NORFOLK, Va. — Mother's Day is obviously a day to celebrate and cherish mothers.
In most households, Mother's Day festivities are usually planned by the dad. However, for some families in Hampton Roads—and across the nation—a father figure isn't always in the picture.
So on Sunday, hundreds of women and children from across the area came together for the 24th annual Mother's Day Celebration for Single Moms.
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The event is hosted by Joy Ministries. It's open to moms who are widows, single, or military wives whose husbands are deployed.
“We can be their strength and they can be our strength," said Brenda Riddick, one of the attendees.
Founder of Joy Ministries, Danette Crawford, is a single mom herself. Her children's father left just days before Crawford was due to deliver her daughter.
She says she knows first-hand the importance of women supporting women.
“Women meet other women from the community that are going through the same thing that they’re going through. Sometimes the women feel alone, they feel forgotten, and they’re gonna meet new friends today," she told News 3.
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Other moms like Vaneeca Jeffries also know the struggles of raising children alone. Jeffries grew up in a military household, so her father was deployed for much of her childhood.
She then became a single mom before getting married but was only married for a year before her husband died in a car crash.
“I felt that there was no one there with me, there was no one there to help me, I didn’t have an outlet I didn’t have help," she said.
But a couple of years ago, Jeffries attended one of these events and now keeps coming back.
“We want to be an example of that love in the community for everybody else," Jeffries said.
Speaking of support, the women on Sunday also had the chance to enter to win a car to help take their children to school or get to work.
“I was the mom that had the little junky car and needed a car," Crawford said. "Moms cannot work without transportation."
