What is MUST

M.U.S.T., formerly known as Mothers United to Save our Teens, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization focused on supporting at-risk youth, specifically teens, and parents through the most challenging years of life.  Among other things, we help parents and their teens to build effective communication skills and relationship techniques. 

M.U.S.T. was founded by Vonetta Wade, a single mother who was experiencing continuous mental and emotional stress and feeling like she was failing as a parent due to non-effective communication and constant conflict with her teenage daughter.  

Vonetta, the daughter of a teen mom, left home when she was just 14 years old due to "conflict" with her mom who was struggling with drug abuse due to the trauma she had experienced for many years. She never learned what a healthy parent-child relationship should be.  

Shortly after leaving home, Vonetta became a teen mom herself. She was determined to break the cycle. She lacked effective parenting skills and self-awareness, so it was a continuous struggle.  She founded M.U.S.T. as a means to get and give support to other parents and teens dealing with the same challenges.  

This program not only helped Vonetta and her daughter's relationship to grow stronger, but it has helped many other families as well.  It has evolved into a platform for helping teens grow into successful, self-aware, confident, and productive adults and leaders. 

We understand that effective communication is the key to any lasting and successful relationship. With that in mind, our goal is to encourage healthy interaction and dialogue between the parent and child. 

We believe this is the first step in rebuilding the family and thus will eventually lead to the rebuilding of our communities.