By Kim Borges
“The women at Justin’s Place are resilient, strong and inspiring. That’s what this mission is about – breaking the cycle.” – Abigail Henderson, Regions associate and Justin’s Place volunteer
Behind every nonprofit is a founder’s passion and the volunteers dedicated to making a difference for the people it serves. Here, we share how a mother’s love has transformed not only one life, but hundreds.
Overflowing sandwich platters, pumping music, pool parties.
High school freshman William Floyd’s house was the place to hang out between summer football two-a-days. His mom, Donna, made sure of it.
One August day in 2012, she met William’s classmate, Justin.
“I first noticed his big smile,” Floyd recalled.
As she got to know him, Floyd learned Justin faced financial challenges.
“He would always say, ‘yes’ to food and take showers before he left our house,” she said.
While driving him home from practice one night, Floyd and her husband realized Justin’s family had been evicted, their belongings on the sidewalk. It wasn’t the first time. The story was complicated, but it came down to a couple factors – a death in the family several years earlier and another family member struggling with addiction.
Floyd saw a way to help.
“We told Justin, ‘You’re ours and we’re yours if you want us,’” Floyd said of the conversation welcoming him as the fourth child in their family. “We just moved forward from there.”
For Justin, that resembled graduating from high school and heading to Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas, where he continued to play football and thrived academically.
About a year after Justin started college, Floyd was reading on her Fort Worth porch when she heard a voice.
“God just spoke to me,” she said. “I clearly heard Him say, ‘Go in the place he took you. Take the things you know. Build a cornerstone in my name. Make me famous there.’ That’s where Justin’s Place started.”
Floyd set out to create a community where families like Justin’s could stay together and flourish.
Her first step? Researching other nonprofits doing the same.
“I found a lot of good work in Fort Worth, but no one was equipping single moms to leave government services behind,” explained Floyd. “I then looked all over the country and found an organization in Knoxville called The Restoration House. They shared everything with us. We’ve had the blessing of modeling after them.”
That model includes three pillars:
- A stable place to live
- Supporting single moms with a supportive community around them
- Helping single moms dream their dreams, set their goals and walk toward them
Justin’s Place’s began with children’s programming.
“We just jumped in with things I knew,” said Floyd. “I took camp programming from the church I was on staff at, and a bunch of volunteers came with me.”
Things soon grew from one program to two, to three, then to six, expanding to resource training, resume building and helping moms with long-term goalsetting.
New volunteers from the Junior League of Fort Worth joined to help lead monthly Moms’ Night Out events in 2023. That’s how Regions Commercial Banking relationship manager Abigail Henderson got involved.
“Our main responsibility was leading the Empower and Equip (E2) classes for single moms,” explained Henderson. “Class topics range from easy, budget-friendly meal preparation to budgeting and financial literacy.”
Henderson quickly became passionate about the mission behind Justin’s Place and the families it helps, sharing Regions’ NextStep® financial education resources with class participants and now serving on the organization’s Walk In My Shoes fundraiser committee, among others.
“Abby’s heart is so big and beats so fast for the work we do here,” said Floyd. “She’s a creative thinker and a self-starter. With Abby, it’s more than just serving in a role; she shows initiative by talking with others about Justin’s Place and thinking about the organization as a whole and how to make it better. That’s super special.”
Something special Henderson observed this past March at Justin’s Place? The ribbon cutting for The Nest, a community offering families stable housing and skilled workforce training.
“We work with each mom, allowing her to grow to be everything she’s designed to be,” said Floyd. “It’s about helping women live independently and self-sufficiently to lead her family the way every mother wants to lead their family.”
Currently housing nine families, The Nest is quickly growing.
“We’ll welcome three more families soon and we’re building 12 more units, meaning we’ll ultimately have 24 families, plus an early childhood center,” said Floyd.
“Following his college graduation, Justin moved to Denver to work for a large marketing firm. He lives near William and his older brother, James.
This past spring, Justin headed home to see The Nest’s ribbon cutting. What was his reaction?
“When he saw the property the first time, he said, ‘Oh my gosh, I can’t even believe this came out of my life,’” said Floyd. “He’s super proud of it; he knows it can and will change kids’ lives.”
The Nest’s opening has also inspired Floyd to reflect on how it all began.
“We knew during those high school years that God was doing something, and it wouldn’t just be about him; it would be something bigger,” she said. “Helping other mamas feel fulfilled is what I’m supposed to be doing. This is the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life, but it’s also such a thrill to watch the Lord just do miracle after miracle right in front of my eyes.”
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