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SERVES: Teen moms

Teen pregnancy is a common factor in poverty, which is a cycle Alley’s House is working to break by offering physical and emotional support services while teaching parenting and other important life skills. Allison Whitehead founded the program in 1997 after she saw teen moms dropping out of school. Through the completion of 80 lessons in 80 weeks at Alley’s House, teen moms can earn their GED and receive mentoring. “We are helping them invent their life and create choice,” Whitehead explains. “They go from no choice to full choice, so it’s really cool to see the look on their faces when they have that ah-ha moment of power and choice, of ‘Wow, I can actually make this decision, and I can do it.’ ”