Helping homeless moms ‘get their shot’ at opportunity and education

Deborah Koenigsberger was taking her little boys to the playground one fall morning in 1994 when she stopped short, seeing a mother and her toddler sleeping in a cardboard box. A longtime New Yorker with a comfortable lifestyle, husband, connections, and a business, Ms. Koenigsberger knew she could help women like this – but didn’t know how. 

So, after speaking to a friend who volunteered with homeless single moms, Ms. Koenigsberger began advising these women on how to dress and carry themselves. That December, she shifted money from Christmas presents her sons didn’t need to provide Christmas for 135 shelter kids. She hired a Santa, catered