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STORY
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...one miracle at a time
OUR Story
What's our STORY and why do we do it? It’s simple. Our story is their story. There's a child teeming with potential behind the visible and invisible challenges of each single parent. Our Founder and CEO, Melaine Williams, understands how difficult this journey can be because she too is the product of a single working parent household.
She was only five years old when her Father passed after a tragic boating accident, leaving her Mother to raise her and her brother alone on a teacher’s salary. As hard as her Mother worked, it seemed as if they were fighting a losing battle. Melaine would return from school sometimes to find the lights off and power disconnected, even once overhearing her Mother begging a debt collector not to repossess the family car. She understood her Mom was doing the very best she could, choosing even to not mention she had holes in her shoe to keep her Mom from worrying.
Melaine went on to practice law and become successful, however, those hard memories left an indelible mark on her that fueled a passion to help others on a similar journey. Melaine is a natural giver and highly motivated about giving because she has been aligned and positioned with resources to help others. She knows that these resources will never reach their fullest potential unless they are shared with others. The aParent Miracles Foundation is an extension of her passion for giving and the perfect vehicle by which Melaine is able to follow this principle and honor her past while helping parents in the present.
OUR Mission
The aParent Miracles Foundation, formerly known as the SD Foundation, is a nonprofit organization stationed in the State of Georgia. Though based in Georgia, aPMF’s charitable mission is to help single working custodial parents of children infant to college years of age with basic household expenses and life needs. With a goal of one day operating
across the country; aPMF currently focuses assistance in states along the Eastern seaboard. aPMF is guided by faith based core values and does not discriminate by race, color, gender, sex, or religious beliefs.
The assistance provided through aPMF is delivered in many measurable, impactful, and untraditional ways. The value of aPMF assistance can vary from $50 to $500, which allows it to touch more lives. There are rare instances where the senior leadership or aPMF’s board may approve larger gifts (>$500), however, this is infrequent. Lacking the manpower to process direct requests, aPMF depends on its Partner Agencies to screen potential Single Parent Recipients in order to remain effective and agile as a small non-profit organization. As such, aPMF does not provide direct or solicited assistance. The screening of Parent Recipients for all gifts are through the efforts of Partner Agencies.
Utilizing Partner Agencies creates significant benefits to the aPMF program and all involved. Our Partner Agencies (military, community, local businesses, or church groups) work on the “front lines,” and are more acutely aware of the Parent Recipient needs. A Partner Agency can better ensure: 1) veracity of screening, 2) the need of the proposed gift to the Parent Recipient, and 3) allows aPMF to effectively extend its reach to other cities and territories. Simply, aPMF Partner Agencies help guarantee that donor gifts touch the lives that need it most while allowing aPMF to keep its operational costs low— which translates into more assistance to the family. This relationship ensures that the gift closely matches the need, and allows us to be good stewards of the donations we receive from our aParent Miracles Foundation Donors.
OUR Parents
Parent Recipients by definition are the single working custodial parents of children infants to college years of age that aPMF Partner Agencies have determined are eligible for assistance. It is very important to the assistance model aPMF employs that the families being assisted by aPMF are positioned where the assistance provides the most good. These families are led by dedicated working mothers and fathers from all walks of life.
Despite some negative assumptions, Census data shows that less than half of our nation's single parents receive government support, and many of them did not choose to be in that circumstance (Divorced/Separated; Loss). Truth is, these parents seek only to provide a safe and healthy home for their children; they wear their sacrifices and challenges as a badge of honor as they provide for their children’s success. Data shows that kids raised in a single-parent household with fewer available resources are at a greater risk than those in traditional families.
This is why we are doing everything within our power to help single working custodial parents achieve their aspirations as a family, one miracle at a time!
Creating a Miracle Moment is an exciting and special gifting opportunity for aPMF. Through our trusted partners, we are able to clearly understand a single-parent’s specific needs to ensure their family receives the assistance that provides the most good.
2020 Non-Profit of the Year!
The aParent Miracles Foundation is proud to announce receiving the 2020 RICE (Rising in the Community Excellence) Non-Profit of the Year Award. The virtual award ceremony was held on Saturday, December 19th. Our Founder and CEO, Melaine Williams, can be seen in the video below accepting this auspicious acknowledgment. Impacting the lives of Single Working Parents is prize enough for aParent Miracles, however, it feels good to see your hard work recognized in the community you are based. To learn more about the Atlanta RICE Awards and how the organization celebrates individuals and organizations who work tirelessly to improve lives, visit www.thericeawards.com.
The aParent Miracles Foundation’s charitable mission is to help single working custodial parents of children infant to college age with basic household expenses and life needs.