A college project during her senior year would change everything for Staci Sawyer. At the time, Sawyer was living in Las Vegas, attending school while awaiting the birth of her child. Looking for resources, she began researching programs for moms.
“Then I found the Jeremiah Program and said, ‘Oh, girl, you need to sign up,’” she recalls. “It was only my ex and the baby, so I didn’t have any support.”
Founded in 1993 in Minneapolis, Minn., the mission of the Jeremiah Program (JP) is to “disrupt the cycle of poverty for single mothers and their children, two generations at a time.” More than three decades later, the nonprofit has expanded to support families across the United States. During the first weekend of March, student mothers, advocates, and leaders from around the country gathered together in Boston, Mass., for the 6th Annual Jeremiah Program Summit.
The need for a program like JP remains significant. A report from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research found that poverty among single mothers would have declined more than three times faster “over the last decade if just one in four single mothers with a high school education or some college had earned a college degree.” According to NPR, in 2025, “40% of all babies in the U.S. are born to unmarried women,” meaning that “millions of single mothers [are] raising children by themselves,” and data from the Center for American Progress reveals that “[s]ingle mothers are more likely to be Black.”
For JP President and CEO Chastity Lord, this work focuses on long-term transformation instead of quick fixes. “Economic mobility is a marathon, not a sprint,” she says. “A huge part of this is creating a community, starting to build a network.”
Lord’s words echo the theme for this year’s summit: “community is a verb,” a concept she believes is central to JP.
“It’s around movement building, around collective power.”
Like many of the executive directors, this mission is deeply personal. “I’m a deep product of understanding that no one does anything alone,” Lord says. “I am a product of a single mom, incredibly low income. In one generation, she birthed three girls who live a life that they literally couldn’t have dreamed.”
The summit reflects that same sense of opportunity for JP alumni fellow Sawyer, who relayed, “We are moms from all over, who do different things for a living, who are still in school. These are fantastic women that I’m being able to engage with, and learn from, and teach.” Melissa Bascom, also an alumni fellow, relayed similar sentiments.
“Joining the JP Summit every year has been such a wonderful networking event, meeting different moms of different backgrounds, and hearing the similar stories, but also seeing what they were able to achieve.”
It is reassuring for Bascom, who is working toward completing her own bachelor’s degree. “I’m meeting lawyers, women in STEM, women with so many different careers, and I realized I can do it. It’s encouraging to see.”
After moving to a different state with her daughter and rebuilding her life, Bascom says JP became a critical pillar of support. “JP has been such a staple because they have provided opportunities, including mentorship with the executive director,” she shares.
This is a crucial part of the ethos for JP leaders, ensuring their work remains grounded in community, and that is intentional.
“One of my core priorities as Executive Director of JP Brooklyn has been intentionally building the JPBK community alongside our moms, not just for them,” says Tiana Stowers Pearson. “I’ve been thoughtful about creating space for the mothers themselves to identify what they need and to help shape the direction of the work.”
At the JP Austin campus, Executive Director Tiffany Lewis describes a similar philosophy. “We create intentional spaces and experiences where moms can build relationships, share their stories, and draw on the expertise and strengths that already exist within the community,” says Lewis. “When mothers feel connected to one another, the program becomes more than a service; it becomes a support network that they help shape and sustain.”
Throughout the summit, these connections were on display. Panels, conversations, and sessions highlighted how everyday actions have the ability to create ripple effects across both families and communities.
“When my son Taj was born, I remember being struck by the power of someone so tiny to completely reorient my life,” says Maria Tucker, Executive Director, JP Las Vegas. “It reminds me that what seems small—our stories, our voices, our everyday acts of care—can reshape communities in ways we don’t always see at first.”
JP’s two-generational model of impact was evident. “JP gave my daughter opportunities like arts and enrichment programs that I never had growing up,” Bascom says. There were similar impacts for Sawyer. “My son started swim lessons at six weeks through JP,” says Sawyer. “Now he’s almost three and swims better than me.”
These stories are reminiscent of the ultimate goals of JP, not simply academic success, but lasting models of support for both mothers and their children.
For Lord, the formula for change is well-defined. “I always say, I will bet on a grown woman any day,” she says. “Especially one with a child.”
Because when mothers are supported, the kernel for transformation is being planted, and both communities and generations will be changed for the better.
