Enchanting Entertainment, our area's "premiere princess and superhero party entertainment company", is graciously donating a portion of their proceeds to TMC, from any booking made between now and Saturday, January 16, 2016. They have graciously allowed us to re-post their blog interview this week with our own beloved executive director, Lauren Barnes. Find the link to their website at the bottom, and book away!
Happy New Year Royals!
We hope the first week and a half of 2016 has brought you and yours refreshment and joy. We are busy around these parts booking parties and events for the next several months. As we look to all we’d like to accomplish in 2016, one of our goals is to intentionally give back to local nonprofits that are doing incredible things in our community.
This week is the 5th birthday of one such local nonprofit, the Motherhood Collective. To help celebrate this milestone we are donating a portion of proceeds from all bookings made this week (Tuesday January 11-Saturday January 16.) So if you’d like to schedule a party some time between now and May, do it this week to help this great organization!
We got the pleasure of sitting down with Executive Director Lauren Barnes to learn more about the Motherhood Collective. Enjoy this brief interview!
EEC: First of all, happy birthday to the Motherhood Collective! For those of our readers who don’t know, will you tell us about what the nonprofit’s mission is and what it provides to the local community?
LB: The Motherhood Collective educates and supports women by providing free programming from preconception through postpartum. We are committed to “nurturing the mother to grow the child,” by equipping and empowering women with education.
EEC: What caused the Motherhood Collective to be born five years ago?
LB: The Motherhood Collective was born out of my own personal story. After struggling to get pregnant, longing for greater options and choices surrounding pregnancy and birth, and suffering from postpartum depression I knew something must be done.
One in four women struggle with infertility or pregnancy loss. One in five women struggle with postpartum depression. The US ranks 60th in maternal mortality among developed countries.
The need for an organization like The Motherhood Collective was just too great – we had to fill in the gap and create a structure of social support where women could receive education in a nonthreatening and non-polarizing manner.
EEC: So what has happened over the last five years? It seems like it has grown quite a bit.
LB: Over the past five years we have seen tremendous growth. We are so thankful that the community has come to see us as a partner and ally in improving the lives of our women and families.
Our programming aligns with our goal to educate and support from preconception through postpartum. We provide support groups for both mother grief and perinatal anxiety and depression alongside our playgroup, Café and Café Express.
Our social media presence has grown tremendously as well. Our Facebook page remains our primary source of interaction during the week, while our Instagram account has followers from all over the world. We are so excited to have launched a live feed on the new app Periscope today! We encourage women to connect on any of these platforms that works for them to continue receiving education and support even at 2 AM.
EEC: What kinds of topics are discussed at Motherhood Collective gatherings?
LB: You are referencing our twice monthly panel discussions at our flagship program, the Café. Once again, our topics align with our mission, so you might attend a discussion among OBGYNs, Endrocrinologists, and fertility specialists on the Causes of Infertility and Miscarriage in the same month in which you might attend a Creative Parenting discussion led by developmental specialists, counselors, and preschool directors. Each panel discussion is well-moderated and designed to allow the audience to interact and glean pertinent information.
EEC: Where can we go to learn more?
LB: Readers can learn more and also visit our interactive calendar by going to our website: www.themotherhoodcollective.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/themotherhoodcollective
Instagram: themotherhoodcollective
Twitter: _themotherhood
Periscope: _themotherhood
Be sure to book your upcoming celebration this week for a portion to be donated to the Motherhood Collective! Fill out the booking form here to get started.