{"id":11945,"date":"2022-05-17T09:29:09","date_gmt":"2022-05-17T13:29:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/?p=11945"},"modified":"2022-05-17T09:49:53","modified_gmt":"2022-05-17T13:49:53","slug":"elizabethtown-college-social-work-alumna-launches-second-grace-program-for-single-mothers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/2022\/05\/17\/elizabethtown-college-social-work-alumna-launches-second-grace-program-for-single-mothers\/","title":{"rendered":"Elizabethtown College Social Work Alumna Launches Second Grace Program for Single Mothers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Elizabethtown College alumna Candace \u201cCandy\u201d Abel \u201902 recently started Second Grace<\/a>, a two-year program that works to support, empower, and transform the lives of at-risk, single mothers in Central Pennsylvania through mentorship, education, and employment. The program\u2019s goal is to help young mothers develop confidence in both the professional world and with parenting.<\/p>\n

A\"\"<\/a>bel created Second Grace in January 2020 after noticing a lack of resources and support for single mothers involved in child welfare. She felt it was crucial that they have a mentor or positive role model to support them through this challenging time in their lives.<\/p>\n

Second Grace matches single mothers under the age of 25, known as \u201cGraces,\u201d with trained mentors, called \u201cSages.\u201d The role of a Sage is to encourage the mothers\u2019 natural talents, empower them as they work through their daily challenges, offer support and advice, and ultimately, be a reliable and positive role model.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe take a trained volunteer, and we teach them about the trauma these young mothers have gone through,\u201d Abel said. \u201cThey step into their life with understanding and without judgment, and they try to nudge them into a healthier direction.\u201d<\/p>\n

To provide the young mothers with work experience, Abel\u2019s goal is to eventually employ the Graces at her other organization, Girl Crush<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Founded in 2017 after retiring from Brittany\u2019s Hope<\/a>, a non-profit organization she created that advocates for the rights of orphaned and at-risk children, Abel was inspired to start Girl Crush when her hobby of soap making turned into a passion for providing children with safe, nutrient-rich, artisan bath and body products that are free from harmful chemicals.<\/p>\n

\u201cGirl Crush gives the Graces a place where they’re doing meaningful work in a group with a manager that\u2019s fully understanding,\u201d Abel said. \u201cThey can’t be fired from the position; it’s all about focus and experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Abel\u2019s ultimate wish for Second Grace is that it provides a positive light in the lives of struggling mothers.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would feel honored if our program is able to create a meaningful bond between a Grace and a Sage that acts as a kind of guiding light in their lives,\u201d Abel said. \u201cMy hope is that, as more issues come their way, the relationship will remain strong enough to be a strong force for good in their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

Abel has been inspired by Etown\u2019s motto of \u201cEducate for Service\u201d throughout her career, and she believes service is an essential part of finding true happiness in life.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that if we are taught at a young age to be of service, it would make us more mindful of the benefits of making service part of our natural routines,\u201d Abel said. \u201cYou feel much happier when you do things for other people rather than focusing solely on your own issues.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Both Girl Crush and Second Grace are always looking for volunteers and interns. Learn how you can get involved<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Elizabethtown College alumna Candace \u201cCandy\u201d Abel \u201902 recently started Second Grace, a two-year program that works to support, empower, and transform the lives of at-risk, single mothers in Central Pennsylvania through mentorship, education, and employment. The program\u2019s goal is to help young mothers develop confidence in both the professional world and with parenting. Abel created […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133,"featured_media":11946,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1339],"tags":[197,1350,103],"class_list":["post-11945","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","tag-elizabethtown-college","tag-etown","tag-social-work","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11945","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/133"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11945"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11945\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11949,"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11945\/revisions\/11949"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11946"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11945"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11945"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11945"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}