Wellroot Family Services hosted its fourth annual Milestones Luncheon, honoring the 2026 Healthy Families program graduates, and all the parents and babies who received maternal and infant support. This summer, 86 adults and 42 children filled Hinton Hall at Duluth First United Methodist Church for an afternoon of celebration and fellowship.
Since 2023, when Wellroot held its first Milestones luncheon for the new moms joining Healthy Families North Georgia™, the event has become a cherished tradition for our families, whether they are crossing the finish line after three years in the program or still in the early, sleep-deprived months of becoming new parents.
“Today is about honoring the families completing milestones in 2026,” Allison Ashe, Wellroot’s president and CEO, told the room, “and recognizing the commitment, care, and perseverance that brought each family to this moment.”
Six mothers earned graduation certificates this year. Three of them, Briana, Natasha and Brandie, were able to join the celebration in person, walking across the stage with their children beside them. Their certificates marked years of quiet, unglamorous work: learning to read a baby’s cues before he could speak, building a bedtime routine that held even on the hardest days, finding the confidence to ask for help and, eventually, the confidence to offer it to someone else.
Brandie’s journey captures what those years of work look like up close. She entered the program while separated from her husband and navigating real family stress. After her son Ezra was born, she experienced postpartum depression, a struggle she spoke about in her own Milestones video. Christina, her family support specialist, has watched that story turn a corner. “Brandie’s story is one of resilience,” Christina said. “With support from Healthy Families and a strong family network, she has built confidence as a parent, improved her mental well-being, and helped Ezra thrive.” Christina added that Brandie is “highly engaged, attentive, and responsive” to Ezra, and knows just as well when to guide his play as when to step back and let him lead. Today Ezra can identify colors, count to 10, and talk circles around kids twice his size.
As Allison reminded the room, Healthy Families is built on partnership. “Healthy Families is a partnership between parents and Family Support Specialists,” she said, “to ensure every child has the tools, resources, and encouragement they need to thrive.”
That partnership shows up in the numbers behind the celebration. Last year alone, Wellroot supported more than 650 moms through First Step screenings and provided home visitation to 172 families across Georgia, each one paired with a specialist who shows up, week after week, helping them set goals, build on their strengths, and become the parents they want to be.
None of it happens without a supportive community behind it. For the fourth year running, Duluth First United Methodist Church hosted the luncheon, opening its doors to families and staff alike. Oak Grove United Methodist Church donated diapers and helped fund transportation for families getting to the celebration, along with self-care bags filled with lotions and candles for the moms. Hewlett-Packard, under the leadership of Eric Jones, donated baby bags stocked with essentials for moms and their babies, gifts that will still be in use long after the certificates are framed and the cake is gone. And Quad Score sent each graduate home with chocolate, a keepsake frame, and a gift card, small tokens to help capture the special day.
Allison closed the event with a word of thanks to the families themselves, for “welcoming our team into your homes and allowing us to walk alongside you as you strengthened relationships, celebrated growth milestones, and built a strong foundation for your children.”
Thank you to all the donors and supporters that help fund Wellroot’s maternal and infant support programs. Through your support, more children are growing up in safe and loving homes.
