Mom’s House in the News!

courtesy of Lancaster Newspaper; CATHY MOLITORIS | Correspondent

When Sara Moyer got pregnant as a teenager, she wasn’t totally prepared for what to expect.

“I had my daughter, but I didn’t have a plan,” says Moyer, who became a mother at 17.

Moyer, a junior at McCaskey High School at the time, planned to drop out of school, work full time and support her daughter.

Then she heard about Mom’s House.

Moyer says she “reluctantly” came for a tour.

“I had a full-time job at the time and I thought I could work and that would pay for child care,” she says. “I didn’t realize the reality of everything.”

Luckily for Moyer, the folks at Mom’s House had her covered.

At the 415 S. Queen St. facility, single parents are provided with free child care as long as the parent is enrolled full time in school.

In addition to child care, Mom’s House provides resources including parenting classes, a free food and clothing bank, access to computers, study space, diapers, formula and more.

“I couldn’t believe all of this was supplied to me just so I could stay in school,” Moyer says. “I realized, you don’t need to drop out to provide for your family.”

Moyer was so impressed with the program that she not only stayed in school and graduated on time from McCaskey in 2001, she next went to HACC in Lancaster and Consolidated School of Business, then embarked on a career.

Now Moyer has come full circle with Mom’s House. The 32-year old became executive director of the nonprofit last month.

“Mom’s House is such a huge part of me,” she says. “They’ve mentored me. My first apartment was furnished by furniture donated to Mom’s House. My first car was provided by a donation to Mom’s House.”

Thanks to Mom’s House, Moyer pursued a future she hadn’t envisioned when she was in high school.

“Before I had my daughter, I had no aspirations of going to college,” she says. “Mom’s House convinced me to go. The staff at Mom’s House helped me see the difference between a job and a career.”

After finishing school, Moyer worked for local companies including Alcoa, where she began actively recruiting co-workers to participate in Mom’s House events, including the organization’s 5K run held annually in May.

“I was always helping at Mom’s House community events and the previous head of the board of directors said to me, ‘Why aren’t you on our board?’” she says. “I decided to join the board because it was another level for me to give back to Mom’s House.”

Moyer joined the board in 2012.

When the previous executive director of Mom’s House decided to step down to spend more time with her family, the board began a search for a new director. They didn’t have to look far.

“I applied and had a formal interview,” Moyer says. “I wanted this job because I wanted to be part of an organization that has done so much for me and for so many other moms.”

Lisa Tully, program director of Mom’s House, says Moyer is the perfect person for the job.

“Her enthusiasm and compassion for this position is very contagious,” she says. “With her being a former graduate of the program, she truly understands what Mom’s House needs to benefit our parents and their children.”

Tully says Moyer serves as the perfect role model for parents in the program.

“They see that with the help of Mom’s House, she was able to get through school and has been very successful with her career path,” she says. “Sara is very laid back, but when she is compassionate about a cause, watch out.”

For Valerie Schlectic, a single mom whose 3-year-old son has been going to Mom’s House since he was 6 weeks old, Moyer is an inspiration.

“I really like her,” she says. “I think it’s cool that she’s back here because she can relate to us since she’s been through the program. She really has an in-depth understanding of our situations and that can be a comfort, especially to new moms.”

Schlectic, who had her son at age 16, not only finished high school on time, but is on track to graduate from Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences next year.

She says when she learned about Mom’s House, it almost seemed too good to be true.

“I heard it was free child care, and I thought, ‘That can’t be right,’” she says. “I couldn’t believe it.”

Mom’s House has been extremely helpful, she says, in setting her on track for success.

“I had no idea what I was going to do after my baby was born and I didn’t realize how much day care costs, or just how much it costs in general to raise a kid,” she says. “If I hadn’t gotten in with Mom’s House, who knows what path I would have gone down.”

For Moyer, now the mother of three, including her first child who’s a freshman at Hempfield High School, it’s moms like Schlectic who keep her motivated in her new position.

She’s also determined to spread the word about Mom’s House.

One of nine Mom’s House programs throughout Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio and Delaware, the Lancaster location has served 300 families since opening in 1991.

Although it’s called “Mom’s” House, the program is open to any single parent.

“We’ve had two dads come through our program,” Moyer says.

Currently serving nine families in programs for infants through preschool, Mom’s House is entirely funded by donations.

Much of the money comes from the organization’s community events, including Miles for Moms, a 5K race May 9, and a golf outing in the fall.

In addition to providing free child care, Mom’s House requires clientele to attend weekly parenting classes and volunteer two hours a week, doing anything from cleaning the classrooms to working at a community event.

Mom’s House also works to connect moms with anything they need—currently, the staff is on the hunt for low-income housing for one family and a car for another.

“We are very connected to the community and we’ll help our moms find what they need,” Moyer says.

The organization employs six full-time staff members and one part-time worker, with a host of volunteers who do everything from make meals to read with the children.

Moyer says her goals as executive director include looking for a new location in the city for Mom’s House, one that includes parking, and increasing participation in the organization’s community events.

“I want people to know they can support us in many ways,” she says. “I used to tell people at Alcoa, it’s a trifecta: You can give money, you can give goods or you can give time. All are valuable.”

She’s also focused on helping as many people as she can.

“My biggest goal is to get out in the community. I want to help as many moms as we can and I want people to know about us. I think we are the best-kept charitable secret in Lancaster,” she says, “but I don’t want to keep it that way.

“I want people to know we’re making a difference in this community and it really does impact our city.”