Our Mission
A Step Ahead Foundation of West Tennessee aims to prevent teen and unintended pregnancies by providing FREE long-acting reversible contraception (LARC), the most effective reversible methods of birth control, to women in West Tennessee.
Our Vision
A Step Ahead Foundation of West Tennessee hopes to improve educational, economic, and health outcomes for women and children in West Tennessee. By providing access to long-acting reversible contraception (LARC), we hope to increase positive pregnancy outcomes for both the mother and the child, lower infant mortality, and improve family life. We hope to decrease poverty by reducing economic strain and encourage career opportunities before childbirth.
Our History
Claudia Haltom founded a A Step Ahead Foundation in Memphis in 2011, driven by her 17 years of experience as a Juvenile Court Judicial Magistrate. From the bench, Haltom saw and ruled on cases in which the parent was a single mother who had become pregnant while she was in school, dropped out, and had one or more babies before she was emotionally, physically, or financially prepared to provide for her children. Before A Step Ahead Foundation was founded these young women did not have easy access to the most effective methods of reversible birth control. Claudia Haltom resolved to devote her retirement to making sure all young women had access to birth control so they could plan their futures and achieve their full potential.