DEAR FRIENDS,
The mission of New Moms exists because housing stability, economic mobility, and family well-being are hard to come by for far too many young families. And yet, through our work at New Moms, we see daily the powerful steps young moms take to build thriving futures for themselves and their children.
We are in a time where changes come hard and fast—a pandemic, job loss, childcare instability, school closures, and now rising inflation. Our best-laid plans can dissolve in a moment. The families we serve have fragile safety nets if any at all. So New Moms is here, with your support, to partner with them so they can withstand these challenges and focus their efforts on building a strong foundation for long-term well-being.
Naomi is one of the many young moms we work with whose plans were derailed by unforeseen challenges. Since she was eight years old, she dreamed of becoming a doctor. She had been raised in the foster system and recently experienced the grief of losing her brother by murder. She persevered and got into college, but in her junior year, the pandemic hit and classes went online. Naomi chose to wait for classes to resume in person, and during that time she became pregnant. Moving to Wisconsin to be with her child’s father, she began to experience domestic violence, and while escaping this dangerous situation, she also became homeless.
Her dreams on hold, Naomi went into survival mode seeking support and housing. She found New Moms and moved into our housing program just two weeks before giving birth to healthy and beautiful Giovanni. Because of New Moms, Naomi and her son had a safe home to come back to and begin their life together.
Since starting at New Moms, Naomi has had the support she needs to get back on track to pursue her dream. She has eagerly joined every program we offer, including our Job Training and Academic Coaching programs. Just this May, she began a new job at Candycopia, a local employment partner who is passionate about supporting New Moms’ mission! And Naomi is re-enrolled in college classes part-time to work towards completing her Bachelor’s degree.
As a new parent, she also has the support of New Moms coaches to lean on. Naomi recalled her coach, Magy’s, guidance: “She helped me understand my son. Because this is my first time parenting, I don’t know what to look for or what to work on specifically. Little things that she pointed out has helped me keep my son on track.”
New Moms is critical for many young families, like Naomi’s, in Chicagoland. This year alone we served over 400 families. However, we anticipate the impact of inflation this coming year will strain our resources, creating a 10-15% increase in costs to accomplish the same work we have done with families.
As we close out Fiscal Year 2022, I stand in awe of your generosity that has carried us in ways I could not have imagined. I invite you now to persevere with us and, inspired by Naomi’s resilience, to support our mission and help us raise $75,000 by June 30, 2022.
Give to New Moms today and invest in sustaining this mission for young moms and their children so that they can have a thriving future.
With Gratitude,
Laura Zumdahl, Ph.D.
President & CEO
