b'7SUMMER 2019services. Paige believes that M3 succeeds because it treats the women as their friends. We are there to give direct support.Karla Ball was a stay-at-home momMy New Leaf is a Recovery Community when her marriage ended. WithOrganization in the rural community of Bolivar. no support, she moved into herEveryone is welcome here, no matter what kind mothers house and worked threeof treatment program they are in, says Kim jobs. She, with her two children, has attended nearly every meeting ofBotteicher. She volunteers at the center, while Mothers Making More for the lastrunning K&K Flowers and Coffee in the same two years for support, educationbuilding. Its Giving Circle grant will fund the and socializing. Meeting topics include budgeting, cooking andAssertive Community Engagement project, which banking. She is now an accountinghelps adults in rural areas address addiction-major at Seton HillUniversity. related physical and mental health needs.Ray Brannon is the COO of My New Leaf, that guides about 60% of Pittsburgh Foundationfounded in 2015 by his son, Ryan, while Ryan was grantmaking. In force since 2014, it prioritizesa student at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. funding programs and services to provide newThe idea came out of the many addiction deaths opportunities for the 30% of the Pittsburghhe witnessed. Our approach is to address the regions population that has been left out of aweakest points in the addiction-through-recovery revitalized economy to become full participants.cycle by providing an open-door approach says The 14 organizations that received fundingRay. We have weekly peer-based meetings that through the Giving Circle fit that bill.address the needs of individuals and families. The Mon Valley Alliance successfully pitchedWe have done this with a totally volunteer staffMy New Leaf hosts Connection Cafe its Job Readiness and Professional Licensingthat includes recovery coaches and certifiedevery Thursday, a Project; 724 Food Rescue and the Westmorelandrecovery specialists. space where people County Food Bank won support for their plansCFWC will lead another Giving Circle in 2020,socialize and open to address basic food security; and the Unionup about their also dedicated to supporting vulnerable popula- recovery journeys. Missions Mens Shelter Program received fundingtions, but with a tighter scope. We may just focusSince the Fourth to expand from 14 to 24 beds. on children living in poverty or families involvedof July landed on Mothers Making More (M3), a program ofa Thursday this in the criminal justice system, says Executiveyear, the Cafe held Westmoreland Community Action, is dedicatedDirector Koch. The overall goal remains the same:a celebration. Dana to helping single mothers, primarily throughWe want our donors to dive deep into the subjectFindley is a Family supporting their education. I am very proud tomatter. And we want them to realize that youRecovery Coach and will soon be a be able to give a hand up, not a hand out, saysdont have to be a powerful industrialist to haveCertified Recovery Carlotta Paige, program manager of M3. Thisan impact. Specialist. She is not an entitlement program and its not crisissays the cafe is an intervention. These are women who are makingintegral part of the ByJohn Allison | Pittsburgh-based editor and writer outreach mission.a commitment to change their lives, and we are helping them do it. M3 has served nearly 150 women since its 2010 launch; 23 are currently enrolled. The Giving Circle funding will increase the program capacity by 10. I know each and every one, says Paige. These are efficient women. They manage their lives without the support that people in a two- parent family may take for granted. By stepping in with concrete helpfrom scholarships for tuition to transportation at key momentswe help women who are working to take it to the next level. The January 2019 Pittsburgh Foundation study on single mothers in the Pittsburgh region bolsters the aims of M3. Among the reports key findings: Outside support is crucial. There are systemic barriers preventing single mothers from getting ahead. Child care is unaffordable. And overall there is a stigma attached to utilizing'