Carolyn Bradley had been looking for a long time for something to do to make a difference in, not only her own life, but others as well.

She believes she has found that passion by the founding of something she has named S.P.R.A.G. which stands for “Single Parents Raising a Gift.”

Bradley, as a single mother herself, knows the struggles that face being a single parent of two.

“I had been praying for a long time for a way to help the community,” Bradley said. “The name came to me first, but I didn’t get to use it for four years.

“I wanted to break the cycle of people having to depend on someone else to sustain themselves and make a more stable household,” she said. “I wanted them to learn that they can do it themselves and children are gifts to our lives. As a single parent, I know how hard it is to make ends meet when there is only one bread winner.”

It was a desire to leave a legacy of helping others that led Bradley to start the new program that now is being implemented in Escambia, Conecuh and Monroe counties.

S.P.R.A.G. is now meeting once a month in Escambia County in the Brewton Public Library.

“That way our younger children can spend their time looking at books while we have our meetings,” she said.

Groups meeting are held in Monroe County, Conecuh County and Escambia County.

“Our goals are to make the family unit stronger and learn to take control of as many of our problems as we can,” she said. “We get together, voice our problems and try to come up with solutions. Part of what we have learned is that if we stick together, we are stronger.”

Approximately 10 parents from Escambia County attend.

Bradley said she believes it helps to find others who are struggling. They realize that it is not just them who have these problems.

Bradley was born and raised in the small community of Johnsonville in Conecuh County. She’s the daughter of Emma Jean Bradley and the late Robert L. Bradley Sr. known as “Watt,” and the granddaughter of Geneva McCorvey of Brewton.

She graduated from Evergreen High School in 1986. She earned her associate’s degree from Alabama Southern in Monroeville and her degree in business in 2010.

“I still have a  goal to continue my education,” she said. “I want to get my bachelor’s degree in Psychology. I know that it can be done, but it just takes time.”

In the meantime, Bradley not only is a full time mother, she is a full time employee at the Conecuh County Farm Service Agency in the Department of Agriculture. She has two children Brandon Dees (17) and Brielle Bradley (7).

For anyone who is interested in getting more information about any of the meetings, call Bradley’s cell at 251. 362. 9264.