On April 20, under-resourced new mothers will enjoy the baby shower and luncheon of their dreams thanks to the newest members of the Junior League of North Shore Evanston.
The mothers will receive advice on newborn care, hand-painted nursery murals and baby gifts thoughtfully selected by or created by this group, and paid for through fundraising efforts.
The Perinatal Family Support Center of NorthShore University HealthSystem’s Evanston Hospital, works with Baby Steps to select mothers who fit their criteria—struggling financially, facing depression, significant pregnancy complications or domestic violence. This is the fourth year that the JLNSE new member class has sponsored Baby Steps as its service project.
According to New Member Committee Chair, Jane Evans of Highland Park, this is the largest and most diverse new member class in League history—it includes young women, empty nesters, students and full-time working mothers.
It’s also an ambitious and innovative group. Caroline Flanigan, New Member Project Chair, explains, “We expanded our fundraising events this year… including a wine tasting at the Winnetka Wine Shop, a mural painting class at Glenview’s Tipsy Paint Social Painting Studio and a group exercise class at the Kenilworth Dailey Method.”
Those efforts paid off. More than a month before the event, the group had almost reached its goal of $10,000, which insures wonderful supplies for the new mothers.
At the luncheon, which was donated by Whole Foods, the new mother education will include tips for calming babies, mental health and postpartum depression, basic baby health, breast-feeding and car seat usage. This information combined with the baby gifts, and the camaraderie formed between new mothers and new Leaguers will make a substantial difference in many lives going forward.
