Photo: (L-R) Front row – Duane Long, Kernersville Foundation Board Chair, presents check to Alexandria Hicks, Next Step Ministry Executive Director. Back row – Christina Alvaro (Community Victim Services Director), Brian Stewart, Dona Neal, Mike Shaw, and John Ford.
The Kernersville Foundation continued its support for Next Step Ministries with a $20,000 contribution toward an expansion of its New and Expectant Mothers program. This is the second year of the initiative to help young mothers and their families who are impacted by domestic violence. Next Step Ministries is fine-tuning the New and Expectant Mothers program to focus on families with young children and children with special needs.
The program provides financial education, labor and delivery support bags, nursery furniture and support items, safety planning, and mobile advocacy. Kernersville Foundation support also helps underwrite the Victim Advocate position. Kernersville Foundation funds will be used for victim advocacy, early intervention, and connecting their clients with essential services.
The mission of Next Step Ministries is to “provide refuge, advocacy and education to survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and the broader community.” It has served mothers and children in the Kernersville community since 1998. The ministry operates a Safe House and a Thrift Store and provides important services to victims of domestic violence.
Alexandria Hicks, Executive Director of Next Step Ministries, said, “Domestic violence affects entire families, and the path to healing often requires ongoing support and encouragement. We are incredibly grateful to the Kernersville Foundation for its continued partnership, which allows us to provide advocacy, resources, and early intervention services that help mothers and children find safety, stability, and hope for the future.”
The Kernersville Foundation is happy to support this nonprofit organization and encourages the public to support Next Step Ministries as well. Contributions from the community help Next Step expand its services. Their administrative office is located at 210 North Main Street, Suite 238. The Thrift Store is located at 955 North Carolina Highway 66.
The Kernersville Fountain provides support to nonprofit organizations with a presence in Kernersville. The foundation makes grants once a year. The next grant cycle begins in March 2027.