By Lacresha Duffey
Community Doulas of Waco began with a calling. In 2019, after a pilot doula program at CareNet ended, founder Tonja Carpenter felt a strong prompting from God to continue the work. As a doula herself—offering support to women in her church through their pregnancies—Tonja knew firsthand the power of emotional, physical, and informational care during birth and postpartum. But she also knew how hard it was to find professional guidance and mentorship when starting out. She didn’t want other women to go without the support she had needed. So, she took a leap of faith and launched a nonprofit dedicated to providing free doula services to women on government assistance.
What started with just four clients in its first year has grown into a thriving, community-rooted organization. By our second year, we served 26 families. In 2024, we reached our goal of supporting 96 mothers, and in 2025, we’re on track to serve 120. Each number represents a woman empowered, a family strengthened, and a story of care.
Our mission is simple but bold: to improve maternal health outcomes in McLennan County by expanding access to doula care—and to the doula profession. One of the most beautiful parts of our model is how we grow from within. Many of our doulas were once clients. Through our mentorship program, we empower them with cost sharing for doula training, professional development, and support so they can return to serve their own communities.
One of our first clients, LaCresha Duffey, became a certified postpartum doula and eventually joined our staff as Administrative Assistant. Today, our admin team also includes a Social Media Communications Manager, a Doula Care Coordinator, and a Bookkeeper. In 2024, we welcomed seven new doulas to the team, and our Birth Doula and Doula Care Coordinator was honored as Best of Waco in the Doula Care category in 2025.
As we’ve grown, we’ve also built strong relationships with community partners who share our vision for maternal and family health. We’ve collaborated with Waco Family Medicine, Nurse-Family Partnership, Waco Birth Center, Lactation Services of Waco, and local hospitals to ensure holistic, wraparound support for the families we serve. These partnerships help us reach more mothers, provide seamless referrals, and advocate for the dignity and well-being of birthing mothers throughout McLennan County.With a grant from the Episcopal Health Foundation, we expanded our reach beyond Waco to serve families throughout McLennan County. Still, our vision remains rooted in the same dream that started it all: creating generational healing. We believe empowered moms raise strong families—and strong families build thriving communities.