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You may remember that at the end of last year, we held a crowdfunding campaign to raise money to directly support child care for 3 new families in 2021! With a grateful heart, I am happy to report that 179 of you joined together and raised over $45,000 from Nov 15-Jan 15 -- far exceeding our goal amount of $18,720! I feel so blessed to be a part of a community that takes care of its neighbors so well -- from my heart to each of yours, thank you for the witness of generosity.
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What's New?
SO MUCH! Here's the highlights:
- Our family of supporters rock! Not many communities could come together during an economically repressive pandemic and raise tens of thousands of dollars in just 2 months!
- April Matt is back!
- Karmen -- a former ATW mom and current ATW employee opens the doors of Dance 625 TODAY from 2-5pm!
- A Big Thank You to High School Sophomore, Helen Spiegel
- We just launched a premiere membership to keep expanding our impact in the community. Click the icon to find out more!
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April Matt is back at ATW!
We are so excited to welcome April back! Along The Way has been growing in the services we offer and the number of families we support. As we grow, April will be leading the charge in the direct support services we provide to help lift single mother families out of poverty, while Kristina focuses on administration & fund acquisition to meet this vital community need -- we are the only organization providing child care during non-traditional hours in the entire service area! Scroll down to learn how adequate child care is a critical anti-poverty initiative!
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Karmen Johnson of Along The Way shares part of her story.
In case you missed it on Facebook Karmen is opening her own dance studio in Telford, PA today! The ribbon cutting ceremony is March 14, 2021 from 2-5pm @ 97 Ridge Road, Telford, PA 18969. Come out to show your support and have some community fellowship!
Karmen has generously donated her dance studio as a space for ATW to host fellowship nights that will be starting soon! More information TBA soon! Her full story is below.
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Along The Way gives a BIG thank you to one local high school student -- Helen Spiegel, a sophomore at Souderton Area High School, who got creative in how she raised $600 to support single mothers in our community. Determined to bring some holiday cheer amidst a pandemic Christmas, she sold baked goods one weekend to family and friends and delivered them with her family in the most festive of ways -- dressed up as Santa and Elves! This is not the first time Helen has shown her uncanny leadership and fundraising ability; last summer she coordinated a car wash fundraiser for the Peace & Social Justice team at Indian Creek of the Brethren Church where she is a member; they raised close to $2K. When asked about what inspires these community projects, she said, "I really like doing things for the community. It just makes me really happy when I get to have fun and help someone. This bake sale was so much fun!" A BIG thank you to Helen and her family for selflessly serving our community!
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Karmen's Story (cont'd)
Karmen was attending college in Atlanta, Georgia when she found out she was pregnant. She did not plan the pregnancy, and unsure what she was going to do, she moved back to PA to be close to her family. When I asked her what the deciding factor was for her keeping the baby, she said "I had decided to get an abortion...I was at Planned Parenthood and in order to determine how far along I was, they did an ultrasound. I saw the hands fluttering and right then and there, I decided to keep my child." She was 2.5 months pregnant.
That was in August of 2016. Determined to fully own her choices, she didn't want to live with her family and "put that on them," meaning the lifestyle changes that her living with them would require, so she focused on building her own support network. She lived in Morningstar Maternity Home throughout her pregnancy, which was located in the same neighborhood that April Matt from Along The Way lived. Karmen applied for service, was on our waiting list for 4 months and then started receiving child care support from ATW. She describes her 4 months living independently while she waited for a spot to open up as "lonely and overwhelming...I was in school and never had a break." Through a lot of hard work and getting the child care support she needed to invest in herself, she completed her CNA program and began working. She says "having reliable child care is really important because of course, we have to work. The fact that someone can come into your home, kids feel safe, and I can have the privilege of going to work is what is needed to get ahead."
She continues to work as a CNA and works part-time as a caregiver for ATW, paying it forward to other single mamas, and today, we are thrilled to announce that she opens the doors of her very own dance studio! When I asked her why a dance studio, she had this to say, "This wasn't an easy journey and I just wanted to start over when I moved back to PA, so I thought 'when was the last time I was genuinely happy' and it was when I was dancing. It's important for mothers to do what they love, find their support circle, make connections."
Since Karmen was 8 years old, she has excelled at ballet, tap, jazz, and hip hop, and now she will be teaching all four types of dance to children ages 5-17. Preschool dancers can tumble their way to music, and adults can take jazz & yoga. She plans on offering mommy & me classes this summer and hopes her studio can be a place where all people feel welcome, can move their bodies to maintain physical and mental health, and have fun doing it!
As for the Along The Way family, we will continue to fully support Karmen in her endeavors and hope that the community will also, looking to her as a beautiful example of what a single mother can do when she is supported! Indeed, it takes a village and I am so proud to be a member of this one!
Blessings,
Executive Director, ATW
P.S. If you want to support women like Karmen on the road to their full potential and economic self-sufficiency consider joining The Light -- a special group in our Along The Way family!
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