Lakeisha’s Story

“I can say at the age of 44, New Moms was one of the best opportunities to be a part of. It was just great. The friendships that were made are still here all these years later. I still think about things I’ve learned and was able to get through – I went through a lot while at New Moms – and the support that was there from the ladies that ran the program.”

Lakeisha came to New Moms around 1993 when she was 16 years old. She had a few friends in the New Moms’ parent support group who brought her along to some of the meetings. (Back then there was only one parent support group and it met on Wednesday evenings.) Lakeisha remembers that there was a group of moms who would walk to the meetings together. After school, they would all pick up their kids and on the way to New Moms they would stop by the park for a bit so the kids could let out their energy.

She said the best part about New Moms’ program was the support system it provided. She developed friendships with the other moms and found a mother-figure in the New Moms coaches.

“I didn’t have the type of support the ladies at New Moms gave me at home,” said Lakeisha, whose own mother had her at 14. “I didn’t have a motherly figure that I felt comfortable speaking with or talking with.”
The coaches at New Moms provided emotional support for Lakeisha when she went through two adoptions during her time in the program. She said no one knew she was pregnant at the time except for the folks at New Moms.

“I don’t know if I really would have gotten through that without going to New Moms,” said Lakeisha, who gave two sons up for adoption. “New Moms helped me get through that and out of the abusive relationship that I was in. They helped me feel like an adult as opposed to feeling like a little girl.”

Lakeisha now lives on the South Side in the Oak Wood Area and has been working in the field of Transportation and Logistics for nine years. She recently completed Spa School and would like to transition into a career in Wellness and Beauty. She is the proud mother of seven sons and one three-year-old daughter.

To young moms currently enrolled with New Moms Lakeisha says, “Take this program and make the best out of it. Take these sisterhoods and make the best out of it.”

She said in her experience, it’s important to “stay positive about the situation” because even if life is full of struggles right now, that doesn’t mean the struggles are going to last.

“Be kind to yourself and be kind to your kids,” Lakeisha said. “And keep going. If you need help, ask for it.”