Young mothers get a chance to thrive

DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) - A woman's dysfunctional past leads to a passion that saves teen girls from the same fate.

A local non-profit organization helps young mothers, giving them faith as small as a seed.

D'Shara Farrell is doing her best to return what she calls a very big blessing  She's helping with day care at the Mustard Seed Foundation.

"I had been through a lot, foster homes... I  didn't care about what my kids did.  I think it was pretty much faith brought me here," said Farrell.

That faith for the teen mother meant she and her two young children stepped into a rambling home on the grounds of the Church of the Precious Blood in Trotwood.

All four floors here house teen mothers and their children.  They come from all over Ohio, referred by social service agencies.

One of the people who consistently encouraged D'Shara is Mustard Seed founder, Shondale Atkinson-Hale.

The Mustard Seed Foundation was her dream and two years ago, it finally became a reality.

Atkinson-Hale has a soft spot for these young girls.  Like many of them, she, as a teen mother, suffered emotional, physical and sexual abuse.

"When they walk through the door, I assume they are me because they are," said Atkinson-Hale.

D'Shara now works, goes to college and lives on her own with her children.  She attributes her new, small, successful steps to the faith of the tiny mustard seed and Shondale Atkinson-Hale.

The Mustard Seed Foundation is one of the non-profit charities supported by the  Women in Business Networking and its fifth annual Professional Development Conference on September 19, 2012 at the Sinclair Community College Ponitz Center.