Community Action Helps Young Mothers

Sydney had just graduated from high school when she became pregnant. Without any support and unsure what to do, she turned to Community Action of Wayne/Medina for help. “I just graduated high school and became pregnant at 18. I had no family support and was on my own,” Sydney explains.

A friend of Sydney’s had a mother named Beth who worked for Community Action of Wayne/Medina. When Sydney’s friend told his mother about Sydney’s situation, she reached out to Sydney. “Beth took me in and guided me into the program,” Sydney said.

Community Action of Wayne/Medina provided Sydney with assistance in applying for Women Infants and Children (WIC), a government program that provides supplemental food, health care referrals, and nutrition education for low-income pregnant and postpartum women and to infants and children at nutritional risk. She also received assistance applying for food stamps. She took a class on car seats, was shown how to sign up for a free crib, and had regular visits from a Community Action of Wayne/Medina Family Visitor named Lisa who helped her set and attain goals and prepare for the baby.

“These services helped me to get help with food stamps. They also helped me be able to go to college fulltime and get set with FASFA (student financial aid),” Sydney stated. “I also got a doctor. My Family Visitor Lisa got me a tour of the hospital, without which I would have been clueless about the whole process.

“If these services were no longer available, I would not be in as stable of an environment as I am in now. I would not be able to go to college. I would not be able to get the information I need. But most of all, I would no longer have the support I’ve gotten through all of this. The support that I’ve gotten from Beth and Lisa and many others has been amazing and I know I wouldn’t be where I am and doing as good as I am now without them,” Sydney concluded.

For more information about Community Action programs in your area, visit www.oacaa.org. Note, not all Community Action Agencies offer these programs.