A Chattanooga nonprofit agency that helps single mothers go to college will be featured on NBC's "Today With Hoda & Jenna" on Thursday.
Cara Hicks, founder and chief empowerment officer of the MOMentum Network, said the organization will be included in the show's coverage of Women's History Month.
Founded in 2014, the MOMentum Network provides scholarship and leadership training for college-age single mothers. The agency recently launched a Scholar Village housing program that provides apartments and a wide range of support services to participating mothers and their children.
Hicks said the national exposure comes at a pivotal time as the organization charts its next steps for growth.
"We have an opportunity to purchase the land behind us or to find another facility that can accommodate more moms [with housing]," she said.
The "Today" segment will include recorded interviews with current and past MOMentum Network participants, as well as recorded and live interviews with Hicks.
Hicks said she hopes viewers come away with an understanding of how all the "hard statistics," including education, crime, poverty and teen pregnancy, can be improved by empowering women and children.
"There is a two-generation difference when you support a single mom," she said. "When she's supported, her kids also thrive."
"Today With Hoda and Jenna" airs at 10 a.m. on WRCB-TV Channel 3. The local segment is expected to air sometime in the last half hour. Hicks said they'll post the video online at https://www.momentumnetwork.org/news/ for later viewing.
Contact Lisa Denton at ldenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6281.