Kate Brennan, NurturePA Director of Operations and Chrystal Yates, NurturePA volunteer mentor, recently spoke to Kelly from Star 100.7 about the nurture® program. A major thank you to Kelly on 100.7 Star for featuring NurturePA on her Local Love segment! Click to listen>
How long have you been a NurturePA mentor?
I’ve been a mentor for about three years.
What makes the nurture® program so special?
NurturePA is special to me because it connects new mothers to current mothers for mentoring. Having a new baby can be unsettling for a new mother and having access to a current mom who has some resources to provide is comforting.
What is your favorite part about being a NurturePA mentor?
It’s great to positively impact a new mom in various ways such as aiding with feeding tips, relaying community activities, and discussing developmental milestones.
Tell us about a time when you feel like you made a positive impact on the life of a mom and her new baby.
A baby has an intense impact on a mother’s life and once thrown into motherhood it’s nice to have a mentor to discuss joys, concerns and questions. I love letting mothers know they are doing a wonderful job and encouraging them to keep up the good work. (Motherhood is usually thankless as we know 😄)
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Employed as a co-manager for senior living, I enjoy helping senior citizens find and maintain affordable and quality living. For fun I enjoy hiking, bicycling, board games and cards, and most of all spending time with family and friends.
At NurturePA, our volunteer mentors support moms during the first three years of her baby’s life — all through an innovative text messaging program.
Volunteer mentors use our custom developed software to share parenting information, make referrals to community resources, and, perhaps most importantly, build relationships during a critical time in the life of a mom and her baby.
Here’s a peek at an activity a volunteer mentor may share with a mom.
Activity: Making Choices at the Grocery Store
Taking your toddler to the grocery store can be very educational! There are so many things to see and new words to learn! You can also use the time at the store to get your toddler involved with what foods you choose to buy. Choice making is a good developmental skill for your toddler to learn. Once he understands that he gets to pick one of the two options, you can use this strategy in many other situations throughout his day. Giving your toddler a “say” in what you buy at the grocery store may help you to know which foods he is really interested in and how to increase the chances of him eating the food you give him during mealtimes.
How should this be done?
How long have you been a NurturePA mentor?
I’ve been a mentor since May 2016.
What makes the nurture® program so special?
We get to help moms connect with their babies and let them know they are not alone.
What is your favorite part about being a NurturePA mentor?
That feeling when you get a heartfelt thank you from the mom that you helped through a rough time.
Tell us about a time when you feel like you made a positive impact on the life of a mom and her new baby.
Whenever I let a mom know that she is not alone when she has a particular issue she is facing, I feel that I am making a positive impact on both the mom and her baby.
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I am a licensed massage therapist who loves to dance tap and ball room. I have a four year old son who likes to help me with my crafts. I am at my best when I am helping people.
How long have you been a NurturePA mentor?
Hi, I’m Laura. I’ve been a NurturePA mentor since the spring of 2017.
What makes the nurture® program so special?
NurturePA is special because new moms have someone to listen to concerns and offer guidance- no need to feel alone as a new mom who may be overwhelmed! The mentors are there to support moms by offering a friendly hello, helping them find resources in the community to support their baby, guiding them through their baby’s milestones, acknowleding concerns and helping to find answers. The text based program helps to pass along information conveniently.
What is your favorite part about being a NurturePA mentor?
My favorite part of being a NurturePA mentor is hearing from moms! I love hearing about a milestone a baby has reached, or a proud mom moment.
Tell us about a time when you feel like you made a positive impact on the life of a mom and her new baby.
Our libraries are a great resource. They are more than a place to pick up a book or rent a video. They help build community by offering age appropriate classes to young and old. They are a place for parents and children to interact with each other. And of course resources like books, puppets, music to take home and use to interact with babies. I feel I’ve made an important impact on the life of a baby by providing library resources for the mom. The new mom discovered there are programs she can take her baby to at a very young age! Mom and baby can attend an age appropriate class and I’m sure the mom and baby will continue to use the library as a resource as the baby grows and the needs change.
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Before becoming a mom to my oldest I was a classroom teacher. Life with three school aged children keeps me busy! While not spending time with them I enjoy reading, knitting and walking.
How long have you been a NurturePA mentor?
I have been a mentor for a little over three years.
What makes the nurture® program so special?
There are so many ways NurturePA is special and unique. The fact that we are a text based program makes it easy for both mentors and moms to participate and communicate regularly and if need be immediately. I have also found that moms are very willing to open up and get real over texts. The program creates an informal and safe environment that new moms really appreciate. We are filling a need here that is often overlooked.
What is your favorite part about being a NurturePA mentor?
As a woman I love helping other woman. New motherhood is beautiful, but raw and brutal at times. There is power in connection. Whether I’m sending important developmental information, a link to a resource I know could really benefit a mom that I’m working with or just sending a virtual hug or handhold I know I’m making a difference and lifting someone up who needs it. This is a program that I would have greatly benefited from after the births of each of my children. And as a busy mom with very little free time this is a program that I can participate in fully without having to get a babysitter or magically try to add more hours to the day. Humans need connections and relationships and both of those things are the real heart of our program. I am honored to be a part of building strong families in a city that I really love.
