Milwaukee group is starting Working Moms Day
What do working moms lack? Reliable and affordable child care? The ability to be in two places at the same time?
Sleep?
Sure, all those things are true. But when Working Moms of Milwaukee got together for the Greater Milwaukee Foundation’s On the Table MKE event to discuss the issues that matter to working moms, there was one thing they all agreed on.
Working moms lack recognition. So, they decided to dedicate a day — March 12, a working day — to recognizing working moms and all they do for the community.
The idea is not so much to hold an event or issue a citywide proclamation, although the group’s founder, Susannah Lago, encourages ideas like those.
Working Moms Day is both much simpler and more ambitious at the same time.
The simple component is that the group is encouraging people to do whatever works best for them to recognize the working moms in their lives. Some suggestions are for local workplaces to give discounts to working moms on that day, local HR departments to provide cupcakes to celebrate the day; and moms to invite their friends over for a mom’s night out.
“We didn’t want to prescribe to groups how to recognize working moms because we know that not all workplaces are the same,” Lago said. “Some businesses can run promotions for moms, others can do things like send an email to employees encouraging people to thank the working moms in their lives.”
But, while organizers welcome anyone’s efforts to recognize moms, no matter how small, their ambitious goal is to spark a movement.
Lago is hoping the Working Moms Day idea spreads beyond Milwaukee, that it will become a yearly celebration when people everywhere will recognize working moms. In order to spread the word, the group has set up a Facebook page for Working Moms Day, put together a resources page to share promotional ideas and created flyers for people to hand out.
Whenever a business sets up a promotion or event, the group is asking it to use the hashtag, #workingmomsday and tag @workingmomsday. Some of the promotions so far:
❚ Shred415 East Side will offer a free 12:15 workout class for working moms on March 12, with complimentary child care.
❚ Lago’s company, Style Up Group, will offer a deal on professional organizational packages for new moms.
❚ City Tours MKE will give moms a $10 discount on their next tour.
“Susannah has a clear vision, to create a movement,” said Margaux Chandler, who runs Shred415 East Side. “To understand her vision and to be able to support her the very first time it’s happening, that’s truly a very special opportunity, and I want to be a part of it.”
Lago has even sent letters to Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres to ask for their help promoting the day.
“We might as well try and just put it out there,” said Lago. “I figured we should shoot big. Even if something little happens from it, that could be big for us.”