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Single mom-to-be Tamara Allen expected to collect just a handful of free things for her future son Nolan at Heart of Florida United Way’s Community Baby Shower. But the event offered her something far more valuable: hope for the future.
Prior to relocating to Florida, Tamara had a stable job at the U.S Postal Service and her own place in Illinois. She was happy but missed her loved ones, who had moved to Florida in 2018. After a lot of consideration, she decided to pursue a job transfer to join her family in the Sunshine State.
Moving was no simple task, however. En route to Florida on July 4, 2024, she and her mother became victims of a violent hit-and-run.
“We could have been killed,” Tamara said. “A man rammed into us four times before our car flipped over and we were left stranded on the side of the road. I pulled my mother out of the car while a man on the other side of the highway called 911. We somehow walked away from that alive, but I got a herniated disc and my mom needed surgery for her knees.”
The accident triggered a domino effect of financial challenges. Her mother’s car was left totaled, Tamara needed extensive physical therapy, and in September, she unexpectedly lost her job at the Postal Service.
Two months later, she discovered she was pregnant.
“I was so scared at first because it was unplanned, but I started to get excited after hearing my baby’s heartbeat at the Winter Park Pregnancy Center,” she said.
In the months that followed, Tamara felt increasingly isolated as she searched for another job.
“I went on so many interviews, but it took five months before I got another job.”
She was hired at Dunkin Donuts when she was six months pregnant and has spent the last two months doing everything she could to prepare for her son’s arrival. Finances were still tight, and she feared she would not be able to purchase all the supplies she needed as a new mom.
Everything turned around once she discovered our Community Baby Shower.
“I found out about the Community Baby Shower through my case manager Genevieve at the Healthy Start Program,” she said. “It’s right up the street from me in Osceola. I thought I would get a few free things for Nolan, but I was so surprised to be offered a plate of food, resources on lactation and breastfeeding, and the opportunity to talk to people about going back to school. Outside of going to doctor appointments or work, I haven’t had the chance to feel connected to my community, but the community baby shower made me feel less alone, and now I am excited because I am starting to review my options for going back to school, too.”
Thanks to the incredible support of our sponsors, donors, and volunteers, our annual Community Baby Shower helps us provide new and expecting moms like Tamara with the resources and support they need to thrive on their parenting journey.
We are thrilled to share that Tamara welcomed her son Nolan on July 20, 2024, at 10:50 a.m.