The Power of Partnership
The inspirational “seed” for Seasons Village was planted in 2015. The concept of supporting single mother led families, within a village environment of supportive peers, to open opportunities for the moms to go back to school for a post-secondary degree was first seen when Kim Shirley visited Project Row House in Houston Tx. The idea took hold, and lots of research went into what other nonprofits were doing around the country, and what were best practices for supporting single moms who desired educational credentials that would equip families to thrive. The concept remained in an aspirational state until Melanie Crockett said, “Let’s do this together”. That was the start of getting serious about launching a nonprofit here in Wake County. And that power of partnership, of someone coming alongside and saying let’s do this together, became foundational in the Seasons Village model. We partner with, and walk alongside, the women and their children throughout their time in our village.
The Power of a Village
Melanie and Kim spoke with people in the community to see if our vision was meeting an unfilled need in our community and to make sure our vision wasn’t duplicating services here in Wake County. The vision drew people in, and our village grew. We gave a lot of thought to choosing a name. Melanie came up with the suggestion for Seasons Village and we knew immediately that was the right name. We chose “Seasons” for the universal experience of lives going through different seasons and to encourage those who might feel they are in a winter season for example, that there are growth opportunities in all seasons and our winters prepare us for spring growth and blossoming. Each season has value as we all continually cycle through different life seasons. “Village” resonated, as we all need a village and know it takes a village, as well as our goal to have a literal village to house our families.
With a committed, talented, diverse board of directors, the power of this village propelled our organization. We incorporated in July 2019 and obtained our 501 (c)3 in March of 2020 – right as the pandemic was shutting down everything.
Our Seasons
It was at this time that aspirations met reality. We entered a winter season as our plans to launch lay dormant during the pandemic. But while seeds are dormant in the winter, they are preparing to blossom in the spring – and so it was with Seasons Village. We used the pandemic years to fine tune our program and continue our research on best practices which led us to incorporate a two-generational approach into our model. Through the generosity of the community, Seasons Village grew financially stable and ready for growth. With the donation of a house at 508 Sunnybrook Road, Seasons Village now has a “home”. Seasons Village entered our “spring” as we launched our pilot program in June of 2022 and began partnering with single moms. Seasons Village and our moms grew together, and our Pathways to Prosperity Program benefited by their input. Our mothers blossomed, grew, and their hard work produced fruit. At the end of 2022, we hired a Program Director, Lakeisha George, MSW, LCSWA. Under her leadership, Seasons Village grew our program and began partnering with two cohorts of single mothers in our 30-month Pathways to Prosperity program in 2023. We look forward to partnering with additional mothers and their children in 2024.
Seasons Village is in our growth season and invites you to join us in supporting thriving families which lead to thriving communities. We are all in this together – it truly takes a village.