25 Weeks of Gratitude: Finding Community Through Motherhood
Sarah Lehr
For Charmaine Cook-Johnson, motherhood brought immense joy, but it also brought challenges she never expected.
After the birth of her first child, Charmaine found herself navigating the unfamiliar realities of postpartum life. As a new mother and stay-at-home parent, she was adjusting to a completely new identity while managing feelings of isolation and uncertainty.
Everything changed when a friend encouraged her to join the Arkansas Birthing Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving outcomes for mothers and babies through relationships, support and community. The recommendation came at exactly the right time.
When a healthcare professional asked what type of community support she had, Charmaine realized she didn’t have an answer. Remembering her friend’s positive experience with the program, she decided to give it a try.
More than 25 years ago, Zenobia Harris, DNP, MPH, a pediatric nurse practitioner and administrator with the Arkansas Department of Health, recognized the same need Charmaine would later experience.
After hearing about the Birthing Project model, Zenobia helped launch the state’s first chapter in Little Rock in 1999, believing that expectant and new mothers needed more than healthcare services alone. They needed support systems, encouragement and someone they could call when challenges arose.
That vision became the foundation of the Arkansas Birthing Project’s “Sister Friend” model, which pairs trained volunteer mentors with pregnant women and new mothers. Through guidance, encouragement and practical support, these relationships help women navigate pregnancy, childbirth and a baby’s first year of life.
For Charmaine, being matched with a mentor became one of the most meaningful parts of her experience.
She and her “big sister” initially connected weekly, creating a safe space for conversations about postpartum depression, adjusting to life as a stay-at-home mom and the concerns that come with raising a young child. Her mentor helped connect her with resources, offered practical advice and reassured her that she was not alone.
“She provided all those resources to her best knowledge,” Charmaine said. “It helped. I didn’t feel alone anymore.”
Beyond the one-on-one mentorship, the Arkansas Birthing Project introduced Charmaine to a broader community of mothers who understood exactly what she was experiencing. Through group events, fellowship opportunities, health fairs and family activities, she found encouragement, friendship and practical information from people who had walked similar paths.
“It was that first experience of being around other moms and pregnant women,” she said. “I felt safe.”
That sense of belonging reflects the heart of the Arkansas Birthing Project’s mission. According to Zenobia, the organization is ultimately about creating family-like connections that help women overcome barriers that are often overlooked, whether those needs involve emotional support, transportation, housing assistance, baby supplies or simply having someone who cares enough to check in regularly.
Making those connections possible requires strong community partnerships, including the Blue & You Foundation for a Healthier Arkansas. Grant funding from the Foundation has helped the organization provide essential resources for families, including car seats, Pack ‘n Plays, breast pumps, formula and other baby supplies.
Funding has also supported volunteer Sister Friends and community events that bring mothers and families together through baby showers, birthday celebrations and sister circles, where women encourage one another and build lasting relationships. These resources help ensure mothers have both the practical support and personal connections they need during pregnancy and early parenthood.
For Charmaine, that combination of resources and relationships made all the difference.
Charmaine’s relationship with her mentor continues nearly two years after they first met. What began as a formal mentoring relationship has grown into a trusted friendship built on shared experiences and mutual care.
“We were complete strangers at first,” Charmaine said. “But to find that connection and just to share motherhood together and not to feel alone in this is what really, really counts for me.”
Now a mother of two, Charmaine says the experience changed how she approaches motherhood. She felt better prepared when welcoming her second child because she already had a support system in place and knew she was part of a community that would help her through any challenges.
She has also become an advocate for the program, encouraging other expectant and new mothers to take advantage of the support available through the Arkansas Birthing Project.
As the Arkansas Birthing Project celebrates more than a quarter-century of serving families, stories like Charmaine’s demonstrate the lasting impact of the vision Zenobia set in motion decades ago. What started with a small group of volunteers in Little Rock has grown into a statewide network that has supported more than 1,000 women and families through the power of connection.
For Charmaine, the lesson is simple: motherhood was never meant to be experienced alone.
“You have to find your community,” she said. “And don’t be afraid to ask for help.
In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Blue & You Foundation, 25 Weeks of Gratitude spotlights 25 stories of Arkansans whose lives have been impacted by Foundation-funded work.
*The Blue & You Foundation was established in 2001 through an initial gift from Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield. Since its inception, the Foundation’s financial base has grown through wise and prudent investment strategies. This has enabled the foundation to support its mission by making grants funded by the interest earned on those investments.