2009 Recipient: Jamie Gauthier
In 2009 the Turning Point Prize was $15,000 and the winner was Jamie Gauthier. Her dream to help single mothers complete college, is coming true. Mommy Grads was one of the 46 applications received in 2009. WSI members were especially impressed how Jamie’s project embodied the entrepreneurial spirit of the Turning Point Prize and by her focus on improving the future of this region’s women, girls and families.
Jamie knows how the numbers are stacked against single moms. They lead 52% of all poor families in the US and 35% in Philadelphia. Education is the way up and out of poverty, but only 16% of single moms hold bachelor degrees or higher. Jamie is out to change this equation.
Jamie's program, “Mommy Grads,” focuses on women with intelligence, potential and the drive to succeed, women who have already demonstrated their determination by getting themselves into college. This program will help twelve of them get through it by providing mentors, resources and other support. Mommy Grads will help single moms succeed with dignity, in partnership with people who know what it’s like and who care.
Up Close and Personal...
Jamie is a community development professional at Local Initiatives Support Corporation. Through her work with LISC, Jamie works with Community Development Corporations and other neighborhood based non-profit organizations in their efforts to revitalize disinvested communities throughout Philadelphia. Currently this includes acting as lead project manager for two very exciting programs; a collaborative, comprehensive, community development effort in West Philadelphia, as well as an initiative in Eastern North Philadelphia focused on greening, green building, and transit-oriented development.
Prior to LISC, Jamie worked as a Sales and Use Tax Accountant with E. I. DuPont de Nemours and Co. She holds a Masters degree in City Planning from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelors degree in Accounting from Temple University. She is the proud mother of two boys and describes herself as once a mommy grad.
THE CASE FOR MOMMY GRADS
Single mothers and their families have a greater than average instance of poverty. In the year 2000, female-headed, single parent families represented 52% of all poor families in the US. Studies indicate that a major reason for the low economic well-being of female-headed households is a low earning capacity found among single mothers. These studies have also shown dramatic increases in the annual income of single mothers as their level of education increases. Consider that while the poverty rate for mothers without a high school diploma is 47.5%, the poverty rate of children living with mothers who possess a bachelors degree or higher is 8.8%.
Although obtaining a four-year degree is one of the best things a single mother can do for her economic and her family's well-being many face barriers to completing postsecondary education. These include: insufficient or unsteady income; a lack of financial support from the absent parent; an inability to pay tuition and expenses in the face of emergencies; insufficient access to healthcare; unreliable and expensive childcare; a lack of access to quality food and housing; and unreliable transportation. These barriers -- in conjunction with the loneliness and isolation that comes with being a nontraditional student -- can deter educational success.
