August 2007:
At the age of 22-years-old, Christina Sturdivant entered her senior year at Hampton University with the knowledge that she would be a mother in nine months time. After completing her fall semester, Christina relocated her life back to her hometown, Washington, DC, to prepare for the changes life had in store.
April 2008:
Christina gave birth to her son, Montgomery and began to navigate her way through personal, career and academic stability. Fueled by the support of friends and family, she was able to stay grounded and find her ultimate path in life.
May 2009:
While working as a volunteer for a local non-profit, Christina decided to make a personal impact on the community where she was raised; and after much prayer and preparation, she sought to help her community in an area she could relate to most.
Her mission became clear: to cultivate a society of young mothers destined for success by utilizing the principles of aspiration, dedication, responsibility, independence and reciprocation.
July 2, 2009:
Christina birthed her second child, “Delivering Resources to Empower A Mother’s Life (D.R.E.A.M.Life) Inc.” in Washington, DC with the purpose of helping young, single mothers pursue independence and live the lives of their dreams.
August 2010:
D.R.E.A.M.Life is now a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization empowering young, single mothers in the DC metro area. Through mentorship and partnerships, Dream Moms have access to opportunities for counseling, affordable housing, academic continuation, professional advancement and affordable resources.
Today:
D.R.E.A.M.Life continues to operate on Christina’s overall vision: to illustrate the importance of being well-educated, work-oriented, and emotionally-stable to create lifelong success for young mothers, their children and their communities. D.R.E.A.M.Life has also been successful in engaging the DC region in its endeavors through continuous fundraising and awareness events and volunteer opportunities.
Program:
Through referrals, contracts and partnerships, D.R.E.A.M. Life recruits single mothers, under the age of 25 years old, residing in the DC metropolitan area to become “Dream Moms.”
Dream Moms experience personal guidance and community support, allowing each of them to develop their full potential, and be capable of making informed, responsible decisions for the betterment of themselves, their children, and their communities.
D.R.E.A.M. Life strives to assist the complex lifestyles of young, single mothers by providing multiple options to receive services. Thus, Dream Moms have opportunities to participate in our:
•Yearlong Mentorship Program
•Summer Instruction Program
•In-School Development Program
Each program offers opportunities for 1:1 mentoring or personal instruction by trained professionals. Mentors and instructors are equipped with D.R.E.A.M. Life’s principle curriculum focusing onaspiration, dedication, responsibility, independence and reciprocation.
Dream Moms also have opportunities to learn from one another, building life-long relationships during peer empowerment groups. Additionally, they will be introduced to specialists for resources for counseling, housing, education, employment, finances and childcare.
In each program, Dream Moms will:
• Identify personal and professional strengths and weaknesses • Be exposed to individuals and tools to assist in personal and professional development
• Identify and record long-term aspirations
• Create plans to achieve short-term goals
• Learn parenting techniques and learn best practices for child development
• Learn role responsibility and create plans to become a better sister, friend, student, employee, constituent, etc.
• Learn strategies to implement pregnancy prevention methods
• Create projects for community awareness, unity and advancement
• Create a personal portfolio for life-long guidance
A Dream Mom message:
I got involved with D.R.E.A.M. Life in the spring of 2010. I was pregnant with my 3rd child, living with my parents and going through a break-up with my children’s father. My job was rocky and my parents wanted me to move out. I was talking to a friend of mine about my situation and he introduced me to Christina.
From our first conversation, I could tell she was sincere about helping me into a better situation. She helped me in so many ways. I was immediately given housing information and ideas on where to apply for jobs. She even came to my house with groceries and clothes for my son, which I couldn’t have been more grateful for and can never express my appreciation enough.
At times when I felt like things would never get better, Christina kept giving me the motivation I needed to keep trying for my kids. I am now working two jobs, one of which Christina helped me get and I am scheduled to start school to get my Bachelor’s degree at the end of May.
— Shanelle, R.
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