Cause: Supporting Teen Parents
Ali Woodard - Founder, President & CEO;
We’ve been partnering with Ali since the inception of Fristers 13 years ago. Having experienced an unplanned teen pregnancy herself, she uniquely knows how to best serve those who find themselves in a similar situation. Ali’s heart for others and sacrificial service is inspiring to everyone who knows her.
Fristers is especially close to Paul’s heart as his mother became pregnant at a young age and fortunately chose life and Paul was ultimately adopted by a wonderful Christian family. The support and impact Fristers has on these young families is absolutely incredible.

Mission
Fristers, founded and operated on Christian principles, is dedicated to helping adolescent parents build healthy and stable lives and families through educational classes and workshops, mentoring, case management, and the support of a caring community.
Adolescent parents are a vulnerable population:
Vulnerable to dropping out of high school, which limits their economic opportunities and ability to provide for their family.
Vulnerable to child abuse and neglect, because they are ill-quipped to parent and have little to no support around them.
Vulnerable to depression, domestic violence and other risky behaviors.
Fristers offers multiples solutions to the issue:
A community of support improves teen parents' mental health and well-being
Referrals and resources to complete high school
Introduction to college and vocational training
Life skills and workforce readiness guide young parents toward economic security
Healthy relationships and healthy parenting training create a thriving family environment.
Children receive direct services that promote healthy development and school readiness.
Core programming addresses the needs of the young mother, father, and child, individually and, collectively, as a family, and includes:
LifeCoach
LifeCoach provides young mothers, ages 13-25, with a supportive community, and the education, tools, and resources needed to improve their mental health and well-being, enhance their parenting skills, complete high school, prepare for employment, increase their self-reliance, and develop healthy relationships.

Couples Group
We believe in the significance of the family. The presence of a mother and a father in a child’s life and a healthy parent-parent relationship creates the climate for positive parenting and positive emotional home life. Couples Group helps young parent couples build healthy and violence free relationships through a support network, educational classes and workshops, mentoring and case management.

Just for Dads
There is little support offered for fathers, yet studies show young children with actively engaged fathers have better outcomes including reasoning skills, educational achievement, and self-esteem. Just for Dads helps young fathers and father figures gain the tools to connect and care for their children and be supportive partners and fathers.

Kidsters is a comprehensive child development program for children, ages 3 months to 5 years, offered simultaneously with all parent programs. Kidsters supports children’s physical, social-emotional, language and literacy development, giving children a strong foundation for school and life.
Surrounded with a healthy and robust support system, young parents are graduating high school, enrolling in college and vocational training, securing employment, building healthy relationships, and learning how to be responsible and caring parents. Children are receiving early intervention services that are improving their developmental, social and educational gains. Families are being strengthened.
There are no other agencies in Orange County that focus on the unique needs of adolescent parents and their children, nor are there any other agencies that strengthen the entire family unit—mother, father and child, together.
To learn more about this ministry or to provide financial support, please visit their website below.
Comments