Free Community Baby Shower deemed huge success
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TRIADELPHIA - Once Upon a Child at the Highlands gave expecting mothers the opportunity to connect with resources and receive free items.
The first annual Once Upon a Child at the Highlands Free Community Baby Shower was held at the Highlands Event Center on Sunday afternoon. Event organizer and Once Upon a Child at the Highlands co-owner Justin Saavedra said that the event was a way to provide resources for new parents although it is not exclusively for expecting parents.
"It doesn’t necessarily have to be new parents, but parents who may not be aware of all the resources that are out there for them," Saavedra said.
He added that the event was for local parents to understand what’s available aid wise in the community.
Saavedra said that this was his first time hosting the event but has been involved in various community baby showers throughout the year. He said what made him decide to host this year's event is because there was a lapse in free community baby shower events this year in the community.
"Once we found that out, we decided to try and organize one ourselves and get as many people involved as we could," Saavedra said.
He then contacted the owner of the Highlands Event Center, who donated the time and space for the event free of charge.
The event had several local organizations providing resources for the expecting families. Saavedra said that he didn't charge any of the organizations to set up a table at the event but asked to participate in some sort of giveaway for the new moms that attended the event.
Saavedra said that the Ohio County Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children Program, Northern Panhandle Head Start, YWMCA Wheeling, West Virginia Court Appointed Special Advocate for Children, Ohio County Maternal Infant Health Outreach Workers, Wellspring Pregnancy Center, Gabriel Project of Wheeling, West Virginia Governor’s Highway Safety Program, Naturally Clean Lemongrass Spa by Adrienne, Billick Photography, and The Designer Tank were all present at the event to provide free items, information, or discounted photography rates.
The event also had cookies, bottles of water, and various giveaways and door prizes for the expecting mothers.
He said that the response from the public was great with a forming as soon as doors opened.
"I was born and raised in the Ohio Valley, so I’ve always been keen to help out in the Ohio Valley any way that I can," Saavedra said. "We take a lot of pride and ownership of being able to host events like this and bringing the community together."