A Journey Through Grief and Resilience

After facing the loss of her best friend, grandmother, and mother within a two-year span, Jessica Funderburk found herself navigating significant grief while raising her young son. At 40, she struggled with the dual pressures of parenting and coping with her loss until she discovered the Jeremiah Program in Las Vegas.

Transformative Education and Support

The Jeremiah Program is a national initiative established to assist single mothers living in poverty who aspire to pursue higher education. Funderburk’s acceptance into the program marked a turning point in her life. Over three years, she returned to school, focusing on public administration, and secured an internship with Las Vegas City Councilwoman Nancy Brune.

“I would never have been able to go anywhere, do anything for my son, if it wasn’t for (the Jeremiah Program),” Funderburk stated. “To have people to lean on that care about what you’re talking about, and having people in the room that we want to be around… Now, I see a hope and a path, an actual path.”

The Growth of the Jeremiah Program Las Vegas

Founded in 1993 by Rev. Michael O’Connell, the Jeremiah Program has expanded to several states since launching its first campus in Minneapolis in 1998. The Las Vegas chapter, established in 2022, offers crucial resources tailored to single mothers and their children.

Under the leadership of Executive Director Maria Tucker, the program has evolved from a co-working space to a fully equipped downtown facility. This space features:

• A child care room filled with toys
• A conference room for meetings and job fairs
• A designated area for studying
• Offices for family coaches

Comprehensive Support Services

Every participant in the Jeremiah Program meets monthly with a family coach to discuss educational goals and changing needs. The program offers:

• Emergency and discounted child care
• Tuition assistance
• Academic tutoring
• Summer enrichment programs for children

Additionally, the program contributes $100 to a 529 college savings plan for each child when their mother completes a semester, totaling $11,000 invested so far.

Significant Community Impact

Currently, the Las Vegas program supports 80 mothers, with another 80 on a waitlist. An impact report from 2024 highlighted that 276 mothers and children had participated in the program. Of those, 90% of mothers reported effective support from their coaching, and 98% noted improved academic performance in their children due to tutoring.

Single mother Chanichi Chanelle Calzo shared her experience after a car accident, stating how the program provided rideshare services and even delivered baby supplies directly to her home. She is now pursuing a degree in applied management while running her own herbal tea business.

“It was really meaningful that they did that. It was interesting and weird, like, why are you helping me? But, it was like, oh yeah, I have a community. This is my family now,” Calzo expressed.

A Community in Need

The significance of the Jeremiah Program is underscored by demographic challenges faced in Clark County, where nearly 55% of births in 2023 were to unmarried women, substantially higher than the national rate of 38%. The need for support systems like the Jeremiah Program is urgent, as single-parent households often grapple with numerous adversities.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, child care costs can drastically affect a family’s finances, which often forces difficult decisions between work, education, and essential expenses. Maria Tucker emphasizes the importance of community support during these challenging times, stating:

“We are bracing ourselves and also strategically planning… It’s so important to lean on each other.”