Wreaths help single mothers turn their cottages into homes

Updated: 12/15/06

Wreaths help single mothers turn
their cottages into homes

By Miranda Bradley

Children at Heart Foundation

ROUND ROCK—For single mothers in Texas Baptist Children’s Home Family Care program, a Christmas wreath represents more than a seasonal decoration. It’s a vehicle to help them reclaim their identities.

For the past nine years, the Family Care program has provided an opportunity for single mothers to express their creativity. During its annual wreath-making party, the program provides dinner, childcare and a variety of bows, ornaments, trinkets and baubles to adorn each evergreen ornament.

“When these moms come to us, they usually have nothing more than the clothes on their backs or what is in their car,” said Melanie Martinez, Family Care program supervisor. “So, this is one way for them to express their own personalities in the cottages where they live.”

Seven Family Care cottages house up to five families each. Each cottage provides a homelike setting for single mothers who have fled abuse, homelessness or financial instability.

Despite their warm atmosphere, the cottages still aren’t a “home” where the mothers have stockpiled memories. The wreaths, Martinez said, add that personal touch and help build memories during a special time of year.

First Baptist Church in Round Rock offered its new family life center for the wreath-making party this year, and the church makes its facilities available to the program for weekly mothers’ group meetings.

“First Baptist Church has just been so generous,” Martinez said. “We are so blessed to have their support.”

The wreaths hold special significance for the women who made them—and not just because of their decorative value, Martinez observed.

“Each time they add an ornament or a bow, they are representing something else that is going on inside themselves,” she said. “Just like when they are creating the wreaths piece by piece, these moms are also putting their lives back together one piece at a time. And the end product of both is beauty and perfection in the eyes of God.”