MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. — Mother's Day is just a day away, but not everyone has a mom.
Strong Daughters is a Milledgeville organization for girls 18 and under who've lost their moms. They're having a banquet to help them know they're not alone.
“Mother's day does not have to be a bad day for them,” says founder LaShay Williams.
She says she created the group because she knows how these girls feel.
“I was six and my sister, Janice, was eight when we lost our mother. The only memory I have is of her being sick,” she explains.
Williams says she may not remember her mom very well, but knows the pain her absence left behind.
“It’s indescribable unless you’re going through it yourself because there are certain milestones in your life where you're going to want your mother there. Your graduation day, your prom day, your first date, your wedding day,” Williams says.
That's why the group was made. To let the girls know that they're not alone.
“You have to be really strong in this life to endure it without your mother. We want to let them know that just because this happened, that they can still have a very joyful, happy life,” Williams says. “If they are embraced and they have the support and love they need, then they are going to be okay."
The group gives girls a space to talk, get counseling, volunteer, and do activities together. They're even having their first gala to celebrate the girls and the family that supports them.
“Getting in a pool, having fun with my family,” nine-year-old Terriona Williams says. That’s her favorite part of going to Strong Daughter meetings.
She lost her mom when she was four.
“She was a nice, lovely mom. I wish she was here,” Terriona says.
She says the group helps when she feels sad about her mom.
“It helps a lot of things in my life.”
18-year-old Soniya Breazeal is the groups' oldest member.
“It’s been really hard. I wouldn't wish this on no one,” she says.
Soniya lost her mom when she was eight.
“My birthday is February 3rd. She died February 4th. I knew she was sick, but I didn’t know she was that sick. I don’t think anyone knew that she was that sick,” she says.
Soniya says she remembers her mom being nice, clumsy, and funny. She says it's been weird growing up without her.
“Like a lot of girls, they have relationships with their mom. They talk about the things that they do,” she explains. “I still have my grandma and we can do things like that, but it's nothing like having your mother there.”
Soniya is being presented with a scholarship for college at the gala.
She says she wishes her mom was there for her prom and when she graduated from Central Georgia Technical College.
However, Soniya says she knows her mom and Strong Daughters are proud of her.
“Knowing that I have a support system is comforting. Then I have the younger girls that are looking at me. I know that I have to keep my head on straight, I have to show them the right way,” she says. “Even though we don't have our mothers, we still have to carry ourselves in a great way, and we can still be great.”
The banquet has invited the girls, their families, and the founder's family.
If you'd like to donate to them, you can message them on their Facebook page ‘Strong Daughters’ or you can Cashapp them at ‘cakeladyE1’.