BALTIMORE — Ebony Peacock is a mom of three who left an abusive marriage and lived in a shelter for a while.
Epileptic seizures limit her ability to drive or work. She thought she would always be a struggling single mom.
Until a friend took her to a college event for single moms two years ago.
“She had already had her college degree,” she says. “And then she was really looking out for me. And so, it was for me. And I ended up signing up.”
The Jeremiah Program helps single mothers like Ebony with school-age children go to college. Education, it believes, is crucial in getting these families out of poverty.
“Thirty percent of households here in Baltimore City are headed by a single mom,” says Danielle Staton, director of the Jeremiah Program's Baltimore campus. “We also have in the state one of the highest rates of families that live at or below the poverty guidelines.”
The Jeremiah Program removes the obstacles holding the moms back. That means housing, childcare, transportation, and jobs... Whatever a mom needs to succeed.
“If I need to study and I don't have a babysitter, if I have a test or something coming up, they actually will pour into me and help me get a babysitter so I can do those things because the main goal is to finish school,” Ebony says.
It has coaches who meet with them one-on-one to help them cross the finish line.
“We have people here who really do want the opportunity to change their lives,” Staton says.
That's Ebony.
She's taking vocal training at the Peabody Institute and completing general ed classes at the Community College of Baltimore County. Once she crosses the commencement stage, she has her sights set on an even bigger stage as an entertainer.
There are 51 women currently in the program, and there’s a waiting list. It needs mentors, volunteers to host moms’ nights, and more. If you'd like to help, go here.
