RESIDENT UPDATES

RESIDENT UPDATES

MOMMAS House Accomplishments
Highlights of some current residents :

Tina: Since coming to MOMMAS House Tina has made huge strides towards achieving the goals she has set for herself. She has attended High School, earned her GED, and completed the Medical Assistant program at Hunter Business School! Tina did so well at Hunter that they gave her a scholarship to complete an additional program, and have offered her a full time job at the school upon completion! A few months ago, Tina was the honored student speaker at her GED graduation reception. Tina's beautiful and brilliant daughter Jennifer is proving to be just as smart as her mother, and we know that the two of them together will be unstoppable in their successes. We are so very proud of Tina!

Chanelle: Chanelle was pregnant 18 year old who had run away from family problems including addiction and abuse, when she came to MOMMAS House in September of 2009. Since coming to MOMMAS Chanelle has given birth to a beautiful, healthy baby boy named Jaiden, she has enrolled in school to become a pharmacy technician and has earned her driver's license! This past weekend Chanelle was the recipient of scholarship from the Deborah Chapter No. 31, Prince Hall Order Eastern Star, Inc. Chanelle has big dreams and she is well on her way to achieving them. She is doing wonderfully in school and is scheduled to graduate in March 2011. She plans on seeking full time employment in a pharmacy, and we hope to be able to get a car donated for her to drive at that point. Chanelle is also a very competent and loving mother and her son will surely thrive under her care. We are very proud of the progress Chanelle has been making and look forward to watching her achieve more of her goals!

Residents looking for cars!

MOMMAS House recognizes how difficult it is to navigate the public transportation system on Long Island, sometimes requiring several hours on several buses to make the daily commute to school or work, which not only uses up their time and money, but also keeps them from their children for longer periods of time each day. As a result, we offer our young mothers the opportunity to earn their Driver's License through the MOMMAS House Drive to Thrive program. We provide for the driver's education, lessons, and road test. There is just one little problem... once they get their license, they need a car.

Please consider donating your old car to MOMMAS House - the full value of the car is a tax deductible donation! The car would only be given to a mother who is working and able to pay for insurance and maintenance.

Contact the office at 516-781-8637 if you have a car to donate!

Narousse proudly sits in her first car - ready to hit the road!

Knowledge is Power
Resident Katie reporting on the Financial Literacy Workshop

Over the past four months of attending the Financial Literacy workshop I have learned many things; one of them being how to invest my money wisely into the stocks, through the stock market game. My fellow residents at MOMMAS House and I have learned how to buy and sell stock and the difference between stocks and mutual funds.
Coming in first place among the other MOMMAS House teams was very rewarding and exciting. All of the teams had similar strategies in playing the game; but having Wal-Mart stock put ours over the top.

Previously, if someone asked me how the economy was, I would not have had a clue. Thanks to the kindness and generosity of volunteers, like our instructor Kate Nowack, I have now taken an interest in the economy, as well as my own financial well being.

Her Story

I was born in Jamaica, West Indies. I did not grow up with my brothers or sisters, as they all lived in the United States. I was raised by various relatives including my grandma.
My Grandmother was the only one that understood me. I could tell her anything. When I left Jamaica in 1999, I was heartbroken knowing that I was leaving my grandmother behind. I was eleven years old when I came to the US to live with my mother and siblings.It was the first time I had ever seen them all together, in person.

For the first four years, I tried to get them to accept me for who I was - the way my grandmother did, unconditionally. Everything went downhill when I turned fifteen. My mother and I rarely saw eye to eye. I tired of her wanting me to be just like my brothers and sisters. I felt that no matter what I did, I would never be as good as them. I decided it was time for me to try and make it on my own. I left my mother’s at eighteen, and moved in with a friend from work. My first job was working in sales, I did this full time while attending high school. A few months later, I found out I was pregnant by my boyfriend of a year and a half. I decided to quit school and work full time to support myself and the baby. One month later, I lost my job. Without any sense of direction, my girlfriend and I made some calls and I was referred to Catholic Charities Regina Residence Maternity Services. While staying there, I learned of MOMMAS House. Coming to MOMMAS House has been on of the best decisions I ever made. Because of MOMMAS I am back in school and working on getting my high school diploma. Once that goal is attained, I plan on going to school for nursing to make a secure future for my son and myself. I have grown a lot since my early teenage years. I became a mother and learned more than I ever thought possible. MOMMAS House is a phenomenal place for women in my situation, I would not hesitate to refer anyone to this organization – it saved my son’s and my life!

Update: Since this story was written, Samantha has graduated from Hunter Business School, began working and now lives in her own apartment.

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