Janelle Reed, 40

When Janelle Reed divorced her high school sweetheart, she felt she had to rediscover her identity. “I married my high school sweetheart, and we [were married for 12] years,” Reed says. “My whole life was kind of entrenched in somebody else’s soul. Once you find yourself going through something like that, you have to recreate your life and vision. I wanted to make sure that whatever it looked like, I wanted it to be empowering for other women.”

Although armed with the support of her family and friends, Reed was the first in her circle to go through divorce. She witnessed firsthand how few resources 417-land offered for single mothers. With courage and determination to find her purpose, she started SingleMomzRock to offer support and resources to single mothers across the region.

When she began the organization seven years ago, Reed simply wanted a group of women she could lean on. Now the organization’s Facebook group has close to 6,000 followers spread across the nation, with about 900 of those actively involved in a secret group exclusive to southwest Missouri.

SingleMomzRock continues to grow under the umbrella of Victory Mission + Ministry, holding various events throughout the year and acting as a liaison between the mothers and local organizations. “Know that you are seen and valued and loved, and if you don’t have people telling you that, get new people,” Reed says.