The story of Deborah Kirk’s life is full of sacrifices and many of those sacrifices were made for ME, her oldest child. My mom had me at 17 and being a teenage mom in the 80’s was hard. Today, in 2021, it is still hard.

Our teen moms STILL struggle and make MANY sacrifices. In honor of her, the Deborah Kirk Memorial Fund will provide mini-grants to selected teenage mothers (ages 10-18) living in Kemper County Mississippi or selected young mothers (ages 17-25) from Kemper County, Mississippi currently enrolled in college/vocational school with demonstrated need.

The total mini-grant amount to be awarded will not exceed 500 per month and will be given based on fund availability. Applicants will apply through a website that will launch December 11, 2021, after our initial fundraiser concludes.

The ultimate goal is that this memorial fund will continue and evolve into a non-profit that will truly resource moms in Kemper County, Mississippi for years to come.

With a teen pregnancy rate of 30%, a population with 32% of families living below the poverty line, and 22% of residents lacking insurance, the needs in Kemper are great and I have no doubt your contribution will make a difference.

Please provide your email address with your contribution so that I may keep you updated on our progress and our impact.