Celebrating 10 Years of Mom2Mom
March 5, 2022
Today, Mom2Mom celebrates our ten-year anniversary.
To acknowledge this incredible milestone, we sat down with board member Nicola Ingram, who has been part of Mom2Mom (M2M) since the beginning, to share her thoughts on the organization’s past, present, and future.
Mom2Mom began as an ambitious idea when Dr. Barb Fitzgerald, after working as a developmental paediatrician in Vancouver East side elementary schools, saw the negative impact of isolation and poverty on the moms and children she served. She knew that what children really needed to succeed was a stable parent with a well-connected support system. Dr. Joanne Roussey was moved by Dr. Fitzgerald’s description of the work and the two women pooled their networks to launch M2M.
Nicola was working as a school counsellor at an inner-city elementary school when she heard about M2M through her connection with Dr. Fitzgerald. Initially, M2M was an entirely volunteer run organization—a core group of women leaning on their connections. Everyone was involved in everything from buying diapers to planning volunteer training sessions to trying to secure housing for moms. The early days were very intense and exciting as the founding members looked for ways to translate the idea - that practical and emotional support for moms living in poverty would ease their stress, allowing them to focus on providing a nourishing environment for their kids - into reality.
The basic idea was simple and spoke to people who were moved to offer their time, skills, and financial resources to the cause. The execution of the idea, however, was challenging as the organization was faced with the realities of systemic oppression, generational trauma, and personal limits. It became clear that the organization could not survive as strictly volunteer run and thus the first executive director role was created.
“When I look back to the beginning, I am amazed at what we managed to do,” Nicole reflects, “we had a team of women that sourced and delivered any household furnishings moms needed; ran monthly trainings for our volunteers, educating them on trauma and strength-based allyship; organized a camp weekend for moms and their kids; and offered housing, legal, and financial support to the moms in need.”
“Really, we were mirroring the kind of support we had been fortunate enough to have in our own families and communities of privilege.”
Those initial days have had a lasting impact. In fact, some of the volunteers who helped shape M2M in the beginning have enduring friendships with participant moms.
As the years progressed, additional staff members and strategic planning led to a robust organization with a clear objective of promoting wellness and stability at all levels. We now look to a future where M2M can continue serving moms and children living in poverty while also becoming advocates of social change.
“It is the passion of the people connected with M2M as well as the strength and resilience of the moms and families that have kept me hooked to the organization for all this time,”
Nicola explains with a smile.
According to Forbes, over half of all non-profits that are chartered are destined to fail or stall within a few years.* These tough odds, coupled with unprecedented challenges of operating a charity during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, make this milestone even more significant. It is thanks to incredibly dedicated women like Nicola who have made this possible.
As we move forward, M2M continues to uphold that initial idea: that alleviating the stress of poverty by connecting moms in need with community, resources, and support benefits the entire family. And when moms and children are supported, all of society benefits.
“I am very excited about the future of Mom2Mom. Excited to continue supporting moms so that they and their families can thrive,” says executive director, Irene Elhaimer.
To learn more about the support M2M provides and how you can get involved, please check out our programs page.
Written by Samantha Schumacher
*https://nanoe.org/nonprofits-fail/