Peter Matt: One Father's Reflection on Why He Supports Our Work

My wife April was a co-founder of Along the Way, but that is not necessarily why I am excited about being a supporter. I am on the Board of Along the Way as well, but that’s not the reason either. What’s my why? The reason I am whole-heartedly dedicated to this mission? I was raised as the only child of a single mom, and we didn’t have much money. My dad lived only a few miles away, but I rarely ever saw him. For all of my childhood, my mom was always struggling to pay the bills and keep food in the house. Forget vacations or eating out; our budget would be sunk with an unexpected car repair. Consequently, we never had a decent reliable car.

As a kid, I was fully aware of the stress of us not having enough money. With no dad around, I was short on good role models too. I was also very lonely as a kid, with my mom working a lot and me being left to myself. I spent lots of time in daycare and summer camps, of varying degrees in quality. I remember being very sad and reluctant to go sometimes. Despite being a smart kid, I performed poorly all through school. Today I still have a lot of regret around squandered opportunities.

So, I imagine what our lives might have been like had there been the financial relief from all of those daycare costs. I imagine what our lives might have been like if we had a caretaker that cared about my schooling, and supported my mom and me. I imagine what our lives would have been like, just knowing that someone was there to help us out, and that we weren’t entirely alone.

Despite all of our struggles, my mother broke the cycle. I have a career as an accountant, and my family will likely not experience poverty. I personally see both the difficulty in breaking the cycle, and also the benefits in doing so. Bringing it back to my wife being a co-founder and my participation as a board member, I have also personally met the families and have seen first-hand their specific benefits, in being part of Along the Way. If you’ve been thinking of getting involved - don’t wait, just do it! You’ll be hard-pressed to find a kinder, and more accepting and genuinely loving group of people.

For these reasons, I cannot be more excited or proud to support Along the Way, knowing personally and also seeing first-hand, the critical and life-changing significance of what added community and an expanded support network does for families.

Sincerely,

Peter Matt