Tell us about a time when you feel like you made a positive impact on the life of a mom and her new baby.
There are two moments that really stand out to me…
I had a mom who experienced postpartum depression and suicidal thoughts during my first year as a mentor. She felt safe enough to share her experience and thoughts with me and I was able to be part of helping her get the help she needed. She let me in and I was able to walk with her through a very difficult time in her life. And in the end it was such an awesome success story for this mother. We know that ppd is highly treatable with he right kind of help.
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I live in Nashville with my husband and our three young children. Most of my days are spent trying to keep up with an incredibly energetic three year old, cleaning up after an 8 year old budding engineer who is currently building a skyscraper from the contents of our recycling bin, and learning the ins and outs of middle school while driving around an extremely social 11 year old. I enjoy reading, cooking and spending time outside (especially in my teeny tiny garden). I love being with family and friends, and volunteering at my kid’s schools.
The Highmark Walk for a Healthy Community is just around the corner! Check out our page: http://hcf.convio.net/nurturepa
The Highmark Walk is an exciting opportunity to both raise awareness and funding to support our mission to support parents and nurture children.
The walk will take place the morning of Saturday, May 12, 2018 at Stage AE.
We hope you’ll get involved and help support our mission. Here are a few ways you can do that…
Register to walk in support of NurturePA.
With a $30 donation, you will get a Highmark Walk t-shirt on May 12.
Make an impact with a donation.
Highmark has generously covered all expenses associated with the walk, which means 100% of the money we raise will directly benefit the nurture program!
Spread the word.
Please feel free to contact Kara Droney at kdroney@nurturepa.org if you have any questions.
We hope you will consider joining us in this exciting new venture!
How long have you been a NurturePA mentor?
About six months.
What makes the nurture® program so special?
As soon as I heard about the Nurture PA program, my first thought was how helpful it would have been for me when my oldest was born. Becoming a parent is such a milestone and one of those experiences that really cannot be fully understood until it happens to you — especially because it changes day by day and sometimes minute by minute! I love that this program supports moms wherever they are in their journey, and in such an accessible way. Those connections are such a vital piece of uplifting and celebrating families, both virtually and in our communities.
What is your favorite part about being a NurturePA mentor?
I love being in a place in my parenthood journey where I have the mental and emotional space to reach out to other moms. As a new parent myself, I was exceptionally overwhelmed and isolated, but I kept it all on the inside, as many of us do. I love knowing that when I send a quick message to my moms they can feel that connection. It takes a village!
Tell us about a time when you feel like you made a positive impact on the life of a mom and her new baby.
My goal is always to make new parents feel heard and seen. Everyone has different experiences/priorities/needs, so being able to listen to new moms, validate their feelings and give them space to unload if they need to is the best thing I can do.
Tell us a little bit about yourself,
I am a native Pittsburgher who boomeranged back after stops in several cities over the last 15 years or so. My husband and I are thrilled to be raising our kids — an almost 5 and almost 3 year old — in the city. I recently taught myself how to crochet, and am really enjoying exploring my new creative side!
How long have you been a NurturePA mentor?
A little over three years.
What makes the nurture® program so special?
Being able to offer support to moms of new babies who might not have anyone else to turn to.
What is your favorite part about being a NurturePA mentor?
The feeling of connection that you form with moms. Also feeling as those you’re making a real difference in a family’s life.
Tell us about a time when you feel like you made a positive impact on the life of a mom and her new baby.
When I got up in the middle of the night to answer a text because I was worried about a mom and her baby. It turned out to be a simple sleep question, but I’ve been a mother up in the middle of the night with a child and I felt really alone. I felt good about offering company when she was up with a sleepless child.
Tell us a little bit about yourself,
I am a mother, a grandmother, and an educator. I decided to run for State House of Representatives because I think we need more women in Harrisburg, more educators in Harrisburg, and more mothers in Harrisburg. Women are good at multitasking, good at fighting for family’s rights, and good at bringing money back to their districts.
How long have you been a NurturePA mentor?
Just over three years!
What makes the nurture® program so special?
For me, connecting with other mothers has really made a big difference. Building a support network of “mom friends” takes time and so does having a newborn. It’s not always possible to build those relationships in the early days of motherhood. I love that NuturePA gives new moms their first connection to another mother so that she can learn to lean on others for support.
What is your favorite part about being a NurturePA mentor?
Celebrating milestones with the moms is my favorite part of mentoring. I’ve been connecting weekly with some of them for three years and I truly look forward to hearing from them each week. It’s effortless — like checking in with a friend.
Tell us about a time when you feel like you made a positive impact on the life of a mom and her new baby.
When a mom reaches out to me spontaneously to ask a question or share something, I feel like I have accomplished the goal of being a friend to turn to at any time.
Tell us a little bit about yourself,
Before I became a mom, I earned a Master of Library Information Science (MLIS) and was a School Librarian. I am currently stay-at-home mother of one very vibrant (almost) five-year old. I can usually be found in the kitchen. I love to cook!