Page 8 January 14, 2021 EL SEGUNDO HERALD
Mama’s Group from front page
well as stay-at-home Moms, and Moms who
may have a female as a spouse. The founders
were trying to form a group that was 2020
inclusive and not necessarily a supportive
haven for the 1950’s style stay-at-home Mom
so nimbly played by Barbara Billingsley on
the classic sitcom Leave It to Beaver.
One of the fundraising activities that the
group recently participated in included collecting
and distributing “Baskets of Thanks”
to the El Segundo Police Department, Fire
Department, the El Segundo Library, and
Tower 60 Lifeguards. Seigel said it was to
“show our gratitude and appreciation for our
local town heroes.”
More recently, the club raised more than
$1,500 during their “Mayberry Christmas”
fundraiser to bestow upon a local family in
Children of the Gundo Mamas Group delivering a “Basket of Thanks” to the ESFD. Children of the Gundo Mamas Group delivering a “Basket of Thanks” to the ESPD.
need. Siegel said that her group became aware
of the family through the El Segundo Parents
Network and adopted them. The Mama’s
bankrolled and fulfilled the family’s “wish
list,” including providing a laptop computer,
a bike, and shoes.
The Gundo Mamas Group Board Members putting together “Baskets of Thanks” for local town heroes in the spirit of Thanksgiving. Gundo Mamas Group Board Members Jordan Peterson and Amy Siegel delivering a “Basket of Thanks” to Tower 60 lifeguards.
The Gundo Mamas also provide “meal
trains” regularly to families suffering the
loss of a family member, or the joyous
birth of a baby, or who may have suffered a
medical illness. Siegel related how the group
has recently helped support a local mother
who just had a baby but does not have an
extended family in El Segundo. The Mamas
provide meals, and by doing that, they can
also bolster struggling local restaurants when
they order take-out and set-up delivery for
the new mother.
“We are trying to support our own, and
support our Moms,” Siegel said, “and be
creative. We just don’t want our little town
to change, to lose our sense of connection.”
During the social distancing restrictions
deemed necessary with the COVID-19 pandemic,
the Mamas communicate through a
private Facebook group, which allows them
to stay in touch, and, Siegel emailed, “ask
for advice, reach out for help, pose questions,
share funny stories, give away baby
items, and set-up socially distanced play
dates.” Continued Siegel: “In a time of such
uncertainty, fear, exhaustion, and pressure on
moms, we offer a caring and safe space.”
Jordan Peterson is co-treasurer of the Mamas
and has been a member, in one iteration
or another, of a Moms’ support group for
more than two years. She emailed that “Pre-
COVID-19, I loved the play dates, Moms’
nights, out and other activities. I met some
friends through it and felt like I had more of
a local community. Now there is not much
going in, but we still feel connected via the
Facebook group. Over the holidays, we put
together the baskets of thanks and adopted a
family. For a Mayberry Christmas, I really enjoy
being a part of it, whether just participating,
or coordinating (which usually happens!).”
Natalie Kimm is the group’s secretary. “I
have been affiliated with this group (Formerly
ESMC, currently ESMG) for about
four years. I have met so many beautiful
mamas thru here, mom’s night out, family
BBQs, play dates (before COVID-19). We
are raising children together, and it helps to
grow that feeling of how wonderful this little
community can be.”
Co-President Katie Billups added that “I
joined the group when I was pregnant with
my 3rd baby, so I’ve been a part of it for three
years now. Motherhood can feel so lonely,
so I love the support this group provides
for me. Some moms have kids older than
me, kids younger than me, and moms who
are in the trenches with me. We all provide
each other with nonjudgmental support at
each stage of our journeys.”
Co-President Jazmin Jimenez emailed that
“the value of participating in this group is
having a hyperlocal support network and
sisterhood with the women as we share in
the experience of motherhood.”
This profile is not the first time that Siegel,
raised in nearby Westchester, has been featured
in the Herald. She related how she and her
husband, Kevin, took a copy of the Herald
on their honeymoon, which took place
in Iceland in the summer of 2016, where the
newlyweds had a picture snapped of them
holding a current edition of the Herald that
later appeared in the paper.
Siegel said she and her husband enjoy living
and playing in El Segundo, noting that
Kevin has extended family members and
childhood friends living in proximity and
that “basically all of our neighbors are our
best friends. We love the downtown area, the
sense of community, (and that) everybody
knows everybody.”
Siegel said she was a school counselor
before deciding to stay home with her young
child. Once son Jack goes off to pre-school,
Siegel said she anticipates resuming her career
as a school counselor.
The Mamas Group currently does not have
a website, but Siegel said they are “looking
to start one.” They rely on a private Facebook
group to stay connected, where Moms
can post questions, relay information about
park “meet-ups,” and promote their fundraising
efforts.
Being a mother in the era of COVID-19
is “incredibly difficult,” Siegel said, mentioning
that she and her son used to attend
the “happy baby” facility, located on Main
St., four days a week, which entailed swim
lessons, and soccer instruction, amongst
myriad other growth opportunities for young
children. “With COVID,” Siegel said, “everything
just stopped. So, I have really had to
be creative. (Jack) is two and does not want
to wear a mask. He does not comprehend
why we were doing so many fun things,
and now that has stopped. But I feel extremely
fortunate in that I can be home with him.
We go to the beach, go to the park, spending
most of our time outside, try to keep
him busy.”
“All parents are struggling right now,”
Siegel said. Noting how the opportunity to
communicate through social media is so
important to Moms, who can share their
experiences, some good, some not-so-good,
with like-minded women.
Pre-the arrival of her son and the COVID
pandemic, Siegel said she used to run marathons,
participate in triathlons, and embrace
an outdoor lifestyle. She currently does yoga
daily, as well as embarking on a daily walk
around town, with her 75-pound pit-bull and
30-pound two-year-old, maneuvering the
stroller as she ambles through the environs
of El Segundo.
Siegel said that the Mamas group’s efforts
“to support one another in these challenging
times, give them a place to listen” what with
Moms shepherding home-schooling, dealing
with work responsibilities, and continuing
child-rearing duties. “I cannot imagine juggling
everything, like so many parents,” Siegel
said. “If we can be of help in any way to
those struggling, that is our goal right now.”
If any Moms are interested in receiving
information about or joining the El Segundo
Mamas Group, Siegel would be glad to
oblige. She can be reached via email @
amysiege184@gmail.com. •