Origin of Vision

New Life Adult Enrichment Center was officially founded in 2022, however the vision and mission was in the hearts of our founders’ years prior. In fact, the founders were motivated to assist single working mothers when it became evident how Covid 19 impacted their economic status. Some mothers were out of work, working less hours or needing to balance work with children who were now required to be schooled at home. As a result, a few ladies came together to establish a Day Summer Camp to support these working mothers.  The purpose of this Summer Camp was intended to provide an affordable, safe and recreational space for their children while they were working.  Most summer camps were not affordable if the mothers earned too much to qualify for state support or perhaps their families were too large to send all of their children to summer camp without it causing financial hardship.  The Summer Camp was not intended to make a profit but just take in enough to pay staff a reasonable wage for their time worked, feed the children and provide supplies for their recreational activities and trips.  We now find it necessary to expand the scope of the mission as homelessness and mothers in transition remains an epidemic. Our goal is to bridge the gap between the socioeconomic empowerment of mothers while inspiring their children to explore their well roundedness through programs and relational support. Statistics report that 78 percent of children whose mothers are incarcerated are being raised by their grandparents or a loved one. These circumstances may limit a child’s opportunities to experience recreation and advocacy beyond school and/or school related activities.  

New Life Adult Enrichment Center endeavors to be an advocate for the mother as well as their children.  Research suggests that children with incarcerated mothers are at risk of incarceration themselves.  Our initial effort is to provide life skills and career transition training to the mothers while they are still in a controlled environment. If we can impact the mindset of the women before their release, we are hoping to decrease the recidivism rate. We are partnering with other organizations to provide resources while we are concurrently supporting the coparenting kinship model to reduce negative impact and trauma to the children. According to Mumola (2000), 53% of incarcerated mothers report that their children live with a grandparent, with national data indicating that the vast majority of these grandparent caregivers are grandmothers (Engstrom). This has been a consistent trend, as research indicates that kinship care during the mother’s incarceration reduces the level of trauma for the children (Travis & Waul, 2003). 

According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the number of minor children to an incarcerated parent is rising. Some of the known challenges of grandparents raising children is financial, social aptitude and dysfunctional family dynamics. As resources become available, we will expand our reach by providing more consistent mentoring time and relational support over longer periods of time.  Our intent is to be a place of refuge and trust for the women, children and care givers when needed.