Statements
Mission
We help single parents raise healthy kids by encouraging, equipping and empowering them. We do this so they can better love themselves, their families and their Creator. We mobilize churches, companies and communities to help these families thrive.
Background
Solo Parent Society began in 2017 when, author and founder, Robert Beeson piloted a support group for single moms and dads in Franklin, TN. Within a week the group was at capacity. Single parents need support and when it's provided, they show up to grow, thrive and become equipped to raise healthy kids. Since inception, Solo Parent Society has grown to 16 different states and reached over 10,000 unique solo parents across the globe. We have recently begun a military outreach using a curriculum called Whole Heart focused on healthy development of single parents. Over the last three years, we have learned an incredible amount about the critical needs of solo parents. This information has led to the creation of our newest Solo Parent Society framework and curriculum offering support to single-parent families related to faith, health, finances, family, relationships, career, and education. As single parents grow, develop, and thrive, they are also equipped to connect with their children. While offering specific resources to support, encourage, and help single parents thrive, we continue to support our church chapters and our military partners with our content.
Impact
Since 2017, Solo Parent Society has continued to grow. After our initial pilot in Franklin, TN, groups have started across the country in 16 different cities. Our podcast has been downloaded nearly 40,000 times, we've completed our 24-month Whole Heart curriculum for use with the US Military, and our initiative to reach single parents within the military through in-person support groups continues to expand. Our intent to increase awareness of what single parents face is growing through connections at KLOVE, WAYFM, FOX News, Billy Graham Radio, Focus on the Family, Daystar Network, Moody Radio, Sirius XM. As a result, more single parents than ever before are finding hope and support through our in person groups, weekly podcasts, daily interactive reflections, e-books, and social media presence. Recently, we just launched "Solo Parent Society Online", a bi-weekly online group designed to reach more single parents than ever before.
Needs
Currently, our greatest barrier is our staffing needs. In order to successfully meet our Phase Two initiatives, it is imperative that we hire a few key positions with our goal being our overhead becomes self-sustaining by our offerings. We have developed an aggressive plan to reach this goal but need funding in order to build out the program. Having the key roles in place would then allow 100% of any donations to go directly into future initiatives without the need to cover administrative costs. We need the finances, relationships and/or resources to continue the work that has been started. Together, we can 1) launch support groups in more communities around the country 2) develop and deploy an interactive app for daily single parent interaction providing insight and encouragement 3) introduce monthly tools to educate and equip churches and organizations on how to serve Solo Parents.We would be honored to speak to you personally about becoming a Legacy Partner or Founer. We are looking for 25 individuals to become Solo Parent Legacy Partners and lay the foundation for this global mission to take place. The Solo Parent Society Founders Circle is comprised of only 10 individuals or organizations called to invest even further and become the cornerstone of this movement.
CEO Statement
People you know are in crisis and they will never tell you. What you see are smiling faces, and what you hear is 'I'm fine', but the reality is solo parent homes are struggling. Our culture has accepted single-parent homes as being just another norm but it is not normal. 63% of suicides, 75% of chemical-dependent kids, 85% of incarcerated minors are from single-parent families. The fact is1 in 3 homes in the U.S. are single-parent homes. One in three! Unfortunately, because it is so common, we have become desensitized to the reality of this crisis. The weight of parenting alone defines these lives and shapes these futures. We shouldn't be ok with this. When a Solo Parent feels supported and seen, the adversity of the solo journey can serve them well as they learn to navigate and thrive in a new normal. We have seen the transformation in the lives of the single parents we serve through our 3 core initiatives: 1) providing powerful resources, 2) building authentic community, and 3) providing relief and support. We are still committed to these goals. We are not interested in just forming another organization. We want to start a movement - a movement to help solo parent families thrive!
Board Chair Statement
Since beginning three years ago, Solo Parent Society has continued to grow. After piloting the initial Solo Parent Society group in Franklin, we created a smple format for churches to start their own groups and to our surprise, mostly by word of mouth, we quickly grew to have groups starting in 16 states with new requests coming in each month. Single parents repeatedly tell us they have never had a group or organization that fit their needs before becoming part of the Solo Paent Society. We have also cultivated a new network of corporate partners that want to align with us to help solo parent families and receive a tax deduction while knowing the families they are giving to have been vetted. The fast growth of SPS groups made us realize our need for additional team members, continued need to confirm processes for supporting groups, and a renewed commitment to double down on raising support so we can set up new groups and grow even more. Our newest emphasis in 2020 with the advent of COVID 19 is establishing an online presence for our single parent community. As in-person groups were halted, we launched two evening groups using Zoom and have been thrilled to reach single parents from around the country, offering them crucially needed support during the pandemic. Our leadership team's focus is 1) to foster and build even more authentic communities both online and in-person, through our SPS groups, and 2) provide an e-book designed specifically to address the stressors single parents are facing with the pandemic and post-pandemic issues and 3) to launch Solo Strong Summer where we bring together solo parent families from around the country to celebrated meals together through "Dinner Together Day". These plans started through the support of generous donors and will continue through the same kind of partnerships.
My heart to be involved with Solo Parent Society started as the son of a single mom. Growing up, I quickly became the 'man' of the family and had to learn how to step into roles of support in life as a teenager. These roles were trying to fill the gap created when a single parent feels overwhelmed, afraid, inadequate, and forgotten as they strive to make their children's life normal and support a family. I know the success of my life is in some way tied to having to grow up fast as the son of a single mom. As I began to understand the potential impact Solo Parent Society could have on building authentic communities, resources & relief for these 34% of households in our country. I knew that we could be part of making life a little more normal for these families. Once I got involved and started to see the faces of the families and hear their stories, I understood how blessed I was that God inserted me into this ministry. I could see through the beginning successes in these programs to the opportunity we had to shape futures, transform families and change the national statistics.
Service Categories |
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| Primary Category: | Human Services - Single Parent Agencies/Services |
| Secondary Category: | Public & Societal Benefit - Fund Raising & Fund Distribution |
| Tertiary Category: | Religion- Related - Christianity |
Areas Served
| TN - Williamson |
| TN |
| National |
