When Tara Carlson arrived in Fargo in 2019, she was chasing a new chapter. A fresh start. College was the plan. Independence was the goal. But life, as it often does, had other ideas. A surprise pregnancy, a pandemic, and the painful realization that she would be parenting alone left her staring down a reality she wasn’t ready for.
Across town, Tory Queensley was fighting her own battle. After a long struggle with addiction and surviving an abusive relationship, she had reached a breaking point. Finding out she was pregnant at 29 became her moment of reckoning—a line in the sand. She quit hard drugs, escaped her abuser, and decided to rewrite her story.
These two women were strangers when they first stepped onto the campus of the Jeremiah Program in Fargo. They would become neighbors, then allies, and ultimately— co-founders. Today, through their nonprofit-in-themaking EmpowerHer, Tara and Tory are building the very support system they once needed but didn’t yet exist: a safe, structured, nonjudgmental space for pregnant and parenting women navigating addiction, recovery, and motherhood.
The Jeremiah Program: A Catalyst For Change
The Jeremiah Program Fargo-Moorhead (JP) was the foundation. For both women, it offered more than just housing and reliable quality daycare— it was a lifeline, a launchpad, and a place to reclaim their identities as mothers, students, and leaders.
Tara was drawn in by the promise of stability. When her brother, a graduate student at NDSU, mentioned the program, she barely hesitated. “I wasn’t in a great place mentally to be a parent,” she said. “But the empowerment classes—they hooked me. And daycare? During the pandemic? That was everything.”
She dove into the program and quickly realized she’d need to rethink everything—her future, her boundaries, her sense of self. One moment in the empowerment curriculum that stuck with her was the “who’s in your audience?” exercise—a metaphorical exploration of who deserves access to your life. It shifted her thinking, she said. “I started to realize I had choices—about my circle, my goals, and the kind of parent I wanted to be.”
Tory’s entry point was a Facebook ad: “Are you a single mom who wants to go to college successfully?” She clicked, filled it out, and within days, received a call from Amy, Family Services Director at Jeremiah. The program’s structure—on-site staff, regular coaching, and a built-in community of moms—offered her something she hadn’t had in years: safety and trust.
“I’d been on my own since 17,” Tory said. “I didn’t grow up with support. But when I got to Jeremiah, I felt protected. I felt like I belonged.”
Both women poured themselves into school while at Jeremiah. Tara, then 22, pursued dual majors in sociology and social work, adding minors in juvenile justice and psychology. “I took 18 to 21 credits every semester— fall, spring, and summer,” she said. “I wanted to finish fast. I wanted to provide for my son. I grew up in poverty. I didn’t want that for him.”
Tory enrolled at Minnesota State Community and Technical College, eventually earning her LPN and RN. “I picked nursing kind of randomly,” she said. “But it turned out I was good at it. I finished both degrees while living at Jeremiah.”
For both women, the Jeremiah Program’s coaching component was a turning point. “Meg, my coach, was just… there,” Tory said. “She didn’t push. She didn’t judge. She showed up. And that consistency—especially when you’ve dealt with abandonment or trauma—it’s life-changing.”
From Connection To Collaboration
Though they were neighbors at Jeremiah, Tara and Tory didn’t become close until a chance encounter at a JP Annual Summit in Baltimore—a national gathering of moms from all nine JP campuses. They had both flown in early and ran into each other at the airport. “I was like, ‘Hey, want to be my Baltimore buddy?’” Tory said.
They explored the city together, visited museums, shared long conversations over dinner, and bought matching Hard Rock Café sweatshirts. “We talked about recovery, parenting, relationships—everything,” Tory said. “That weekend was a golden opportunity to really connect.”
It was also the beginning of EmpowerHer.
About The Jeremiah Program
The Jeremiah Program is a national nonprofit that partners with single mothers to disrupt the cycle of poverty for both women and their children, two generations at a time. Through a holistic, empowerment-based approach, the program provides stable and affordable housing, high quality early childhood education, access to college and career support, and one-on-one coaching and leadership development training. By integrating these services, the Jeremiah Program creates a stable foundation for mothers to pursue higher education while raising thriving children. With campuses across the United States, it not only builds individual resilience but also fosters connections and strong, intergenerational impact within communities.
The Jeremiah Program: A Catalyst For Change
The Jeremiah Program Fargo-Moorhead (JP) was the foundation. For both women, it offered more than just housing and reliable quality daycare— it was a lifeline, a launchpad, and a place to reclaim their identities as mothers, students, and leaders.
