Keyonia and her twins

Four-year-old twins, Jermaine and Ja’lee, start kindergarten in September.

Their mother, Keyonia Williams, 24, credits Dru/Mondawmin Healthy Families (DRUM) with helping her and her children reach this exciting milestone.

After learning about DRUM through a family friend, Keyonia enrolled while pregnant with the twins in 2012. She was assigned to Family Support Worker Latesa Allen.

“Keyonia has been really pleasant to work with,” says Ms. Latesa. “I know it was challenging for her when the twins were born prematurely. They were still in the hospital when she came home. She didn’t have transportation, but she would walk from her house in West Baltimore to the University of Maryland Medical Center—about 45 minutes—to see her babies. And she didn’t complain.”

---

Keyonia says without support from her family and DRUM, raising the twins would be overwhelming.
“Ms. Latesa offers good advice, and she has always been here to make sure I stay on the right track,” she says.

In addition to identifying age-appropriate educational activities for Keyonia to enjoy with her children, Ms. Latesa and Keyonia developed six-month strategies to help the young mother achieve her personal goals.

“If she didn’t achieve a goal within six months, she attacked it during the next six months and reached every goal she set for herself,” says Ms. Latesa.

Some of the goals she checked off her list include, securing her own apartment, becoming the manager at her job, earning her learner’s permit, and completing driver’s school.

“Every step of the way they’ve [DRUM] been making sure I achieve what I planned,” Keyonia says.
Her next goal is to pass the driving test, and drop her twins off at school on their first day.