good evening my name is Jessica belgrave and i am the founder and CEO of mothers
and i am the founder and CEO of mothers
and i am the founder and CEO of mothers helping mothers Elmira New York also
helping mothers Elmira New York also
helping mothers Elmira New York also known as M H M let me begin with telling
known as M H M let me begin with telling
known as M H M let me begin with telling you how the idea of mothers helping
you how the idea of mothers helping
you how the idea of mothers helping mothers came to be while living in
mothers came to be while living in
mothers came to be while living in Newark New Jersey as a single mother of
Newark New Jersey as a single mother of
Newark New Jersey as a single mother of four I struggled with going to work
four I struggled with going to work
four I struggled with going to work full-time and going to school to obtain
full-time and going to school to obtain
full-time and going to school to obtain my bachelor’s degree then I want a huge
my bachelor’s degree then I want a huge
my bachelor’s degree then I want a huge school lottery where I can enroll my
school lottery where I can enroll my
school lottery where I can enroll my child into a charter school that was
child into a charter school that was
child into a charter school that was difficult to meet the demands of the
difficult to meet the demands of the
difficult to meet the demands of the charter school and all that that entails
charter school and all that that entails
charter school and all that that entails in the demands of being a single parent
in the demands of being a single parent
in the demands of being a single parent my daughter ended up meeting the child
my daughter ended up meeting the child
my daughter ended up meeting the child from the charter school and they became
from the charter school and they became
from the charter school and they became friends she happened to live around the
friends she happened to live around the
friends she happened to live around the corner from us I found solace and her
corner from us I found solace and her
corner from us I found solace and her mom who was also a single parent from
mom who was also a single parent from
mom who was also a single parent from the school she had difficulties taking
the school she had difficulties taking
the school she had difficulties taking her child to school because she worked
her child to school because she worked
her child to school because she worked in the evening I had difficulties
in the evening I had difficulties
in the evening I had difficulties picking my child up because i work
picking my child up because i work
picking my child up because i work during the day we became each other’s
during the day we became each other’s
during the day we became each other’s support system I would take the girls to
support system I would take the girls to
support system I would take the girls to school in the morning and she would pick
school in the morning and she would pick
school in the morning and she would pick the girls up in afternoon it worked very
the girls up in afternoon it worked very
the girls up in afternoon it worked very well the reason it works so well is
well the reason it works so well is
well the reason it works so well is because we became for each other that
because we became for each other that
because we became for each other that which was lacking in our lives to
which was lacking in our lives to
which was lacking in our lives to succeed this was the moment that planted
succeed this was the moment that planted
succeed this was the moment that planted the seed to birth mother’s helping
the seed to birth mother’s helping
the seed to birth mother’s helping mothers later down the road upon
mothers later down the road upon
mothers later down the road upon graduation in 2011 from King University
graduation in 2011 from King University
graduation in 2011 from King University with honors on my dad and my sociology
with honors on my dad and my sociology
with honors on my dad and my sociology degree it was my desire to move my
degree it was my desire to move my
degree it was my desire to move my family out of the crime rate in area of
family out of the crime rate in area of
family out of the crime rate in area of North
North
North Jersey through a family connection I
Jersey through a family connection I
Jersey through a family connection I landed in Elmira New York I will work in
landed in Elmira New York I will work in
landed in Elmira New York I will work in a non-profit sector for about four years
a non-profit sector for about four years
a non-profit sector for about four years my first significant job was a family
my first significant job was a family
my first significant job was a family advocate for head start helping parents
advocate for head start helping parents
advocate for head start helping parents navigate their way through their child’s
navigate their way through their child’s
navigate their way through their child’s first school then I was promoted to a
first school then I was promoted to a
first school then I was promoted to a job developer where I hope the 150
job developer where I hope the 150
job developer where I hope the 150 people find jobs by extracting and
people find jobs by extracting and
people find jobs by extracting and matching individual skill sets with
matching individual skill sets with
matching individual skill sets with companies at this time I knew it was
companies at this time I knew it was
companies at this time I knew it was more i can offer my community my
more i can offer my community my
more i can offer my community my insatiable appetite to help others had
insatiable appetite to help others had
insatiable appetite to help others had increased at this point i left the
increased at this point i left the
increased at this point i left the company and after learning how to make a
company and after learning how to make a
company and after learning how to make a way out of no way mother’s help them
