Note from the mamas: The following article was written by Angela Hopkins, the fearless, tireless Director of Sales for nwaMotherlode.com. When we hired her and then told her that we wanted to plan and host a Mom Prom in only three months, she didn’t tell us we were nuts and she didn’t run away either. We’re eternally grateful for all her hard work and dedication to this event. Go Team Mom Prom!
by Angela Hopkins, Director of Sales for nwaMotherlode.com
When I was hired in January to become the Director of Sales of NWAMotherlode.com team, co-founders Gwen Rockwood and Shannon Magsam had high hopes to bring a unique charity event to Northwest Arkansas. “We want to bring a mom prom to our area!” they said, “and we want to do it THIS year!” The mamas of NWAMotherlode.com wanted to find a charity that was close to mothers’ hearts – one that also needed a fundraising event to help spread the word about its needs.
We partnered with the Cobblestone Project, a non-profit group on a mission to become a “Community Without Need”. One of their programs, Laundry Love, spoke to us in LOADS. The program partners with area Laundromats to help cover the costs of cleaning the clothes of those families living in poverty in Northwest Arkansas. Every mother we know can relate to doing laundry, so this was a perfect fit.
Having personally grown up living at the poverty level, I know how it feels to not have the luxury of having a washer and dryer in my home. I know how those children feel. So this program really spoke to me.
Plus, both NWAMotherlode.com and Cobblestone Project are celebrating their 5th anniversary this May, so both organizations certainly have reason to celebrate.
So in as little as three months, we kicked into high gear, booked a venue and many area businesses stepped up to sponsor the event. Through God’s grace and lots of hard work, we made it happen! We’re so grateful to the Northwest Arkansas businesses that sponsored the event, and we hope to have them and even more companies on board for next year’s Mom Prom.
All the numbers are in and the mamas of NWAMotherlode.com are thrilled to announce that the NWA Mom Prom event raised $3,000 for the Cobblestone Project’s Laundry Love program. These proceeds will help hundreds of families that sometimes have to make the choice between paying rent or buying food over washing their children’s clothes. The money raised will fund the project’s costs for more than two months. Wow. We are so excited that our inaugural event was a success and so many women had a fabulous girls’ night out that also made a difference in our community.
The NWA Mom Prom had almost 330 ladies in attendance. From red carpet pictures to dancing the night away with friends, the evening became a much needed getaway for moms and women in the area. Here are just a few of the comments we received on the event’s Facebook page:
- “What an amazing time I had. Can’t wait for next year!”
- “My friends and I had an absolute blast. Thank-you so much. We are already planning for next year’s prom.”
- “Thank you so much! Our group had a wonderful time. Best Prom Ever!!! We can’t wait until next year.”
- “What a great event!! I had so much fun tonight!! I danced until my calves cramped. I had to walk to the car barefoot. ”
The response has been overwhelming, and we’re excited to already be in the planning stages for next year’s NWA Mom Prom event. We hope to announce the date for the 2014 charity event soon, so be sure to “like” NWA Mom Prom on FB and sign up for the weekly email newsletter on NWAMotherlode.com to be among the first to find out our next year’s NWA Mom Prom, a “prom with a purpose.” We hope to dance the night away with you next year!
Congrats!
Thank you, Debbie! Our Prom mission was two-fold: to raise money for this deserving charity and to gift moms and women with a much-needed night out to bond and have fun. Happy both goals were met! 🙂