Facing increasing costs for gas and child care, more moms in the coastal Carolinas and across the nation are making their way back into the work force, and some are finding alternative ways to get their college degrees to increase their income.
Project Working Mom in 2006 began offering scholarships to working and single moms who wanted to get their degrees online. The project was overwhelmed with more than 50,000 applications for only a handful of scholarships.
Now, two years later, the group offers 50 full-tuition scholarships worth more than $2 million.
Tara Hacklin, 33, of Carolina Forest, hopes to receive one of the scholarships.
She has three children: an 8-year-old daughter and twin 3-year-old boys. She lives with her mom, grandmother and several other relatives.
"I tried to go to school when I was younger, but you know how it is when you go to school because your parents want you to. I made some mistakes, but I'm ready to get my life going," she said.
She applied for a Project Working Mom scholarship to study business online so she eventually could stop working low-paying retail jobs.
Read the complete story at myrtlebeachonline.com