Empowerment Program

When I became a mother at the age of 17, I had already grown accustomed to hearing those around me say that I had ruined my life, I would be another statistic, I would never be able to do it alone, and so much more. Truthfully, I was scared and felt very alone apart from a small handful of supportive family and friends. I had never worked before, I had no skills, I had no money, and was now responsible for someone's life. I knew I wanted to succeed, but I didn't know how. I got my first job the same year I had my daughter, working as a hostess for $2.13/hr plus tip share which averaged $20-$35/day, mostly relying on my mom to provide child care due to night and weekend hours required of me. I want to express that a biweekly check of $89 was something I got excited about, because it wasn't common for me in that job. I spent almost all of her early childhood trying to climb a ladder that would provide for her, pay for my bills, gas, and the few and far between trips I would take so she experienced new places and things. I had to call in to work due to not having child care, sort out daycare, and eventually reached the stage where she was in school and I could commit to a "big girl" job. I had to skip lunches because her seeing a full fridge at home was more important to me, and I couldn't afford both. I signed my first lease at 25 years old, and furnished that apartment with my tax return and the help of Walmart's lower prices. I have lived so many downs, feeling lost with no idea what to do next, but I figured it out.. and now years later, I decided to create this program and organization to help other mothers like myself, leading the way through challenges and cheering when you meet your goals.