Look: you’ve got about a month until Mother’s Day. This year, are you going to come up with a gift worthy of the woman who carried you for 40 long weeks (or in some cases, longer—not that anyone’s holding any grudges)? Or are you going to wait until the last minute and then take the flowers/candy/slippers easy way out yet again?
Well, here’s a secret: this year, there’s an easy way out that will still make you look like the thoughtful person your mother raised you to be. And in the process, you can also support local businesses, and a very worthy local nonprofit.
On April 11, the Amherst-based MotherWoman—an organization that supports mothers and families through programs ranging from postpartum support groups to a kick-ass political organizing arm—kicks off its annual “Mothers Are Worth a Million” fundraising campaign. Donors can make a $10 contribution to MotherWoman “in honor of an exceptional woman in their lives” whose name will be put on a flower that will be hung in the window in one of the 60 Amherst and Northampton businesses participating in the campaign. Donors will also get a card they can send to their honored woman, letting her know about the gift.
MotherWoman hopes to raise $20,000 to support its programs. (For more on MotherWoman, check out www.motherwoman.org.) Organizers also hope the campaign, which is co-sponsored by the Amherst Chamber of Commerce, will inspire participants to patronize the local supporting businesses. Information on the campaign—including how to buy flowers—can be found at www.mothersareworthamillion.com, or by calling 413-253-8990.
“This solves the problem of what do I get the mothers in my life for Mother’s Day,” Annette Cycon, MotherWoman’s cofounder and program director, said in an announcement of the campaign. “Mothers are Worth a Million offers an affordable, meaningful gift option that will make a difference in the real lives of mothers in our community.”
So step away from the slippers.
