On December 19, members of the MOMS Club of Mint Hill ® visited with residents at Clear Creek Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.
Moms and children from the club gathered with residents to decorate no-bake Minnie and Mickey Mouse cookies. The gathering gave the residents a chance to interact with the youngsters and moms from the club. As part of this community outreach project, the club members also brought residents small holiday gifts of non-slip socks and Mary Kay products as well as cards made by the children at their annual family holiday party.
This is the third time the MOMS Club of Mint Hill has collaborated with Clear Creek Nursing and Rehabilitation. The Moms Club first visited the Center last Christmas for a small gathering with residents in the Community Room. They then returned for Valentine’s day to visit room-bound residents and deliver small gifts and Valentine cards.
The MOMS Club is a local chapter of MOMS Club International , a nonprofit organization based in California. Local MOMS Clubs chapters like the one based in Mint Hill provide support and enrichment for stay-at-home mothers in the community, but community service is also a vital part of every MOMS Club chapter. Each local chapter is required to undertake and complete at least one charitable, humanitarian or social welfare project related to children each year.
The visit to Clear Creek is one of several community service initiatives in which the MOMS Club of Mint Hill takes part. So far this year, the MOMS Club has collected supplies for students in need at Lebanon Road Elementary and supplies for the Mint Hill Public Library.
The idea to visit the Nursing Home came from Corey Travaglini, MOMS Club of Mint Hill Service Coordinator and mom to John, Natalie and Thomas. Travaglini originally got the idea from a friend who worked as a registered nurse at Clear Creek. Her friend had seen Travaglini’s involvement with the MOMS Club and some of the activities the club had done and suggested that the residents would love it if the club could visit the Nursing Home. “That would be cool!” thought Travaglini. “Maybe the MOMS Club could go there for Christmas.”
Monday’s activity was organized in coordination with Clear Creek’s Activity Director Maryanne Masullo. Masullo coordinates at least two activities each week day for residents as well as additional activities on weekends. Weekend activities are often sponsored by local churches. “Elevation Church is our biggest contributor,” says Masullo. Hope Church and Shining Light also frequently sponsor programs.
MOMS Club Associate Vice President Sloan Ware, mom to Stewart, thinks it’s important for the MOMS Club to undertake charitable projects like this one. “It’s good to teach selfless acts and good deeds, at any age,” she says, “even though all Stewart did was eat the Oreos! Hopefully the residents got some joy out of it.”
Travaglini is looking into three or four different ideas for service projects in the spring. She also hopes to be able to return to Clear Creek for Valentine’s Day!
