Easton MOMs Club Gives Back to the Community

The Easton MOMs Club isn't just about play dates and mother to mother comradery. The organization, which boasts over 100 members in town, has been dedicated to providing top-notch community service over the past year.

If you don't believe them, they've got the hardware to prove it.

"The International MOMs club sends awards every year," Club President Maureen Silverleib said. "We got six this year, mostly for the service projects that we’ve done."

The club's six awards, received under last year's president Amy Gemmitti, range from being an outstanding overall chapter to recognition for specific service projects it has participated in.

The Clubs awards include: Outstanding Overall Chapter; Outstanding Overall Service Program; Outstanding Overall Community Support; Outstanding Specific Service Project: Toe Jam Puppet Band Fundraising Concert; Outstanding Specific Service Project: Support of Austin Family; and support of the Mother-to-Mother Fund.

For Silverleib, it’s the little things the club does that are so important.

"That’s one of the things that people don’t know about the MOMs club," she said. "They think its playgroups and activities and fundraisers but we also do support services. If there’s a mom that’s had a new baby or a family that’s going through a trying time or something like that, they’ll get together a group of moms and make a meal. They’ll put a schedule together and drop it off on a certain day. It’s the little things like that that help out so much."

Other projects, like providing a family with food and gifts during the holidays through My Brother's Keeper have kept the club busy.

But, the club still manages to have fun with their kids while offering support for other the community.

Last month, the group held a winter carnival at Games like "pin the carrot on the snowman," "ice bowling" and basketball earned prizes for the kids while raising money for the club. Silverleib said the carnival raised over $900 and they hope to host a similar "Spring Fling" in the coming months.

"I cannot say enough about Maplewood," she said. "They’ve always supported us. They donated the facilities and we had a balloon maker and face painter and we got the gymnastics room open and the gym."

Local mothers have also found companionship through the MOMs club. The club's newest member was no exception, Silverleib said.

"She just moved here from Cincinatti and she said one of the reasons she chose Easton was how great it was for families," she said. "She just joined the MOMs club yesterday and reached out to me and I said ‘come join the playgroup.’ She was just so happy to meet other moms."

Easton is the perfect location for a club like the MOMs club to thrive, Silverleib said. Places like the Maplewood, , , Borderland and the are all great places to bring the kids.

Even Silverleib's 2 1/2 year-old son, Matthew, can't drive by the Children's Museum without wanting to stop.

"He’s only 2 and a half and now if we drive through the center of town and haven’t been there in a while he asks to go there," she said. "He knows exactly where it is."

Easton's mom-friendly backdrop has inspired the club to invest in the community. Much of the fundraising from the Winter Carnival and Spring Fling will benefit the Children's Museum and the club will fund a $250 scholarship for an senior this year.

The Club uses facilities at the Children's Museum and Maplewood on a regular basis.

"We thought to hone back in our hometown this year," she said.

Giving back to the community is the least the club can do after all it has given them, Silverleib said.

"I think its just a great town because of the great community support you get here," she said.