It takes a village to raise a child, and some parents are doing it by themselves. Those circumstances lead to burnout, especially if a single parent does not have other family members to alleviate some of the pressure of them. Hands4Hope wants to provide the needed help for single and low-income parents to help raise and build stability around their kids.
“I was raised by a single immigrant mom with epilepsy in Brooklyn, so I know firsthand the struggles single parents face raising their kids,” Lydia Floyd, the founder of Hands4Hope, said about what led to her creating the program.” Our mission is to help these parents and create opportunities for the children they normally wouldn’t have access to.”
Hands4Hope LA is a nonprofit organization located in North Hollywood. Their mission is to support youth ages 6-24 and their parents from low-income, underserved, predominantly single-parent minority households to improve their quality of life. Hands4Hope empowers at-risk youth by providing a safe, nurturing environment for children to thrive through STEAM (science, technology, engineering, math)-based after-school programs, low-cost academic summer camps, and semiannual single-parent resource fairs. The organization has partnered with several schools in the San Fernando Valley, among other school districts.
Hands4Hope’s is integrated into schools like Lasham Elementary, Van Nuys, and Pacoima. The programs at these schools center around cooking, art, boxing, coding, musical instruments, and dance. Originally, their programs catered to children 7-18, but after an unexpected finding in a meeting, Floyd is glad they expanded the age range over the years.
“I was driving and saw this young lady that appeared to be homeless, and as I watched her walking, she collapsed right on the sidewalk, and cars continued driving, not paying her any attention, so I decided to help. As I talked to her, she started crying and telling me how she was overwhelmed trying to take care of herself and her three-year-old.” Floyd said, continuing her story.
“I informed her of my program, but she already knew about it as she attended as a child, which made me want to help her even more. I took her to our mental health event and got her signed up with our adult programs, and now I’m waiting for her to return to the facility.”
Floyd mentioned that while it’s an unfortunate reunion with one of her previous students, it enforces the program motto, ‘Once a Hope student, always a Hope student.’ “We have to go above and beyond for our kids and staff. I’ve gone to social services to support parents, provide resources for parents who face evictions, and always give our students a place to decompress from their troubles and be kids again.”
To learn more about the organization and to sign up, visit their website at Hands4Hope.Org.
