Non-profit helps to support single moms through college
Helping Hands organization has served more than 450 families since 2002
This is one in a series of profiles of people whose lives have been changed thanks to a non-profit supported by Season for Sharing, an annual campaign sponsored by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Information about making a donation is included at the end of this story.
As a single mother of two young children, Malesa Weeks, 33, knew she needed to make a better life for her family.
She enrolled in nursing school but soon hit one roadblock after another. After falling into homelessness, Malesa learned about Helping Hands for Single Moms.
She had filled out dozens of applications already, she said but thought one more was worth a try.
Helping Hands for Single Moms is a Phoenix agency that assists singlemom families financially while they pursue a college education. The organization, which received a $10,000 grant earlier this year from last year’s season’s Season for Sharing campaign, has served more than 450 families since 2002.
Malesa received a $3,200 annual scholarship, holiday gifts for her kids, family tickets to professional events, participation in the Single Mom College Community and more.
Earlier this month she graduated with a degree in nursing. Malesa’s full first-person account
“My journey through nursing school has not been an easy one. My mother pushed me to start nursing school to make a better life for myself and my two children. I was excited to start and like everyone else in school I was nervous.
“Everything was going well until I got a call from my stepfather who told me my mother had passed away while on vacation with my children. After that, life became a roller-coaster. We
were kicked out of the house and became homeless for a few months. I couch surfed with friends while my children stayed at my aunt’s house.
“We then found a place with a friend. I stayed in school knowing that this was the way I could improve our (lives). I hit a couple roadblocks, like being unable to pay for school and failing a couple classes.
“Then I found Helping Hands for Single Moms.
“It was a long shot but I filled out the application. After receiving a scholarship, things started to turn around. I continued in school and with the encouraging words from my teachers and Helping Hands for Single Moms, I survived some hard times.
“I then had to move for the third time while in nursing school. I was all packed and ready to move over the weekend. That’s when our house was broken into the first time. They took much from us including what I had left from my mom.
“I had never felt so violated before, so I packed up my kids and took them to a friend’s house so they would be safe. I got the moving van and packed what I could and took it to the new apartment. This place was the first place truly our own without any roommates.
“I went back to the old place to finish bringing our stuff to the new place only to find out that we had been broken into again. They took my kids’ clothes and their toys this time. I think this hurt me the most since I knew that I could never replace these things for my kids because I work full time and go to school full time, and barely make enough to pay most of my bills.
“Helping Hands for Single Moms was there again for us. They made the difference in the decision to just give up or keep on trucking.
“Being encouraged once again, I continued on, and as of Dec. 6, 2017, I finally graduated from nursing school. I now have a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.”