On Friday, December 15, volunteers from the MOMS Club of Mint Hill visited Clear Creek Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.
The nine moms and their children brought cookies to decorate with the residents. Also present at Clear Creek that morning were moms and children from a homeschool group led by Corey Travaglini, a former member of the MOMS Club of Mint Hill. Travaglini’s group brought a Christmas craft to complete with residents.
“We had the joy of decorating cookies and a stocking with Catherine,” says MOMS Club Associate Vice President Barbie Tallent, who brought her three-year-old Nathaniel. “She is an amazing woman and mother of seven! We compared kid names and talked about what it is like to be a mother of twins. This was definitely time well spent.”
When cookie decorating and craft time had concluded, volunteers from both groups spent some time walking around the nursing home visiting with residents in hallways and common areas as well as some who are room-bound. The groups handed out cards made by Tallent. “Nathaniel ended up making room visits and helped me roll a few ladies to their rooms,” says Tallent. “We visited with Mrs. Rosa for a while. She is 100 years old!”
“Seeing the residents’ faces as they watched the kids, it’s pure joy and excitement,” says MOMS Club President Jennifer Allen, who brought her two-year-old Mackenzie to the nursing home. “Most of them don’t get to see small children very often. I think we had a really great turnout today, and several of the residents thanked us for coming, so I would call it a success!”
The MOMS Club has frequently partnered with Clear Creek in the past, visiting with residents for both Christmas and Valentine’s day. “I chose this project because I can see the need that exists there,” says MOMS Club Service Coordinator Jennifer Stanley. “The need for company, the need for activity, the need to feel like they haven’t been forgotten and that someone cares. In my mind, all of these needs would be accentuated during the holiday season, which is all about celebrating with family and friends.”
Visiting with residents at Clear Creek is one of two service projects the MOMS Club completed this holiday season. The club also collected donations of new toys and gift cards for Servant’s Heart Christmas Assistance Program. Stanley hopes to return to Clear Creek in the future, possibly around holidays. “I want to keep them in the rotation because they are so kid friendly, but I also want to offer our members variety in the projects I coordinate so they can see all the opportunities that exist both with kids and without.”
