Commemorating 40 years of building strong families, New Moms — an organization that helps Chicago families through a number of obstacles via services and coaching — will host its 40th Anniversary Gala, an elegant evening with over 400 guests, including civic, philanthropic and business leaders.
The gala — to be held Friday, April 28, 2023 at 6pm at the Bridgeport Art Center — will celebrate and support New Moms’ progress over 40 years, along with its innovative vision for the future. Music; great food and drink; a live and silent auction; a paddle raise; plus a presentation and social enterprise demonstration.
New Moms’ mission is to strengthen and promote the well-being of families by partnering with young moms as they progress toward housing stability and economic mobility. In 1983, New Moms founder Ellen Kogstad noticed an issue: Young mothers lacked the support of their communities. She purchased diapers and formula, then began distributing them from the trunk of her car.
Four decades later, New Moms has expanded to support young families experiencing poverty and homelessness throughout Chicagoland with housing, job training, academic coaching and family support programs. New Moms’ programs are designed by and with young moms’ goals in mind to ensure that young moms and their children secure safe and stable housing, a path to employment and economic mobility, as well as the tools they need to develop effective parenting skills. New Moms believes in the strength, ability and potential of all families to pursue and achieve their goals. By partnering with young moms — ages 24 and under — and their kids in a multigenerational “Executive Skills Coaching” approach, they put moms in the driver’s seat as they construct the foundation for their family’s well being.
Last year, New Moms partnered with 284 moms and their 379 children — that’s 663 lives impacted by the New Moms mission! New Moms participants like Kortnilyn, a production assistant in our Job Training program, set and achieved goals to improve their family’s well-being. “This program has made me feel that the things that I want in life … buying a house for my baby, having a stable career — it has made me feel that it’s actually possible,” Kortnilyn says.
Young moms like Kortnilyn in New Moms programming achieved 118 milestones last year. Milestones are big, effortful goals such as getting a job, securing an apartment or saving for a car. By working with coaches and leveraging their strengths, young moms take powerful steps to reach their dreams.
New Moms’ ability to provide critical services and coaching for young families depends on the investment of the community. 2023 brings a special opportunity to support the young moms and children in New Moms’ programs as they celebrate the nonprofit’s long-standing success.
Join New Moms at its 40th Anniversary Gala to invest in thriving futures for young moms and their children — tickets for the gala can be purchased on the New Moms’ website; early bird prices are available for a limited time.
New Moms was the Human Services: Empowerment winner for the 5th annual Make It Better Foundation Philanthropy Awards.
