Richmond resident La Toya Barrington has kick-started a bursary for Black single mothers to coincide with Black History Month.
Barrington - who the Richmond News has featured several times in the last year for bringing awareness to issues affecting the Black community - said, when times were hard for her as a single mom, her community had her back.
“I was once a young single mother of three children on welfare,” said Barrington on Facebook.
“Trying to make ends meet, I started cleaning houses and running errands for family and friends.
“I know firsthand the challenges of trying to keep up with my financial responsibilities and trying to start a business at the same time.
“I have endured the struggles of having to go to food banks. I have witnessed the many eviction notice letters, and disconnection of utilities.”
One of the challenges, added Barrington – who now owns and operates Go2Girl Services – which she was not able to do, due to financial reasons, was to enroll in a class to upgrade her skills and knowledge.
“I’d love to be able to be a stepping stone, in easing some of the educational financial burden,” she said.
“In order to be a recipient of the bursary, the applicant must write a short essay about their educational goals, and how this bursary would help them succeed in their goals.”
Barrington is also inviting the public to donate to the bursary cause, with a goal of raising $2,000 by the end of January.
She’s asking anyone interested to contact her by the end of Thursday, Jan. 28 by emailing [email protected].
