Collaboration is a win-win situation for nonprofits with similar missions. Sometimes, it proves to be so successful that there is a marriage of the two. By merging their services, staffs and volunteers, they are better equipped to better serve their clients. Last year My Possibilities and LaunchAbility came together to have a greater impact on adults with Intellectual and Development Disabilities.
Another similar marriage has just been revealed. Alley’s House and Hope Cottage have been in the courting stage of helping young mothers.
On one hand Alley’s House “has been serving pregnant and parenting teenage and young adult mothers and their children in Dallas for more than 20 years.” On the other hand, Hope Cottage has a 100-year history of nurturing North Texas families through education, counseling and adoption services.
For the past five years the two organizations have come together in the education of teen moms. It provided the opportunity for the Hope Cottage staff to see firsthand how “Alley’s House’s psycho-educational programming, which includes counseling, parenting skills, financial literacy, job readiness and GED education,” has impacted the teen moms.
According to Hope Cottage CEO Brooks Quinlan, “We are very excited to have enhanced Hope Cottage’s support services to young moms.” It was such a success that the two have merged with Alley’s House becoming a permanent part of Hope Cottage.
The plan calls for “Hope Cottage to deepen its current educational programming by utilizing Alley’s House Pathway and Community Outreach programs. Alley’s House will bring its custom programming, specifically designed to meet the unique needs of teen mothers, to educate a significant number of young women whom Hope Cottage already serves each year.”
* Graphic courtesy of Hope Cottage