Today we’d like to introduce you to Joy Monroe.
Hi Joy, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My mom was a single mom and even as a child, I recognized how difficult it was for her so I decided at an early age that I was not going to be a single mom. I married young but that only resulted in me becoming a young divorced mom with two small children So, there I was.. not just a single mom but a young single mom.
I studied single parenthood and was quite daunted by the negative statistics, particularly those related to Black single moms raising sons. At the time I was living in New York, surrounded by family, both mine and his so the horror stories I read didn’t really apply to me. Understanding this to mean that I was the exception to the rule, most likely because I was an exceptional single mom, I determined to move to Atlanta, where I had no family, job, home, or anything else one might need to survive. Armed only with the confidence that comes with youth and my savings (at least I had that!), I set off for the wilds of Atlanta with my 6 and 8 years old sons.
Needless to say, life in Atlanta with no family support vs life in New York with a wide network of family support was significantly different. Moving to Atlanta, alone, taught me that it wasn’t my parenting that was exceptional in New York, it was actually my network of support that kept us strong. Without that in Atlanta, we began to struggle and some of those horror stories I had read, seemed as if they could become true.
Noticing the transience of the Atlanta community, I began actively seeking out others who may have made a similar mistake. I started with the friends of my sons’ parents and grew from there. We started meeting in my living room on weekends to support each other and discuss the challenges of single parenting. We cooked together and our children played together, creating our own extended network of support. We began to share babysitting so we could develop social lives and cover teacher work days. Ever a fan of research, I studied single parenting and presented a workshop at every meeting. Eventually, the group moved to the school to accommodate new members and also to the Church to accommodate the faith population of single parents seeking support.
When I noticed the growth, I began to research nonprofits to see if this could be/needed to be an actual structured organization. Determining it did, I incorporated in 2001 and we have been growing ever since. SPARC is now an internationally recognized award-winning nonprofit organization that serves thousands of single parents and their children through a variety of comprehensive programs. SPARC’s mission is to empower and equip single parents with the necessary tools, resources and support to enable them to create a healthy home environment and nurture their children into productive and successful adults.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The challenge of running a single-parent organization is that while there is a general consensus that negative statistics abound in this population, there is little consensus that resources should be directed specifically to this population. There is also a stigma that persists regarding single parents which adds another layer to the challenge of securing enough resources to provide these families with what they need. While I believe this is beginning to change, it is a slow change.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
In addition to speaking about all topics related to single parenting, SPARC offers several programs to support single parents and their children. Motel to Home: a housing program for families with school-aged children living in extended-stay motels for more than 30 days. It provides outreach, moving funds and aftercare services in the form of a matched savings club.
Emergency Savings Club: a six-month program designed to build savings, improve credit and increase income. Families receive incentives for increasing income by 10% and credit by 30 points. They also receive a savings match up to $500 giving them the opportunity to graduate the program with $1000 in savings.
Book Buddies: a virtual reading program for elementary-aged youth that pairs them with a mentor to read aloud for thirty minutes per week. It also encourages them to read independently for an additional hour each week for an increase of two hours per week of out-of-school reading time.
Dream Team: a housing and savings program for single-parent families living in extended-stay motels with one or more low housing barriers. It provides pre-housing funds to address barriers (debt reduction, application fee assistance, eviction removal, etc), moving funds and aftercare support so families can save $1000.
SPARC Kid’s Academy: a free full-day summer camp and afterschool program that serves elementary-aged students living in Bradford Gwinnett Apartments in Norcross.
SingleParent411: a support group for single parents that meets virtually and in person
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
What I have learned: I was at a low point when I founded SPARC. That taught me that no matter what you are going through, you are still a valuable person with something to offer the world. I also learned that it is not what you do in the moment that determines if your actions are a mistake. It is what you do AFTER that makes that determination. What I did AFTER moving to Atlanta, away from family and friends and all that was familiar, was to create a resource for others with my same needs and created a network that enabled us to help each other. This meant that my move here, while at first glance, seemed to be a mistake, was not because of what I was able to create AFTER I moved here. My favorite quote is I never lose. Either I win or I learn. Atlanta was and is not a loss to me. It is here I learned not only what I had to offer my children but what I also had to offer my community and the world in general.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.singleparent411.org
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/singleparent411
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/singleparent411
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/singleparent411/
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/singleparent411
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/singleparent411.org
