I started The Glow Forward Foundation in 2020! When I was 17 years old I became a young mom just before college. This journey meant putting my dreams on hold, and making sacrifices to care for my son, while also navigating life as a young and single mom. As a young single mom I understood that young women are often balancing education, employment, childcare, financial responsibilities, and parenting with limited support systems. Their challenges are interconnected, yet many traditional programs address only one need at a time. At The Glow Forward Foundation, we are different from traditional maternal support organizations because we have built a community-centered model rooted in our three pillars: College, Career, and Community. We believe supporting mothers means investing in the whole woman, recognizing that she has her own dreams, goals, and aspirations beyond motherhood, while also ensuring her children have opportunities to thrive. A lot of organizations resources stop at the mother but at The Glow Forward Foundation, we take a multigenerational approach to our programming. Young mothers, our “Glow Getters,” not only receive financial and mentorship assistance, but we support the educational and developmental needs of their children through free enrichment activities, fostering long-term, sustainable change for both generations.

We gained our first Glow Getters through filling their needs. We understand mothers have aspirational goals outside of motherhood, so our ideal customer is the woman needing the resources to accomplish her academic and personal goals. At Glow Forward, we center young and single mothers not just as people who need support, but as women with goals, talent, and the power to build thriving futures for their families.

As a growing nonprofit, we’ve had to be intentional and resourceful in how we deliver our programs. We’ve built relationships with educational institutions, community organizations, and philanthropic supporters who have helped us secure funding, access meeting spaces, and expand the opportunities available to our moms. Many of the things we’ve accomplished wouldn’t have been possible without those partnerships and the people who believe in what we’re building. Our goal isn’t simply to help mothers get through today. It’s to create opportunities, build lasting support systems, and help them move toward the futures they envision for themselves and their children. We’ve accomplished a great deal with the resources available to us, and we’re excited about what’s possible with the right support and partnerships in place.

I’ve learned that having a great mission doesn’t automatically mean you have the capacity to carry it out. I wish I’d understood earlier how much work goes on behind the scenes. I would encourage anyone starting an organization to build relationships and not be afraid to ask for help. Some of our greatest opportunities have come through people who believed in our mission and wanted to be part of it. And most importantly, listen to the people you’re serving. They should always have a voice in the decisions you make.

When I became a mom at 17, the message was that you had to choose between your education and your child. Now there’s growing recognition that student parents are a significant part of today’s college population, and that a scholarship alone isn’t enough when childcare, transportation and basic needs stand in the way. We’ve also seen a shift in who leads. People with lived experience are no longer just the ‘beneficiaries’ of programs, we’re building and running them!

Start with your why, but don’t forget about the business side of running a nonprofit! I’d also encourage anyone starting an organization to build relationships and not be afraid to ask for help. Some of our greatest opportunities have come through people who believed in our mission and wanted to be part of it. And most importantly, listen to the people you’re serving. They should always have a voice in the decisions you make.