WAVY.com

Gloww Center lights up the Peninsula to help single mothers

YORKTOWN, Va. (WAVY) — There is a place shining bright in Yorktown for single mothers. The Gloww Center is making a difference for women.

Angela lights up when she thinks about the birth of her 9 year old. 


“Especially when you lay your baby on your chest you can feel them and smell them,” Angela said. “Oh my goodness, it’s the best feeling ever.”

Angela didn’t plan to raise three children by herself. After she left her Midwest hometown, she moved to Hampton Roads. However, she ended up at a homeless shelter.

“It was scary going through that, it really was,” Angela said. “Especially when you have children. I don’t know where I’m going to go. I don’t have no family.”

Fortunately, she met Shelly Fitzgerald of the Gloww Center.

“Our mission at the Gloww Center is to strengthen, elevate, and educate single mothers,” said Shelly Fitzgerald, the founder of the Gloww Center. “With a goal to transform lives and self sustainability.”

According to the U.S. Census, the majority of single parent households in Virginia are women. Also government assistance does not cover diapers or feminine products.

“In a community, if a mom is able to get some of the things we give her, that frees up more money to meet more pressing needs,” Fitzgerald said.

When the Gloww Center expands, Fitzgerald wants to use classroom space for parenting classes and financial literacy classes.

The Gloww Center is always taking donations and accepting clients. To donate and to learn more, click here.

If you or you know someone who may be a victim of domestic violence or child abuse, click here for a list of local and national resources.