Single Mothers Outreach hosted a celebration to commemorate 30 years of service on Friday night at the Sand Canyon Country Club.
Pam Ripling, chair of the “Cheers to 30 Years” gala, has been a part of the organization for about three years and said that this cause is special to her.
“It’s near and dear to my heart. I have a family member who is a single parent. He is a dad, actually, raising two children on his own, and I was already familiar with the charity because I’ve been in the nonprofit world out here for almost 20-some years … I’ve watched the struggles, I know how difficult it is, and I also know that single parents come from all walks of life,” Ripling said.
Ripling added that the organization’s focus on mental health has made a huge difference for moms who ask for help.
“So, it became increasingly obvious that mental health was so important to these moms. And so, with that we’ve started off with support groups, something as simple as support groups, mom to mom. And then we expanded that to include therapy, one-on-one therapy for our moms,” Ripling said.
The event had about 60 to 70 items for the silent auction to raise money for the organization, including vacations, golf experiences and toys for the children, among tons of gift baskets.
There was also an exclusive raffle for guests to partake in if they bought the tequila tasting for $30.
“We are also offering a tequila tasting on the patio for an extra $30 because it’s our 30th … they get special hors d’oeuvres that are out there on the patio only and they’ll also get a raffle ticket for this beautiful basket,” Ripley said.
Martin Rodriguez, the vice president of SMO, was excited to be at the gala celebrating 30 years.
Rodriguez has been with the organization for 15 years after being recruited to help SMO with a task. Once he learned more about their message, it resonated with him because of his grandmother being a single parent.
“It’s exciting because I’ve seen this organization grow from a teeny, tiny, just a handful of people operation, small operation to what it’s become today. And it’s an organization that has always led with service to the community, helping others,” Rodriguez said.
One mother moved to Santa Clarita in 1997 from Sacramento and has been with SMO for about 25 years.
“I moved for my family, my husband, after two years of that, we just decided, nothing bad, but we just decided to go our separate ways,” said Nicole Feast-Williams, director of interim housing at Bridge to Home.
Before discovering SMO, Feast-Williams knew she had to make ends meet for her three children – Chanel, Cobie, and Chya.
“I will be honest, when I first went to Single Mothers Outreach, I didn’t think it was for me. Because I was the mother that, ‘OK, I have a job,’ I’m finishing up my master’s at the time. And I said, ‘Well, you know, I wanted, I need the help, but I’m sure other mothers needed just as much as I am,” Feast-Williams said.
But SMO reassured her and told her that it was for every mother and that she was no different than anyone else.
