House offers hope for student-parents

More than 125 national city bank volunteers worked yesterday to prepare the Family scholar House, a 56-apartment facility that will house single parents attending college and their children.

The building, which will be operated by Project Women, should be ready for the families to start moving in next month.

"If it weren't for this program, I wouldn't be where I am now," said Shamika Adams, 29, who has three sons and plans to attend the university of louisville this fall to study nursing.

The National city volunteers' work on the facility at 500 W. Gaulbert Ave., which is near the university of louisville, included landscaping and cleaning.

"It's very heartwarming when you see people working on this project," said Cathe Dykstra, executive director of Project Women. "I'm so happy for the parents because they get an opportunity to better their lives, including their children."

The facility will include a playground and a child development center that will be managed by U of L's college of Education and Human Development, according to a National City release.

Project Women, which began in 1995, offers support to single parents and their families by helping the parents obtain college degrees and avoid a cycle of poverty.

It currently operates a Family scholar House at 806 E. chestnut st. That site is to be refurbished, and the 22 families there will move into the new facility. The other 34 families at the new facility will come from the agency's waiting list, Dykstra said. She said there are more than 240 single parents on that list.

National city officials Charles P. denny and Terri M. Wilson said yesterday's volunteer work shows the single parents that the community cares.

"It's something that we can do outside of work and work together as a team," said denny, National City's president. "The community has been good to us for such a long time, so it's time for us to give back."

In addition to the volunteer work, National City will place baskets in its branches so people can donate household items to help the student parents.

National City's Community Development Corp. has invested $7.9 million in the project, and National City provided construction financing. Other agencies also have contributed, and total funding for the project is $13 million. Laurel Robinson, 31, who will be moving into the new Family scholar House with her 14-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son, said Project Women provides an excellent support system.

"I couldn't complete school at first because I didn't have a baby sitter for my daughter and didn't have transportation," she said of her efforts to obtain a nursing degree years ago. "With this program, I am able to do everything I couldn't do."

Adams, who currently is enrolled at Spalding University and learned about Project Women through a domestic-violence shelter in Georgia, said she appreciated the volunteers' work.

"I'm very excited and blessed to see all of these people taking the time out of their weekends to work on this project," she said.

Readers can reach reporter Antwon Pinkston at (502) 582-4241.

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Sunday, July 20, 2008 |

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