INSPIRING STORY

A helping hand for young mom Valeria* and her toddler

Donor support helped avert a crisis and gave this mother important skills, resources and community to provide for her child

Valeria* was new to Canada, alone and struggling. A single mom in her early 20s, she was isolated and low on funds. Feeling overwhelmed trying to navigate life in Toronto while taking care of her two-year-old, she didn’t know where to turn for help providing for herself and her child. Like many young moms raising kids without family assistance, a lack of finances and support had left Valeria and her child vulnerable.

Thanks to donors like you, Valeria received critical support through the Young Parents Wraparound pilot program delivered through Rosalie Hall, and formerly funded by the Catholic Children’s Aid Foundation (CCAF).

Compassionate assistance helped young parents and babies to flourish

Donations enabled this past program to support at-risk babies and toddlers of young parents like Valeria with assistance including:

Groceries to help feed herself and her toddler.
Parenting tips from the Child Development Hub at Rosalie Hall, an accredited infant and early childhood mental health organization in Scarborough that supports pregnant youth and young parents.
1:1 counseling with facilitators from the Catholic Children’s Aid Society of Toronto (CCAS) to help teens set goals, make plans and take positive actions to create strong, healthy and resilient families.
Assistance connecting to a support network of local community resources in Toronto to know where to turn for help as challenges arise.
A sense of stability and hope. “When her child turned three, we supplied gifts and wrap so that she had the dignity of wrapping them and presenting them to her little one,” says Reshawn Hunter, Director of Programs at Rosalie Hall. “It was wonderful to see the joy on her child’s face.”

As another program participant said, “A big thank you from the depth of my heart for your support and love towards me and my child! I’m really grateful. I don’t know how far I would have gone without you guys. Even when my family failed me, you stood by me.”

*Name changed for privacy reasons.