Through his unfortunate shortcomings and his greatest successes, Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps’ mother Debbie has been there for it all.

In Beijing when Phelps broke Mark Spitz’s record by bringing home his eighth gold medal in the games, he was quoted (via NewYorkTimes.com): There’s so much emotions going through my head, so much excitement. I guess I just want to see my mom.

Read more: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1274022-michael-phelps-mothers-support-big-part-of-olympic-success

Debbie has overcome many struggles in her lifetime. A single mother raising Michael and his two sisters on a teacher’s salary after her divorce from the children’s father, Fred, Debbie has raised the one of the greatest Olympic champions of all time.

In 1996, Dolly Parton launched an exciting new effort, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, to benefit the children of her home county in East Tennessee, USA. Dolly’s vision was to foster a love of reading among her county’s preschool children and their families by providing them with the gift of a specially selected book each month.  By mailing high quality, age-appropriate books directly to their homes, she wanted children to be excited about books and to feel the magic that books can create. Moreover, she could insure that every child would have books, regardless of their family’s income.

Dolly’s Imagination Library became so popular that in the year 2000 she announced that she would make the program available for replication to any community that was willing to partner with her to support it locally.  Since the initial program launch in the United States, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has gone from just a few dozen books to nearly 40,000,000 books mailed to children in the United States, into Canada and across the proverbial pond into the United Kingdom!

To register your child (if the program is available in your community): https://usa.imaginationlibrary.com/register_my_child.php

One of the minds in Cleveland I admire the most belongs to Denise Reading.

Where most people see only problems, she sees solutions.

She was in her first job as a professional, as Baldwin-Wallace College’s student life director, when a student tearfully confided that her younger sister, a bright student with a full ride to another college, had gotten pregnant in her senior year of high school.

Her sister would have to give up her dream of going to college, she cried.

The year was 1990. Reading had heard similar stories, and it spurred her to type up a letter to Baldwin-Wallace’s president.

This college claims to support students, she wrote, so why don’t we back that promise up by going out on a limb for single parents? She suggested converting a campus building into a residence for single moms, and channeling existing financial aid toward covering their tuition, room and board.

“I didn’t have any children, I didn’t know anything about social services,” she remembers with a laugh. But it seemed to her that if students had shown the ability to succeed in college, the door shouldn’t be slammed because of a pregnancy.

It was a cheeky move. Very few U.S. colleges had tried anything like it.

But Reading persuaded the president to launch its SPROUT program, or Single Parents Reaching Out for Unlimited Tomorrows, during the next school year.

Read more: http://www.cleveland.com/bernstein/index.ssf/2012/02/plea_to_help_single_moms_has_a.html

When you’re a single mother, you know that everyday life can be mighty hard.  However, if you’re a single parent in an abusive situation, it can become unlivable – and dangerous for your safety. Protecting yourself and you children is priority number one, and if you are preparing to leave an abuser, you need to planand know where you will go once you are ready to leave. Sometimes people need to leave a particularly scary situation secretly, and there are shelters that help you with that, too.

Other non-violent situations can occur that may cause women to seek shelters.  For example, if you are a single mother and you are facing eviction, then you’ll need a shelter while you seek permanent housing for yourself and your little ones. Many non-profit organizations and government programs offer emergency shelters for women, and some agencies even offer longer-term places to live while you figure out your next steps.

Read more: http://realsinglemothers.com/housing-assistance-for-single-mothers/shelters-for-single-mothers.html

Band, sports, church, projects, essays, algebra, report cards, school dances, driving lessons, hormones and dating—who has time to think about college for their teens? Waiting until senior year of high school to get started with ACT’s, SAT’s, scholarships and college admission can cause your child to miss out on many available opportunities.

If your child actually listens to the school announcements and heeds the advice of school counselors, don’t plan on your teen relaying the information to you as a parent. Here are a few of the things you need to know.

Read more: http://acworth.patch.com/articles/parenting-column-prepare-your-teens-for-college-now

When it comes time for a vacation for a family run by a single parent, there are several factors that come into play: budget, age appropriate fun, comfort, and relaxation. Some families, especially those with young children, will have trouble finding that kind of balance, but there are single parent family vacations that will help you stretch your dollar and have a great time as well.

Read more: http://www.singlemotherassistanceinfo.com/singleparentfamilyvacations.php

The Women in Leadership Society hosted a Bunco fundraiser that generated approximately $6,000 for programs that benefit single mothers and their children recently.

More than 120 guests attended the festive 1960s-theme event held at the Knights of Columbus Hall on Jan. 22.

All funds raised by the event will be used for scholarships and grants to single mothers to help cover the costs of college tuition, child care, auto repair, insurance and similar expenses. Organizers say they are still accepting applicants for the assistance program.

Read more: http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/pearland/news/women-in-leadership-host-groovy-bunco-fundraiser/article_2a6bcdec-2acd-5a78-91eb-f630212208e1.html

The “Children’s Closet” isn’t much bigger than the name suggests. But that’s not the point.

“If we can help, here we are,” says Donna Riemer, director of compassion ministry for Alpine Chapel in Lake Zurich.

Don’t be fooled — lots of jeans, tops, shoes and other items carefully folded and sorted from infant to size 14/16 fill a small room in the church’s office suite in a business park near the main facility.

Operating along the lines of the church’s Alpine Sharing Room food bank, the clothing is provided free.

Read more: http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20120204/news/702049742/

NORWALK – Deborah Winters was 33 and raising a toddler when the certified nursing aide lost her job in the economic downturn. Not long after, she lost her apartment, as well.

Faced with rebuilding her life, Winters turned to Akisha Cassermere.

Also a single mother, Cassermere had recently formed a non-profit group called Breakthrough Options for Families, aimed at helping parents just like Winters overcome the hardship that comes with raising a child alone. And when parents were on their feet, Breakthrough sought to keep them there.

Read more: http://www.thehour.com/story/519140/single-moms-make-breakthrough-overcoming-hardships-together

When Lori Magnifico-Purta found herself as a single mother in 1997, she didn’t want to put her daughter in a traditional day care while she went to work.

So, she started her own day care facility.

Now called “A Karrasel Day Care,” Magnifico-Purta opened Magnifico’s Playhouse in Schiller Park. The facility serves kids from Franklin Park, Schiller Park and beyond.

Read more: http://elmwoodpark.suntimes.com/news/10424352-418/story.html