Preservation Prestige-Love Flash Mob

This recurring column will showcase non-adoption agency individuals, groups or organizations that are providing family preservation programs or services.

Adoption agencies are trying to redefine themselves as family preservation providers as options for international adoption dwindle each month. As we have stated many times before, adoption agencies should have no role in deciding which children should be preserved in their families and which children should be adopted-internationally or otherwise.

Today’s installment is a US domestic family preservation program helping homeless, single, teenaged mothers and their children.

The blog that started a fast, fundraising effort dubbed the “Love Flash Mob” to help a teenaged mom: http://momastery.com/blog/

The wraparound, intensive service and support includes up to 2 year stay for mom and baby; food and clothing-including interview clothing; assistance with school work; driving to doctor appointments; helping them with childcare and home responsibilities like cooking dinner and balancing a checkbook; first month’s rent and a crib when she leaves;  staffing and counseling. There are two full time staff members and therapy with a therapist that has trauma and neglect training.

The amount is “about $83,000 per girl per year.”

Since 2011, 13 girls have been helped. 100% of the high school seniors have graduated. 100% of the babies have been born full-term and at a healthy birth weight and 75% of thegirls have found employment while they have lived at Project Home Indy.

“Sarah Nielsen, executive director of Project Home Indy , which provides safe housing for five homeless teen mothers, brought the girl’s story to Momastery.com , an inspirational blog and online support group for mothers.

“(The girl said), I want to live somewhere where I don’t have to count the diapers I have for the rest of the week and wonder if I’ll skip dinner. I want to have my own bed and my own room. I want my baby to only see the best way to be, the way things should be,” Nielsen wrote on the site.

Project Home Indy didn’t have the funds to take on another resident, so Nielsen asked if the so-called Monkees on Momastery.com could help.

Blog founder Glennon Melton, who lives in Florida, launched what she calls a Love Flash Mob, asking her 65,000 readers to donate any amount, up to $25, over the course of 48 hours.

The movement took off, raising $85,000 in less than six hours, or about $250 a minute.

“We never let what we can’t do get in the way of what we can do,” Melton said via phone Wednesday. “We might not be able to help everybody, but we helped that girl. We helped that girl, and we feel wonderful about it.”

Thanks to the surge of generosity, the 17-year-old mother will have a spot at Project Home Indy, where she’ll have her own bed, her son will have his own crib and there will be diapers aplenty and a fully stocked kitchen.

“We can only serve as many people as we have space for, and with funding from Glennon and Momastery coming together at a perfect time, we added someone on our waiting list,” Nielsen said.

Teen moms can stay at the facility for up to two years. The average stay is seven months.”

‘Love Flash Mob’ by Momastery.com helps homeless Indianapolis teen mom get home at Project Home Indy

[WRTV 3/6/13 by Derrick Thomas]

Homeless teen mother’s story generates thousands of dollars in donations

[WTHR 3/7/13 by Carrie Cline]

 

The Love Flash Mob has closed, but the nonprofit still needs donations. See their website here. A quote: “Unlike the more common maternity home model, Project Home Indy provides a long-term residential environment where program opportunities are structured based on a person-centered case management framework. Our program aims to break the cycle of poverty.

The goals of the program are to:

• Increase completion of high school or GED
• Increase enrollment in technical/post-secondary education
• Increase employability and employment opportunities
• Increase healthy parenting and life skills
• Increase access to pediatric and maternal health care
• Prevent repeat teen pregnancy
• Transition successfully to independent living
• Decrease dependency on public assistance programs”

 

It takes time, dedication and yes, a lot of money.