Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Carla Ludwig.
Hi Dr. Carla, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Hope for Single Moms was started because of a personal story. One of my daughters became pregnant at the end of her freshman year of college and had her daughter that December. Nine months later, she moved to KY to live with her sister and get a fresh start.
It didn’t take long for my husband and I to realize that it was always going to be a struggle for her to provide well for her daughter. Not because she wasn’t smart enough, not because she wasn’t working hard. It was because she didn’t have the skills for a good-paying job. Our daughter was in a high-risk poverty situation. That’s when we offered her the opportunity to go back to college.
She was so excited! And since then, I’ve learned from all our clients, the excitement is a result of hope. Hope that things are going to change. Hope for a better future!
Imagine going to college, studying, doing research papers, group projects, and listening to guest lecturers in the evening, all with a two-year-old! To that, add getting up at night with a child, playing with her, taking her to the doctor; basically, all the things that come with parenting. That’s a heavy load for anyone, but even more so when you’re 20.
Long story short, she graduated Suma cum laude from the Honors College at EKU on December 17, 2016. It was also her daughter’s 5th birthday!
I had a front row seat while my daughter was on her student parent journey. And I thought, this is ridiculously hard. And I wondered what resources were available for student parents. The answer: Not much back then.
Hope for Single Moms was birthed as the first nonprofit in Michigan to focus on helping single moms get a career education. We accepted our first client in January of 2017. All with the goal of creating a brighter future for the children of single mom families.
We use a teach-a-woman approach, helping women go to college or trade school. In addition, HSM provides wrap around services, including a mom coach, life assistance team and mom-only and family events.
Since college isn’t for everyone, our goal is to expand our Education program in 2026 to include a cleaning workforce training, Cleaning for Hope. Each student will become certified in residential cleaning after three months and will have the option to get advanced cleaning instruction in business/office cleaning, pre-showing cleanings, residential organization and entrepreneurship.
Hope for Single Moms takes single mom families out of high-risk poverty situations and gives them the resources they need to become financially independent. It’s about a three-year process.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No, it hasn’t been a smooth road. One of the biggest challenges has been breaking the stereotype that single moms are lazy or looking for a handout. Too often, people assume they want to live off the system — but the truth is, the women we work with are some of the hardest-working people I’ve ever met.
They want what all of us want — to own a home, to provide well for their children, and to see those children reach their full potential. What they lack isn’t motivation; it’s opportunity.
I’ll never forget one mom who said, “I don’t want a handout — I just want a chance.” That sums it up perfectly. These moms don’t want pity; they want partnership. They’re determined to rewrite their stories, and every day, I get to witness their courage, perseverance, and love for their children.
Changing public perception — helping others see single moms not as a burden, but as women of strength and potential — has been one of the hardest and most rewarding parts of this journey.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I began my career as a dentist, but when I became a mom, I traded my dental tools for lesson plans — homeschooling our six children, all born within eight years. At the time, I had no idea that raising and teaching my own kids would become the best preparation for my next calling!
I started volunteering with nonprofits early on — partly for adult conversation, partly to stay connected to the community. Years later, when my daughter became a single mom, everything changed. Walking beside her opened my eyes to the barriers single mothers face just trying to build a better life for their children. I realized that education was the key to breaking that cycle — and that no mom should have to do it alone!
That’s how Hope for Single Moms began. For the past eight years, we’ve helped single mothers in West Michigan return to school or job training and achieve lasting economic independence. What sets us apart is our holistic approach — we don’t just fund education; we remove every barrier to success, from childcare and transportation to mentoring and life skills.
I’m deeply proud of our results — an 85+% graduation rate within three years, compared to the national average of just 8% in six years for single moms in college. But even more than the numbers, I’m proud of the hope that’s been restored — one mom, one child, and one family at a time.
How do you think about luck?
I don’t believe in luck — I believe in purpose. Every twist and turn in life, even what feels like “bad luck,” is often God redirecting us toward something better.
I never planned to have six children, but I’m so thankful I did. I never set out to start a nonprofit either, yet every season of my life — from homeschooling to volunteering — prepared me for Hope for Single Moms. What once seemed unexpected now feels divinely aligned.
People sometimes call it luck when you’re in the right place at the right time. But to me, it’s about showing up, doing your research, taking chances, and trusting that even failure can move you forward. If you wait until you know everything, you’ll never begin. Faith is stepping out before the path is clear, trusting God — and discovering the purpose waiting there for you.
Pricing:
- Donate to our Education programs: College and Trades: https://donorbox.org/hsm-donation-2 and Cleaning workforce training: https://donorbox.org/cleaning-for-hope-sponsorships
- Donate to Stronger Families Support: Secret Santa: https://donorbox.org/secret-santa-832777 and Holiday Food Baskets: : https://donorbox.org/holiday-food-basket and Back to School drive: https://donorbox.org/back-to-school-drive-17
- Our Resources: Dream It, Scheme It: $7, $27 for groups
- Our Resources: Why? for Single Moms bible study: $17, group $97
- But God…a journey, $15 paperback, $5 digital
Contact Info:
- Website: https://hsmgr.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hope4sglmoms/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hope4sglmoms
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hope-for-single-moms-gr/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@hopeforsinglemoms31
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlaengelludwig/