Tara was drawn in by the promise of stability. When her brother, a graduate student at NDSU, mentioned the program, she barely hesitated. “I wasn’t in a great place mentally to be a parent,” she said. “But the empowerment classes—they hooked me. And daycare? During the pandemic? That was everything.”
She dove into the program and quickly realized she’d need to rethink everything—her future, her boundaries, her sense of self. One moment in the empowerment curriculum that stuck with her was the “who’s in your audience?” exercise—a metaphorical exploration of who deserves access to your life. It shifted her thinking, she said. “I started to realize I had choices—about my circle, my goals, and the kind of parent I wanted to be.”
Tory’s entry point was a Facebook ad: “Are you a single mom who wants to go to college successfully?” She clicked, filled it out, and within days, received a call from Amy, Family Services Director at Jeremiah. The program’s structure—on-site staff, regular coaching, and a built-in community of moms—offered her something she hadn’t had in years: safety and trust.
“I’d been on my own since 17,” Tory said. “I didn’t grow up with support. But when I got to Jeremiah, I felt protected. I felt like I belonged.”
Both women poured themselves into school while at Jeremiah. Tara, then 22, pursued dual majors in sociology and social work, adding minors in juvenile justice and psychology. “I took 18 to 21 credits every semester— fall, spring, and summer,” she said. “I wanted to finish fast. I wanted to provide for my son. I grew up in poverty. I didn’t want that for him.”
Tory enrolled at Minnesota State Community and Technical College, eventually earning her LPN and RN. “I picked nursing kind of randomly,” she said. “But it turned out I was good at it. I finished both degrees while living at Jeremiah.”
For both women, the Jeremiah Program’s coaching component was a turning point. “Meg, my coach, was just… there,” Tory said. “She didn’t push. She didn’t judge. She showed up. And that consistency—especially when you’ve dealt with abandonment or trauma—it’s life-changing.”
From Connection To Collaboration
Though they were neighbors at Jeremiah, Tara and Tory didn’t become close until a chance encounter at a JP Annual Summit in Baltimore—a national gathering of moms from all nine JP campuses. They had both flown in early and ran into each other at the airport. “I was like, ‘Hey, want to be my Baltimore buddy?’” Tory said.
They explored the city together, visited museums, shared long conversations over dinner, and bought matching Hard Rock Café sweatshirts. “We talked about recovery, parenting, relationships—everything,” Tory said. “That weekend was a golden opportunity to really connect.”
It was also the beginning of EmpowerHer.
We want to build safety plans, keep babies with their moms, and avoid trauma wherever possible.”
Empowerher: Building What Didn't Exist
It was during Spark Tank—a Shark Tank-style pitch event for Jeremiah Program moms—that the vision solidified. Tara and Tory sat side by side, listening to women present ideas born from lived experience. Tory turned to Tara mid-presentation and said, “I want to do this. What can we create that would really change lives?”
They didn’t know it then, but that moment was the seed. What grew from it was EmpowerHer—a grassroots nonprofit aimed at filling the gaping void in services for pregnant women and mothers in active addiction.
Their initial idea was ambitious: a detox facility for pregnant women. But as they talked, researched, and listened to recovery professionals, they realized the real crisis wasn’t just detox access—it was the lack of safe, stigma-free support for mothers trying to get clean while still caring for their children.
“We kept hearing the same thing,” Tara says. “If you’re a mom and you need treatment, there’s nowhere for you to go with your kids. You either separate from them or don’t get help at all.”
That impossible choice is the gap EmpowerHer is designed to bridge.
A Vision Rooted In Real Experience
Tara brings deep professional insight from her work in child protection. “CPS is often seen as the enemy,” she said. “But we don’t want to take kids. We want to build safety plans, keep babies with their moms, and avoid trauma wherever possible.”
Tory brings lived experience. “I’ve detoxed while pregnant. I’ve felt the judgment when I admitted I used. I know how isolating it is—and how powerful it is when someone simply says, ‘I care.’”
Together, they’re designing a layered support system for women who often fall through every existing crack. The starting point is support groups—intimate, peer-led spaces where moms in recovery can share, connect, and heal. They’re also developing crisis protocols, transportation assistance, and basic needs access—essentials like bus passes and help with everyday errands that can make or break recovery.
But that’s just the beginning
Down the line, EmpowerHer aims to launch a residential recovery program—a place where moms can live with their children while receiving the treatment and resources they need.
“Right now, if a mom has nowhere safe to stay, her only options are shelters—or worse, losing custody,” Tory said. “We want to offer a third option. One that says, you can get help, and you can stay with your kids.”
