Southfield (CW50) – Tyra Moore found out she was pregnant at the age of 15. She kept the secret from her family until her mom found out several days before she actually gave birth. After she delivered her baby in the hospital with her mother at her side, her mother was on the phone constantly.
Turns out, Moore’s mother was on the phone with family, friends, and neighbors telling them about Moore’s new arrival and asked for support in their time of need. By the time they returned home from the hospital, the garage and home were fill with baby supplies, diapers, clothes, and everything Moore would need to help raise her new baby. The community and her family rallied together to support a 15-year-old girl who believed keeping her pregnancy a secret was the best route. This outpouring of love and support led Moore to feeling like she needed to pay it all forward.
Moore founded the nonprofit organization A Girl Like Me, Inc. The nonprofit helps Girls, Teens, Teen Moms, and Young Moms between the ages of 11 to 25. They provide free diapers, wipes, baby milk and food, new and gently used baby items, clothing and shoes and personal hygiene kits.
READ MORE: Detroit Retiree Sees Sidewalk Repaired Months After Water Main BreakThe organization isn’t just focused on the physical products needed to raise a child though. They also provide resources and a mentoring program from girls, moms, and young Moms between the ages of 11 to 17.
The mission is to educate and encourage girls, teens, teen moms, and young moms between the ages of 11 to 25 to make healthy life choices. Help deliver new possibilities through life skills classes, coaching, goal setting and character development to help build their confidence, and empower them all to excel.
Moore expresses the importance to provide a safe space for other teenage girls and girls like her to learn how to prevent teenage pregnancy but also provide them with the basic necessities and education needed to be a good parent should they become pregnant. It’s not just about preparing teen moms, it’s about making sure any potential mother has the tools and resources necessary to be a mother, should that time come.
A Girl Like Me, Inc. offers the following:
- Free Baby items such as diapers, wipes, bottles, baby milk and food, clothing and shoes
- Self-care kits for our Girls, Teens, Teen Moms and Moms
- Resources on different services
- Mentoring program for our Girls, Teens, and Teen Mom’s where we focus on the topics listed below:
- Bullying/ Domestic Violence
- CPR – First Aid
- Finances/ Budgeting
- Family/ Friend Relationships
- Mental Health
- Nutrition
- Personal Hygiene
- Pregnancy / Pregnancy Prevention
- Self-Care
- Self-Esteem
- Sexual Activity/ STD’s
- Vision Boards
They also offer Books, Journal Writing, A Girl Like Me Talks, Field Trips, Community Outreach and Educational Baby Classes for Our Moms.
Community Connect Host Jackie Paige, with Tyra Moore, Founder of A Girl Like Me, Inc.
Tyra Moore, Founder of A Girl Like Me, Inc., joins Jackie Paige on Community Connect to talk about her journey from teen mom to supporting other teen moms with the resources they need to help raise their new baby.
“I tell every girl that there will be struggles, but there are people out there who care enough to support them,” she says. “It truly takes a village to make sure that no baby is hungry and [every baby] has diapers. That’s why my heart and our charity’s doors are always open.”
Learn more at AGirlLikeMeInc.org
Watch Community Connect, Saturday at 7am on CW50