With Mother’s Day right around the corner, I’ve started thinking about what to get my wife. Like a lot of dads, that usually means trying to come up with something thoughtful… at the last minute.
But this year, it’s made me think about something a little different.
For many mothers in our community, the conversation isn’t about what they’ll receive on Mother’s Day. It’s about whether they can cover the basics for their children that week.
Raising a family today has never been more expensive.
Recent data shows that the cost of raising a child to age 18 now exceeds $300,000, and that number has risen sharply in just the past few years.
I’ve experienced a version of that firsthand.
When my wife and I had two children in childcare so we could both continue working, the cost was about 40% more than our mortgage. At one point, we had to seriously consider whether it made more sense for one of us to step out of the workforce entirely.
We had the blessing of being able to make that choice.
But many families don’t.
For ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) families, it’s not a choice at all. It’s a constant balancing act.
These are parents who are working, doing everything right, and still struggling to keep up with the rising cost of housing, childcare, food, and transportation. Here in our community, that reality is even more pronounced, especially for single mothers and female caregivers.
In fact, in our community, 76% of single female-headed households with children are living below the ALICE threshold.
These are not abstract statistics.
These are women in our community, neighbors, coworkers, and parents, who are making impossible choices every single day.
Do I pay for childcare so I can keep my job?
Do I fix the car so I can get to work?
Do I cover rent… or groceries?
And often, all it takes is one unexpected expense like a missed paycheck, a gap in childcare, a medical bill, to push everything off track.
The difference between stability and crisis is often just a few hundred dollars.
And right now, we have an opportunity to do something about it.
That’s where the Women United Flex Fund comes in.
The Flex Fund is specifically designed to support single mothers and female caregivers with children in our Tri-County community.
It does something simple, but incredibly powerful: it steps in at the exact moment a family is at risk of falling backward, and helps them stay on track.
Whether it’s covering childcare so a mother can keep her job, helping with transportation so she can get to work, or bridging a short-term financial gap, these are the kinds of targeted interventions that prevent small setbacks from becoming long-term crises.
And just as importantly, that support is paired with coaching, so families aren’t just stabilized in the moment, but positioned for long-term financial stability.
That’s exactly why Women United exists.
On May 5, our community has an opportunity to come together around this work at the Women United Awards Luncheon.
Women United brings together leaders from across our region who are committed to strengthening families and creating opportunity—especially for women and children facing financial instability.
Yes, it’s a celebration of incredible women who are making a difference across our region.
But it’s also something more.
It’s a chance to step into the lives of families who are doing everything they can—and make sure they don’t have to do it alone.
If you’ve already signed up to attend, thank you.
If you haven’t, I would strongly encourage you to join us.
Click here to reserve your seat: https://www.tuw.org/2026-WU-Awards
This is more than a celebration.
It’s an opportunity to be part of something that has an immediate and lasting impact on families in our community.
And if you’re unable to attend, but still want to make a difference, you can support the Women United Flex Fund here: https://giving.gofundme.com/campaign/782161/donate
If we truly want to honor mothers in our community, we need to do more than celebrate them.
We need to stand beside them, especially in the moments when it matters most.