ALTON – Since November, Ronald Caldwell has been using his personal Facebook page to help raise money for single mothers.
Caldwell said he took the initiative to raise money for single mothers after a series of conversations he had with some of his social circles regarding what needed changed and how they could be changed. Like many people across the nation in early November, a lot of those conversations had to do with voting and taking action. Caldwell believed that waiting for someone else to change a situation was not the optimal way to effect positive energy in the world. Instead, he said, he wanted to set an example for other people who wanted to bring change.
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“We were thinking of all the different ways we could help,” he said. “And the only way to really get things done is to do them.”
To implement the change he believed was most needed, Caldwell, who lives in Georgia, but is from the Alton area, looked for single mothers in his social circles who were hard workers and good parents. He put a promise of $20 from his own pocket to that mother, and he encouraged his network of Facebook friends to match him. That first week, he was able to donate $120 to a single mother from the Alton area.
“When I thought of ways to change, I thought of mothers,” he said. “No matter who you are, you came from a woman and a woman was a part of raising you. To help bring change to the next generation, donating the money to mothers is the best way to do that. They are raising our next generation.”
Since implementing it the second week of November, Caldwell's weekly Facebook drives, which culminate every Friday have grown. He said media outlets in Georgia are also catching wind of his efforts and are helping him spread the word. As of now, despite being based in Georgia, Caldwell said the mothers he has worked to help are from the Alton and St. Louis areas.
“So far, since I was born in Alton, a lot of the moms are from that area,” he said. “One was staying in Texas, and another was staying in Georgia, but I want this to go from Alton to St. Louis to Atlanta to Chicago, to Los Angeles, and everywhere. It's all about choosing love over fear. You have to do it out of love.”
These donations will continue past the holiday season, and Caldwell said he is hoping they grow. He chooses single mothers based both on his personal friendships and suggestions from other people. When someone suggests a single mother he can help, Caldwell said he does “a bit of homework on them” to ensure they are instructing their children and working hard.
“When I give them the money, I feel like I win just as much as they do,” he said. “They are so relieved and so happy to receive it.”
