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Mocha Moms
Moms supporting moms
By Carrie Bishop • Today's Family Writer
Dee Dee Reed calls Mocha Moms a lifeline. Like many area women, Reed is raising a family in a community far from family roots.
“My husband would go to work, and while it is work it is also an instant circle of associations. As a stay-at-home mom, you don’t have that. You may run into someone at a story time or Little Gym, but in terms of lasting relationships, Mocha Moms provides an opportunity to build relationships with those who have similar experiences,” says Reed who is the president of the Cleveland East chapter.
Mocha Moms is a national support group for moms who have decided to modify or eliminate employment to devote more time to their families and communities. While the organization started out as an outlet for mothers of color, Reed and Teresa Sims, president of Cleveland’s Southeast Suburban chapter of Mocha Moms, both say the organization is diverse and moms of all ethnicities and career aspirations tap into the organization for support. They describe the group as a healthy mix of all kinds of moms.
Both area chapters meet monthly. The East chapter meets the second Friday of each month, 10 a.m. to noon, at Family Connections in Cleveland Heights and the Southeast Suburban chapter meets the third Friday of each month, 10 a.m. to noon, at the Twinsburg Public Library. The meetings are a time to socialize and typically include a guest speaker on topics like women’s health or child rearing.
Beyond the monthly meetings, members regularly get together for moms’ night out activities, coffee and conversation, playdates, and more including date nights with spouses and family picnics.
In addition to self- and family-enrichment programs, Mocha Moms considers community service an important aspect of membership.
At a national level the organization’s community service efforts focus on the health, educational, and financial disparities that exist in the United States. It partners with Black Women’s Health Imperative, Boys Booked on Barbershops, National CARES Mentoring Movement, National Institute for Literacy, National Marrow Donor Program, and others.
Locally the groups work within the community to make Cleveland a better place to live. For instance, this year the Southeast Suburban chapter set up a reading nook for neighborhood kids at So Curly, So Kinky, So Straight salon and the East chapter is working with Laura’s House to establish a reading nook for kids there at the shelter. “Our goal is for kids to have access to books. Next year we will replenish and add more,” Reed says.
Other local service initiatives have included participation in the Gift of Life Walk and Run and the Southeast Suburban chapter’s annual Celebration of Fatherhood luncheon from which they donate a portion of the proceeds to the Fatherhood Initiative of Cuyahoga County.
Mocha Moms membership costs $40 annually and childcare is provided during each meeting at a cost of $5 per family. All women are welcome to join Mocha Moms. It is simply “moms supporting other moms,” says Sims
Learn more at www.clevelandmochas.weebly.com, www.semochamoms.webs.com, or www.mochamoms.org.
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