Golden Light Gala Oct. 3 will kick off a campaign to raise $100,000 to expand support services for women in our PATH program
Every mother needs a little help – but for women in crisis, the need is tenfold.
That’s why Lighthouse of Michigan is teaming up with Ferndale-based Honey Space for Moms, a one-stop shop for metro Detroit moms that provides co-working space, onsite child care, career coaching, emotional health, peer-to-peer support and much more.
The partnership’s goal: to raise $100,000 to bring Honey Space’s therapy and prenatal and breastfeeding support groups to women in the Lighthouse PATH program, which helps women who’ve endured domestic violence or homelessness get back on the road to self-sufficiency. The two-year PATH program provides housing and supportive services including a Montessori preschool and kindergarten, an infant-toddler center, individual and group counseling, medical care, workforce development and life skills classes.
To kick off the campaign, Honey Space for Moms will host the Golden Light Gala on Thursday, Oct. 3, from 6:30-9:30 p.m., at its newly expanded clubhouse in Ferndale, at 3138 Hilton Road. The evening will feature hors d’oeuvres, a donation-based bar, complimentary valet – and women committed to supporting each other.
The gala will be especially sweet for Honey Space, says CEO and founder Brooke Miller.
“The gala is really a three-tiered event,” says Miller, a licensed psychotherapist who founded the clubhouse/business in 2016. “We just expanded so we’re celebrating. We have our third birthday on Oct. 3rd so we’re celebrating. … And we are proud to launch this new partnership with Lighthouse.”
The funds will help provide moms in the Lighthouse PATH program with prenatal education, antepartum and postpartum mental health support, lactation consultation, specialist-led parenting classes, mom-to-mom peer groups as well as essential supplies including postpartum pads, car seats and diapers and more.
“It’s not Honey for moms with homes. It’s not Honey for moms with bank accounts,” says Miller, who has two young children of her own. “It’s Honey for moms. We’d love to invite moms in Lighthouse’s programs to come to Honey, but we will also come to them, and come to the shelters.
“We believe every mom deserves to have this experience.”
The mompreneur was born in Michigan, grew up outside of Chicago and moved to California to attend college. She founded Honey after moving back to Michigan from San Francisco with her husband and first child. Five-months pregnant at the time, Miller searched for a place offering comprehensive support for new working moms but could not find the help she needed. As a result, Honey Space was born.
“My goal has been to radically shift the way mothers take care of themselves and one another,” she said.
The idea for the Lighthouse partnership came when Angela Gill, a Lighthouse staff member, sought help from Honey Space after the birth of her son. She saw an opportunity to bring Honey’s services to the clients she works with every day, moms who desperately need a helping hand.
“I realized the phrase, ‘It takes a village really meant something. And I just craved being around others who understood what I was going through,” says Gill, a crisis resolution specialist at Lighthouse. “I had a mom come in on her way to get induced and she didn’t have a car seat to bring the baby home and that really stuck with me.
“Honey has been a critical part of understanding my new role as mom and it just made sense to reach more mothers,” she says. “Everyone deserves to have a village to support them.”
Gill reached out to Miller, who had been searching for an organization that could help Honey reach more moms. Lighthouse’s PATH program, Miller said, was a perfect fit.
Ryan Hertz, president and CEO of Lighthouse, is grateful to have the support of Honey Space.
“The demand for assistance among Oakland County families – which includes many single mothers – is great and growing,” Hertz says. “Our PATH program has helped many women regain their independence, but we can’t do it alone. This partnership will open the door to more support and more services for our client moms, and we believe the possibilities are endless.”
Miller agrees.
“Ryan and I are really committed to making this partnership truly effective for the moms in the program,” says Miller, who hopes to begin offering Honey services to PATH participants in the next month or so. “We believe in taking care of the people who make the people.”
To donate to the campaign, visit https://handup.org/campaigns/goldenlight or honeyformoms.com/goldenlight.
For a list of essential child-care items Honey is collecting for moms in need, go to https://www.honeyformoms.com/events/2019/10/3/golden-light-gala
