Makitha Griffin created a business out of one of her favorite activities – helping other people.
Griffin’s “Mum Away From Mom” business coordinates gifts and baked goods to Auburn University students who need a pick-me-up. Or, in some cases, a literal pick up – such as a ride to the doctor’s office.
“I’m hoping that God can allow me to do this full time,” Griffin, who began the business in 2024, told AL.com. “I just absolutely love it. I love the kids. I love meeting the parents. I just love being able to help a parent who is so far away from their child to sometimes put a smile on their face.”
Griffin, a mother of two, has been in the healthcare industry for more than two decades, so taking care of other people is her livelihood. But she also remembers a time when she helped others as a volunteer, even when she needed support.
She lost five relatives in the tornado in Beauregard on March 30, 2019, which was her birthday. Even though she knew some of her loved ones died, she spent the next six days at a local fire station and a middle school to coordinate getting food and supplies to other victims.
“I did not want to go out and look for people,” Griffin said. “My heart couldn’t take it. But I wanted to stay there and help people and do whatever I could.”
“I was so focused,” she said.
So she doesn’t think twice about giving students soup when they’re sick, driving them to urgent care or even cleaning their apartment.
Griffin said most of the students are not from Alabama and they’re varying ages, not just 18-year-old freshmen. Every student she works with is “very much on their own.”
“Sometimes it’s just hard for out-of-state parents to figure out what’s best,” she said. “Should their child go to the ER? Should they go to urgent care?”
There’s at least one other Alabama-based concierge mom service, “Local Mommas,” for University of Alabama students. Nationally, these businesses are popping up near colleges in multiple states, including California, Iowa, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Arizona.
Pamela Ellis, owner of Compass College Advisory, has spent the past 15 years helping high school students make the transition to college and thrive once they enroll. Concierge services may be helpful, she said, as long as parents also make sure their adult children also gain skills to live on their own.
“There’s a lot of resources that are often untapped or students are not even aware of that are right there on campus for them,” she said. Annually, Auburn parents pick their favorite services and businesses in a spring “Parents’ Choice Awards” poll, according to Lady Cox, associate vice president of student services.
The list includes categories such as favorite restaurants, oil change repair shops and hair salons. It’s available online and printed out for parents attending Auburn’s first-year student orientation Camp War Eagle.
Cox has heard of concierge mom services and said they’re always looking to add more categories to tell families about.
“If parents like them, that’s the biggest thing,” Cox said. “They have to be voted on by the parents. And then if that’s who parents say they want to use, then we’ll amplify them and we’re happy to support them.”
Her clients suggested expanding to Tuskegee. Right now, she’s a one-woman shop. Her dream is to eventually have a brick-and-mortar space.
“I just try to do what their mom would do,” Griffin said.
As 2025 comes to a close, AL.com is bringing you the stories that make us smile and warm our hearts. In the series 31 Days of Good News, you’ll hear about the helpers, community leaders and organizations making Alabama better. If you have an idea for a story, email us at news@al.com.
