who needs to connect with other single moms or perhaps you are a church, business or a successful single mom who would like to help other families be able to stand on their feet, this would be a good investment.
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