It's a cycle we've heard about for generations: A young person is pursuing an education to build a promising future, and then they become a parent and have to drop out. They take a minimum wage job because that's their only option. Doors close. They are trapped in poverty.
In 1984, Mary Winter decided to tackle the problem. She created an organization called
Angels' Place to help single parents stay in school. "Angels' Place was founded with purpose of making sure parents didn't
have to choose between paying for childcare or paying for tuition," says the organization's current executive director, Michelle Smith Tipton, who took over in 2008 when Winter retired.
In the 25 years that have passed since Angels' Place was born, the organization has flourished, growing from one location to three and changing the lives of countless Pittsburghers. Along with providing free childcare while single parents are at school, they offer tutoring, support groups and counseling. They teach things like child safety, good parenting and nutrition. They offer necessities like food, clothing and baby furniture, and also
provide intangibles like encouragement and a
caring environment.
The impact has rippled out through Pittsburgh, extending well beyond the individual parents who are helped. Single parents who complete their education and build thriving careers are beacons of hope and inspiration for others around them. And "when the parent values education, they teach their child to do the same and it becomes a full shift in the whole family," Smith Tipton says.
"We hear the stories, we get the letters after they've graduated," she says. "We
hear that without Angels' Place they wouldn't have been able to stay in
school."
Angels' Place has facilities in Brookline, Swissvale and on the North Side. Want to donate? Click
here.
Writer: Melissa Rayworth
Source: Michelle Smith Tipton, Angels' Place
Image courtesy of Angels' Place