CPS’s goal is short-term to stabilize and connect to services for the families and EmpowerHer will step in to be the long-term support to ensure the families have wraparound support,” Tara said
Learning The Business Side— Fast
After winning the top prize at Spark Tank—$12,500 in seed funding through the Jeremiah Program’s Inspiration Awards—Tara and Tory hit the ground running. They registered with the Secretary of State, secured an EIN, and began setting up a nonprofit structure.
“We’re social workers. Not business majors. So the administrative side? It’s been a learning curve,” Tara said.
They’ve tapped into every resource available:
- We Sparkle, a nonprofit startup accelerator, helped them build systems and frameworks
- The Acceleration Project (TAP) provided mentorship and coaching.
- SCHEELS, ShareHouse, the owner of DownHome, and Sanford all have helped EmpowerHer with connections and advice, with a few of them promising financial support in the future
Each conversation, each meeting, has pushed EmpowHer forward. And it’s not just logistical progress— it’s emotional momentum. “When people hear what we’re doing, their reaction is often, ‘This should already exist,’” Tory said. “That tells us we’re on the right path.”
Tara and Tory are adamant that their support group model will be built with, not for, the women they serve. Before launching, they’re conducting one-on-one outreach—talking to moms in recovery, asking about their needs, listening to their pain points.
“Sure, I’ve seen patterns through CPS,” Tara said. “And Tory’s lived it. But if we want this to work, we have to hear directly from these women.”
Thanks to partnerships with ShareHouse and other recovery organizations, EmpowerHer is already being introduced to moms who may become the program’s first participants—or its co-creators. “We’re not just building a service,” Tory said. “We’re building a community.”
What makes EmpowHer different isn’t just its goals—it’s the tone. There’s no shame, no red tape, no judgment. Just two women saying:
“We’ve been there. We see you.”
“We’re not trying to replace CPS,” Tara said. “We’re trying to add something that doesn’t exist yet—a peer-led, street-level safety net that starts with trust.”
That means showing up in hospitals, clinics, transitional housing— wherever women are. It means saying, “You don’t have to do this alone.” And it means changing the very narrative around recovery and motherhood
Tara and Tory are well aware that they’re building something from scratch. No big budget. No legacy infrastructure. Just two women with firsthand knowledge of the system’s gaps—and a burning conviction that the gap shouldn’t exist.
Their early plans for EmpowerHer include piloting a cohort-based support group model, offering transportation and childcare access, and helping mothers in crisis develop personalized action plans—a kind of “crisis protocol” they hope will be replicable and scalable.
They’re starting small—but intentionally. “We could build the most beautiful program on paper,” Tory said, “but if it doesn’t meet women where they actually are, it won’t matter. So that’s where we’re starting—with real voices, real needs, and building from there.”
We’re not just building a service, we’re building a community.”
ShareHouse and other local partners have already opened their doors to help shape EmpowerHer’s first offerings. They’re also connecting Tara and Tory with moms who might benefit from or help refine the program. These conversations, Tara said, have been some of the most affirming moments so far. “It’s powerful to say to a woman, ‘We’re building something that’s for you, with you.’ And to hear her say, ‘I needed this five years ago.’ That’s when we know—we’re onto something real.”
What They Need: Investment, Mentorship, And Awareness
With their support group model on track for a summer launch, EmpowerHer’s co-founders are seeking connections—especially in the local business community. “Yes, funding is important,” Tara said. “But just as valuable is mentorship. If you’ve built something from the ground up, if you’ve launched a nonprofit or a small business—we’d love to talk. Even just to grab coffee.”
They’re also hoping to meet community leaders, philanthropists, healthcare professionals, and social service providers who want to be part of something new. “This is a big vision,” Tory said. “Eventually, we want a facility. Staff. A full continuum of care. But we’re also realists. And we’re willing to build slow if it means we get it right.”
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For readers and business leaders who want to help but aren’t sure how, the answer might be simpler than expected. Tell someone. Share the story. Talk about the need. “Even just building word-of-mouth awareness,” Tory said, “That’s huge. Because the women who need us? They often don’t even know we exist yet.”
A Final Word To The Community
EmpowerHer isn’t just a nonprofit. It’s a movement. A bold, local response to a national crisis. And it’s being built—right now—by two moms who refused to let their pain be the end of their story
They’re asking Fargo–Moorhead to rally behind them—not out of charity, but solidarity.
“Because even the strongest moms need support,” Tara said.
“And even the most broken moments can become the start of something beautiful,” Tory said.
