Nicola Smith is a single parent herself with a now adult son. As once a teen mom, she understands the struggles and difficulties that many single parents experience. She went on to complete a bachelor’s degree while balancing the needs of caring for her son and his various activities growing up and volunteering in the community. Throughout her time as a single parent, she connected with other single parents and although their stories of how they became single parents may have been different, their concerns and needs are the same. She began to envision a way to connect single parents together to find support, encouragement and friendships with others that understood our lives, even the parts where we struggle silently. Out of her life experiences and the shared experiences of others, her vision for Our Children Our Village was born. She is a motivational speaker, professional, community volunteer and a visionary for how to empower, to educate, and to enrich the lives of the members of her community around her.