This weekend, a new event in PLAINS TWP. put moms in the spotlight for Mother's Day.
The first MomCONnect convention, dedicated to motherhood, took place at the Keystone Grand Ballroom at Mohegan Pennsylvania. It allowed local mothers to learn about available resources.
The ballroom was filled with local vendors offering services to support women through different stages of motherhood. Featured speakers and workshops provided important insights for the journey through motherhood.
MomCONnect was organized by Be Well NEPA and MamaBird, local organizations dedicated to family health and wellness, especially for mothers. The main organizers, Mary Vanesko from Be Well NEPA and Melissa Obuch from MamaBird, came up with the idea.
Vanesko explained, "Myself and my partner at Be Well NEPA, along with Melissa from MamaBird, wanted to provide services and resources to support moms in the community who need it."
It turned out to be a great collaboration among like-minded individuals and organizations.
“Both Be Well NEPA and MamaBird are passionate about supporting families in need, and together, we were able to connect and create a plan to offer those resources,” Vanesko said.
The MomCONnect team aimed to provide more than just a fundraiser, seeking to offer a comprehensive experience in celebrating motherhood. They collaborated with vendors and speakers for this purpose.
The positive response from attendees indicates that their efforts to go the extra mile have been fruitful.
Obuch commented, “Many attending moms in the area have expressed gratitude for having an event like this. It's not just about shopping and baked goods, it's about community resources.”
In selecting vendors, Obuch and Vanesko drew on their experiences as community organizers to bring in relevant sources of information that could assist the target demographic.
“We identified specific vendors in the area who we've previously worked with and felt were truly beneficial to the community,” Obuch said. “We aimed to showcase their businesses and demonstrate all the positive aspects.”
After reaching out to familiar resources, they expanded their search to include other businesses with lesser-known insights into motherhood. The leadership team pushed themselves to think creatively to complete the vendor roster.
“We considered what services would benefit parents, not just the ones we know, but also what moms and families really need but may not be aware of, such as wellness studios and spas,” Vanesko said.
For the vendors, MomCONnect provided an opportunity to interact with attending mothers and other business people who share similar priorities.
Brennah Riley, a nutritionist in the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program at Maternal Family and Health Services (MFHS), spent the afternoon promoting the pregnancy and postpartum counseling services offered by MFHS.
But Riley also took the time to check out the vendor area of MomCONnect so that she could recommend all of the community resources available to attendees.
“I made my rounds before I sat down at the table and saw what was out there,” Riley said. “When I’m talking to participants about our programs, I could inform them about all of these different resources, too.”
While Maternal Family and Health Services is a well-established resource for Pennsylvania mothers, other vendors were attempting to spread awareness about the resources they can offer.
Nicole Frail, a senior editor at Skyhorse Publishing in New York, started her own editing business for writers and other small businesses in 2015.
The business, Nicole Frail Edits, may not seem like a natural fit at MomCONnect, but Frail saw an opportunity to connect with moms who have set aside their creative passions.
“Moms are typically writing between naps and late at night, or they put it on hold when their kids are young,” Frail said. “So this might be a chance to try to connect with the local moms in the local community to find a way to help them get back to the things that they love, which could be writing.”
Regardless of how each vendor, speaker or attendee arrived at MomCONnect, it was not lost on anyone that the event was being held the day before Mother’s Day.
Obuch, a mother and a dedicated advocate for the wellness of all moms, recognized the significance of the weekend in which the event was being held.
“Mother’s Day is a celebration of motherhood, and the power and beauty behind it. So why not have an event that leads into that? There are so many moms out there that aren’t supported and that aren’t celebrated,” said Obuch. “This is a really awesome opportunity for the moms to just feel seen and supported and celebrated today, because you don’t know what might be happening tomorrow.”