way out of no way mother’s help them
way out of no way mother’s help them others are well Myra was born then the
others are well Myra was born then the
others are well Myra was born then the work began I had to show the women my
work began I had to show the women my
work began I had to show the women my vision and my vision is for mothers to
vision and my vision is for mothers to
vision and my vision is for mothers to support mothers and cultivate the
support mothers and cultivate the
support mothers and cultivate the natural skills gifts and talents of
natural skills gifts and talents of
natural skills gifts and talents of women from adverse communities and
women from adverse communities and
women from adverse communities and cultivate the natural guild skills gifts
cultivate the natural guild skills gifts
cultivate the natural guild skills gifts and talents from adverse conditions and
and talents from adverse conditions and
and talents from adverse conditions and utilize those skills in a very community
utilize those skills in a very community
utilize those skills in a very community in which they live no one is allowed to
in which they live no one is allowed to
in which they live no one is allowed to stay stagnant in this group we know
stay stagnant in this group we know
stay stagnant in this group we know where hopes and dreams are deferred the
where hopes and dreams are deferred the
where hopes and dreams are deferred the heart is sick we take hidden skills and
heart is sick we take hidden skills and
heart is sick we take hidden skills and talents and turn them into jobs and
talents and turn them into jobs and
talents and turn them into jobs and entrepreneur endeavors then mother’s
entrepreneur endeavors then mother’s
entrepreneur endeavors then mother’s helping mothers is also a strong voice
helping mothers is also a strong voice
helping mothers is also a strong voice in our community
in 2011 on November in November 11 2015
in 2011 on November in November 11 2015 I lost my firstborn and only son to
I lost my firstborn and only son to
I lost my firstborn and only son to violence and Norton Elmira New York we
violence and Norton Elmira New York we
violence and Norton Elmira New York we the women the mothers planned and
the women the mothers planned and
the women the mothers planned and executed a march and rally to combat the
executed a march and rally to combat the
executed a march and rally to combat the violence while doing research we learn
violence while doing research we learn
violence while doing research we learn from 2005 to present 10 others had lost
from 2005 to present 10 others had lost
from 2005 to present 10 others had lost their lives in Elmira to gun violence
their lives in Elmira to gun violence
their lives in Elmira to gun violence including a 12 year old boy his death
including a 12 year old boy his death
including a 12 year old boy his death occurred weeks before the rally we
occurred weeks before the rally we
occurred weeks before the rally we brought together our politicians the
brought together our politicians the
brought together our politicians the policemen and the citizens of elmira to
policemen and the citizens of elmira to
policemen and the citizens of elmira to come back that violence right after that
come back that violence right after that
come back that violence right after that there was a shooting in a local club
there was a shooting in a local club
there was a shooting in a local club that sent 14 people to the hospital we
that sent 14 people to the hospital we
that sent 14 people to the hospital we begin to march on the street where most
begin to march on the street where most
begin to march on the street where most of the shootings had occurred including
of the shootings had occurred including
of the shootings had occurred including my son and a 12 year old boy we ended
my son and a 12 year old boy we ended
my son and a 12 year old boy we ended the March in the park where a tent was
the March in the park where a tent was
the March in the park where a tent was set up for voter registration a petition
set up for voter registration a petition
set up for voter registration a petition for buy a gun buyback program and a sign
for buy a gun buyback program and a sign
for buy a gun buyback program and a sign up for neighborhood watch when we begin
up for neighborhood watch when we begin
up for neighborhood watch when we begin to rally some of the people that spoke
to rally some of the people that spoke
to rally some of the people that spoke were the state and local politicians a
were the state and local politicians a
were the state and local politicians a president of the n-double-a-cp our local
president of the n-double-a-cp our local
president of the n-double-a-cp our local chapter outstanding student from our
chapter outstanding student from our
chapter outstanding student from our community and myself mother’s helping
community and myself mother’s helping
community and myself mother’s helping mothers became the catalyst for policy
mothers became the catalyst for policy
mothers became the catalyst for policy has been reviewed for change the end
has been reviewed for change the end
has been reviewed for change the end result of all of this is a paradigm a
result of all of this is a paradigm a
result of all of this is a paradigm a model if you will of mothers changing
model if you will of mothers changing
model if you will of mothers changing themselves of mothers changing their
themselves of mothers changing their
themselves of mothers changing their families of mothers changing their
families of mothers changing their
families of mothers changing their communities and ultimately mothers
communities and ultimately mothers
communities and ultimately mothers changing the world one mother at a time
changing the world one mother at a time
changing the world one mother at a time thank you
thank you
thank you [Applause]
[Applause]
[Applause] [Music]
”
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