Empowering Teen Mothers to Reach Their Dreams
Share your love. Give them hope.
The Close to Our Hearts Foundation is a Minneapolis based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to helping low-income pregnant and parenting students overcome barriers by offering support for higher education, individually tailored mentoring, educational materials for financial literacy, and housing security assistance.
Support the essential mission of Close to Our Hearts with your financial gift.
Leadership
President
Dr. Padmini Udupa is the president of Close to Our Hearts and is the principal of Longfellow Alternative High School. Longfellow is a district-wide alternative school program of the Minneapolis Public Schools and Teen Adolescent Pregnancy and Parenting Program that works to collaboratively promote generational self-sufficiency among pregnant and parenting teens. Dr. Udupa received the 2019 AchieveMpls Excellence Award for her leadership in the development of a customized internship experience for parenting students in the Step Up Youth Employment Program. She received her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the University of Minnesota.
Board of Directors
Dr. Padmini Udupa, Geneva Dorsey, Zoe Martínez, Jennifer Ede, Sunag Udupa, Randall Hanson
With Support From
Support for Higher Education
Many teen mothers do not have the financial resources to pursue higher education. With our annual Close to Our Hearts Foundation Scholarship we work to remove this barrier and allow these exceptional young mothers to access life-changing opportunities for themselves and their children.
Individually Tailored Mentoring
For many of these young mothers it is difficult to find compassionate and supportive mentors. At Close to Our Hearts, we work with the local community to provide expert mentors who can work in partnership with the young mothers to create plans and actionable goals that will help them achieve their dreams.
Financial Literacy Education
Financial stability is a key milestone for a teen mother in their transition to adulthood. With our Close to Our Hearts Financial Education Series, we work to meet the young mothers where they are at and empower them with the best education on saving, spending, and documenting finances.