Dear Friends of Mom’s House,
In order to explicate the impact Mom’s House has made on my life, I must first reveal a bit about my educational endeavors prior to my introduction to the Mom’s House family. After high school, I joined many of my peers at BCC and completed two semesters with moderate success. That success did not continue during the following semester, and I spent a year out of school. I returned to BCC with the intent to focus and succeed, but barely scraped by with sub-par grades and a foul attitude. I decided, once again, to put my education on hold. It was during this hiatus that my daughter, Charlotte, was born. I enjoyed spending every day at home with my little girl and shrugged off my family’s suggestions that I return to school. Of course I knew going to school was the path I needed to take in order to ensure the future success of myself and my daughter, but I hadn’t the foggiest idea of what to study – I felt I had no calling in a particular field, and thought going to school without a chosen career would be a waste of time. I spend another six months at home before a friend convinced me to take just one class. My eyes were opened, and school no longer felt like a chore – I actually enjoyed it. After successfully completing the class, I knew I wanted to return to school full-time.
The thought of putting my daughter in daycare caused me great anxiety. I spent hours researching childcare centers, vowing to find the best for the child with whom I had spent nearly every day of the preceeding two years. I was discouraged by the unaffordable tuitions and lengthy waiting lists, along with stories in the media about the many horrors of childcare-gone-wrong. An interview and tour of Mom’s House left me with a good impression, but it almost felt too good to be true. On the first day of school, my reservations were quickly put to rest when Charlotte and I were first greeted by the kind smile of Diane – the office manager. When I took Charlotte to her classroom, I anticipated a tearful goodbye, but she felt right at home with Ms. Lynne, and barely acknowledged my departure. I was the only one to cry on my daughter’s first day away from myself and her immediate family. At the end of the day, Charlotte was full of stories to tell about her new friends at “school”.
It was clear within our first couple weeks at Mom’s House that Charlotte and I had become part of something extraordinary. Everyone we met – staff, volunteers, and clients, embraced us and made us feel like part of the family. While I previously lacked the companionship of fellow moms, Mom’s House brought me together with a slew of other mothers with whom I could consort and commiserate. Mom’s House quickly felt like home. I was excited to get to know the other children, and happy to help out wherever and whenever I could. My anxieties about childcare were long forgotten – I knew for certain that the love and care my daughter received from Mom’s House was unparalleled.
The assurance that my daughter was being cared for by the most loving and capable people outside my biological family allowed me to focus fully on school. For the first time, I felt completely engaged in class, and handed in my work with the satisfaction that I had completed it to the best of my ability. Meanwhile, I received constant encouragement from my Mom’s House family. In the middle of the semester, I had an epiphany – I knew what I wanted to do with my life. For the first time, I felt my educational endeavors were not fruitless, and I am confident I will reach every goal I set. My hard work paid off when I received excellent grades, and I am happy to be able to answer the question – “what are you going to school for?” I am going to graduate from BCC in the spring with my associate’s degree in Liberal Arts, and I will move on to BU, where I will major in English – rhetoric and composition. I will then work to earn my Doctorate in order to teach English at the college level.
I am not exaggerating when I say I would not have felt this success if it weren’t for Mom’s House. I have been truly blessed to become a member of the Mom’s House family. The volunteers and staff go above and beyond to love and encourage the children and parents. Not only have I found pride in my own success, but also in the success of my peers – my fellow parents. It warms my heart to see a bright future for my daughter – a future which would be difficult, if not impossible without the support of Mom’s House.
I am immensely grateful for the many donations that make it possible for Mom’s House to provide their wonderful services to single parents and their children. Every donation is significant, whether it is time, money, or materials. The benefactors of Mom’s House are not only ensuring the longevity of the program, they are giving hope to those in need, and brightening the futures of countless families. Because of Mom’s House, I will succeed.
Sincerely,
Libby