TAMPA, Fla. — In 2018, two-year-old Jordan Belliveau was killed by his 20-year-old mom in Largo. She was sentenced to decades behind bars.
But after that tragedy, a local woman felt a calling to help and formed a nonprofit organization.
“When I looked down at my grandbaby, it reminded me of him. And that's when God placed it on my heart that I needed to help the mothers and save the babies. So, I went to work,” explained Chantala Davis, the founder and president of A Mother’s Arms.
The organization offers a support system for any single parent in need. They teach moms life skills while also offering a break from their child to reduce stress.
“I'm trying to prevent the child abuse and neglect, the death of the children, you know, pour into someone. The only way that they're going to learn anything is you pour into them, and they will pour out something positive versus negative,” said Davis.
Davis told ABC Action News it takes a village to care for children, especially when you’re a single parent. And some of the parents may come from an unhealthy past.
“If you're going to be acting out of anger, and you haven't been taught how to control it, how to deal with it, how to walk away, or you've grown up in a household where violence was the key, everyone getting abused, verbally, physically, mentally, you're more apt to do the same thing because that's what was poured into you,” said Davis.
Each parent participates in an eight-week curriculum course of empowerment and learns ways to improve themselves. The course also includes shopping on a budget, embracing a woman’s worth, communication skills, parenting styles and more.
“Here you go into the EER means you're going to examine yourself. So, your examination, elimination from things that are not good for you, and then you're recreating yourself,” said Davis.
She continued, “I even bring in a panel of men because you have women that don't understand that men and women don't think the same all the time. And that's another thing that comes into play. 'Well, he should know. Or she should know.' You can't assume that.”
Alexia Singletary went through A Mother’s Arms program after feeling overwhelmed as a single mom to 16-month-old twins.
“In the 16 months that I've been a parent, I know that people always ask you, how are the babies doing? How are the babies doing? They don't always ask you, 'Alexia, how are you doing?'” said Singletary. “It's hard being a mom when your heart is broken. It's hard being a mom when you're trying to figure out how you're going to get your bills paid or how you're going to wake up for work and you only had two hours of sleep.”
But she now knows how to empower herself and work through her emotional issues. She now has a role model in Davis leading the way.
“She's like a mom taking care of moms. I know that for the other ladies in my class and the gentleman, we cried some of those sessions, we cried together unpacking that stuff. Knowing that you're not unpacking it by yourself, it makes the burden a lot easier to bear,” said Singletary.
Singletary is grateful for all the things she’s learned, especially how to improve her life daily.
Now, she understands it takes a village to raise a kid or two.
“Just knowing that you're not alone, it gives you the courage to keep going,” said Singletary. "I'm not the first mom who went through this—Miss Chant went through this, my mom went through this, my grandma, somebody else's grandma also carries these same battles."
Singletary's advice for other struggling moms is to reach out because it can be life-changing.
“Whatever you're not changing, you are choosing, and I try to tell myself that weekly. It's almost become an affirmation at this point. A happy mom is a happy baby. So, I definitely think that I'm a better mom because of it,” said Singletary.
Jordan’s Law was eventually created to require new training for caseworkers, law enforcement officers and parents to recognize head trauma in children under the age of six.
A Mother's Arms Inc. is holding a grand opening of their new location on Jan. 6 from 1 to 4 p.m. The new location is at 714 North Fort Harrison Avenue, Clearwater.
If you’d like to donate to help fund the mission of A Mother’s Arms, you can reach out to the non-profit here.
