Articles

May 12, 2023

CAN Story – A Papa’s Hand

Posted By Woodson Center

“When I lost my son, I began to think: What do people do when they don’t have support and resources when a child is unexpectedly and tragically taken away from them? And so out of losing my son, my organization was born.”  

Toni Cormier is our newest  Voices of Black Mothers United (VBMU) affiliate and founder of the Houston, Texas nonprofit A Papa’s Hand: The Young H. South Legend Foundation. The organization is named in honor of her son, who she lost to homicide in July of last year.

A Papa’s Hand reaches out to mothers who have lost children to homicide, suicide, and in other devastating ways, providing empowering resources to help them heal and rebuild their lives.

Toni’s organization provides surrogate parents to fill in the gap for children who have lost a father or mother, educates families about their right to receive financial assistance grieving, and is building a chaplaincy service to partner with law enforcement who deliver news of a death to surviving family members. 

Watch Toni’s interview here to learn how your investment in the Woodson Center is helping A Papa’s Hand to restore grieving families: 

When you support the Woodson Center, you are investing in organizations like A Papa’s Hand, which are on the front line doing life-changing work in their communities.