Where we came from.

The Silver Lake Family Collective was born as the world was breaking apart - or perhaps breaking through - during the simultaneous Covid-19 pandemic and Black Lives Matter protests of 2020.

We got our start as the well-known Silver Lake MOMS Club, an organization of “moms offering moms support” with a neighborhood history spanning many years and serving many members.

However, in the summer of 2020, our organization voted unanimously to disband from MOMS Club International due to a strong sentiment amongst us that inclusivity and diversity were among our top values - and that these values were not adequately prioritized by our original parent organization.

Under the leadership of then President Tricia Russo and the board, we cut ties with MCI. Over the next year, we kept our organization going strong with virtual events to support our members, and were able to come out the other side of the pandemic still intact while slowly defining a new identity on our own terms.

Where we’re going.

Our mission is to provide parents and caregivers in our local community with support, social connection, resources and opportunities to ease their transition into parenting and to enhance the quality of their parenting experience overall. Simultaneously, we utilize our group activities to contribute to our community at large - helping those facing hardship, and providing outreach to those who may be lacking in awareness of or access to resources and support of their own.

Parenting is beautiful, but it is also challenging, and without a village can become overwhelming and even, as these past couple of years have show, perilous.

Support for families - for each, every and all types of parents and caregivers - is essential now more than ever. We must support those who are sacrificing to support and nurture the well-being and development of our future generations.

Our vision is that no parent, caregiver, child or family of any type suffer isolation, discrimination or exclusion during one of the most vulnerable and precious chapters of their lifetime. Instead, we welcome all parents, caregivers, children and families to join us in building our village together and benefitting from the strength therein.

We help parents and caregivers experience the blessing (and responsibility!) of raising children the way it’s meant to be: full of friendship, fulfillment and fun.

What we value.

Inclusivity.

All types of parents, caregivers and families are welcome in our community. We do not discriminate on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, race, cultural heritage or any other condition.

Support.

We believe in supporting parents, caregivers, and families. Those who support children deserve to be supported. We strive to offer support within our community, and to advocate for it within our society. We do this with our Helping Hands meal train program and a Phone List for members to utilize when struggles or questions arise.

Diversity.

We celebrate diversity and believe that our differences can help to broaden our perspectives, deepen our compassion, and strengthen our community. Our Community Outreach Committee coordinates a monthly Kids’ Book Club where we instill literacy while learning and celebrating various cultures together with our children. Kids’ Book Club is held together with our friends at Alexandria House, broadening the exposure of our kids and Alex House kids to people from different walks of life.

Community.

Community is the basis of our Collective. We come together to build our village, understanding that working and playing together are integral to our personal and collective well-being. We offer tons of recurring monthly events including Weekend Playdates, Parents’ Nights Out, Fitness Events and more. We also offer seasonal parties and events including a Spring Party, Annual Brunch, Halloween Party and Holiday Party.

Contribution

Service and philanthropy are a big part of what we do. We contribute to our local neighborhoods and charitable organizations working to support the under-served within them. We involve our children and teach them to be engaged and compassionate citizens modeling by example. We raise funds at our Annual Preschool Forum (a service to local families and preschools) to donate to local charities of our choice. We also collaborate with our chosen charities - Alexandria House and Union Rescue Mission - with projects like our Koko Kits Hygiene Kits, Kids’ Book Club, and more.

Fun.

Play is the work of children, and is an essential component to a balanced and happy life for people of all ages. We offer opportunities for socialization, connection, new friendships and fun for all ages, understanding that doing so fosters bonds that are not only fulfilling, but also functional. We turn to those we feel connected to when we are in need of support, and healthy relationships are a protective factor for the well-being of parents/caregivers and kids.

Learning.

We are open-minded and always striving to learn and improve. We do so with activities such as our monthly Book Clubs and Snack N Chat events.

Conscious and Positive Parenting.

We are responsible for nurturing the next generation, and as such, are stewards of the future. In order to facilitate our children having their best chance at being healthy, happy, well-adjusted individuals capable of contributing to the common good in the power of their full potential, we strive to resolve our own trauma and avoid perpetuating damaging and destructive paradigms through our parenting. This means we inform ourselves of research-based parenting philosophies and strive to implement conscious and positive parenting practices in order to best support our children now and set them up for future success. We strive to instill values of compassion, kindness, self-awareness, and resilience (among many others) in our kids.