Community baby shower helps new and expecting moms
Six-month-old Jennisse Minhan and mom Jennifer checking out the sights at the annual Elks Lodge community baby shower on Saturday. (Tracy Scott/Valley Press)
Sara Nestor from the Clark Fork Valley Hospital helps answer questions from new and expecting mothers. (Tracy Scott/Valley Press)
Event coordinator Michelle Blackstone helps pass out the raffle tickets to Bambi Wright. (Tracy Scott/Valley Press)
Diapers for the community baby shower. (Tracy Scott/Valley Press)
The Thompson Falls Elks Lodge on Saturday welcomed new and expecting mothers from around Sanders County for the annual community baby shower.
This is the forth year the event has taken place, thanks to the coordinating efforts of Michelle Blackstone and the many volunteers, both members of the Clark Fork Valley Elks Lodge and local residents.
Special thanks also went out to Christine Munday, the grant coordinator for the local Elks Lodge, for her work in obtaining a $2,000 Spotlight Grant from the National Elks Foundation. The Spotlight Grant is awarded for continuing youth focus and wellbeing of infants and babies as well as literacy in the family.
The local Elks Lodge was also a major contributor as well as local residents.
The money was used to purchase gifts that were distributed to the attendees through a ticketed drawing. The gifts ranged from diapers and strollers to security cameras and car seats. Each registered attendee received a gift bag full of useful infant accessories. The highlight of the gift bag was a children’s book, published by Vendal Shomura titled, "When You Dream."
Thirty-nine registered attendees were present for the luncheon and gift drawing. Also present was Sara Nestor, a labor and delivery coordinator, child birthing educator and certified car seat installer from the Clark Fork Valley Hospital in Plains.
Sarah Long, from Lincoln County, was on hand to talk about the WIC program (Women’s Infants and Children’s) and the Lincoln County Tobacco Prevention Program. She spoke about the cash reward program to help stop expecting mothers from smoking.
Volunteer Karen Gustavsen, from the Thompson Falls Public Library, read to children in attendance while moms mingled.
Jennifer Minham with her little one, Jennissee, said the baby shower was a very nice idea for parents.
Bambi Wright, from Plains, said she learned about the shower through Facebook and was happy to receive all the baby gifts. Kennedy Kump with dad Cory Kump, a fifth-grade teacher at the Thompson Falls Elementary School remarked, “It’s an awesome event for the area.”
Blackstone was excited to see the large increase in attendance this year and has high hopes for the events continued growth in the future.
