Mischa Weisz Foundation helps teen moms and their children build brighter futures

For most people, becoming a parent has its challenges, but for Darci it was exceptionally hard. 

“I was 15 when I found out I was pregnant and I was nowhere near ready to be a mother,” said Darci at a YWCA Inner Circle event. 

“At that point in my life, I didn’t have a place to call home. I didn’t have a job and no way of getting one while I was inexperienced, pregnant and had to think about child care arrangements.”

Unsure what to do, Darci turned to YWCA Emma’s Early Learning and Child Care Centre. Emma’s soon became a special place for her; it’s where her daughter, Amber, was cared for while Darci finished high school next door at Sir Charles Tupper Secondary School. 

Thirty years ago, Emma’s and Sir Charles Tupper formed a partnership to address the growing need to support teenage mothers to finish high school. 

Emma’s cares for children ages six weeks to three years, with a focus on early childhood education and supporting young mothers. Children learn in a safe, stimulating environment while their moms receive academic and personal support, nutritional education and develop mental milestones through the Tupper Young Parents Program. 

If Emma’s did not offer this free service to the single teen moms who attend, many of them would be unable to finish high school due to the high cost of child care in British Columbia.

“That’s why financial support for centres like Emma’s is so important,” explained Natasha Krotez, Fund Development Manager with the YWCA. “Without the generosity of our donors, there wouldn’t be an Emma’s.”

Recently, YWCA Emma’s benefited from a generous donation from the Mischa Weisz Foundation. Mischa, who sadly passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2009, was once a struggling single father himself, and understood firsthand the challenges lone-parents face. Though he is no longer with us, Mischa ensured his spirit lives on through his foundation, which supports disadvantaged youth and children, like Darci and Amber, to achieve their goals.

“Knowing that Amber was safe and close, I was able to branch out at school and grow as an individual,” said Darci. “I spoke out more, learned how to trust and learned… that it is possible to be a good mom given how great the odds are against me.”

“The YWCA gave me a chance to be a mother to my daughter. They also gave me a chance to be myself.”  

Today, Darci is studying hard in college, working towards a career in hospitality management while her daughter, Amber, attends school. 

Darci said that with the support of the YWCA, she has become a self-assured, independent woman, while both she and Amber have gained essential skills and confidence that will guide them through their lives. 

Thank you to the Mischa Weisz Foundation for generously supporting YWCA Emma’s Early Learning and Child Care Centre.