The Mother-To-Mother Mentoring Program

In addition to the financial award, we act as "big sisters" to our scholarship recipients and provide them with encouragement, counsel and friendship. Each young lady is assigned two mentors who act as main liaisons between the students, their families, and the organization. Throughout the year the membership interacts socially with the students and/or their child. The mentees also participate in community outreach programs undertaken by the group whenever appropriate or possible.  We have combined our professional skills and experiences to produce our Mother-to-Mother Seminar, a day-long event introduced in 2002, to address life skills issues such as balancing work and motherhood, dressing for the workplace, etiquette, interviewing and resume advice.

The Mothers Off Duty Community Outreach Programs

Mothers Off Duty also works closely with a children's shelter in South Orange, New Jersey. The members, scholarship recipients and their families have prepared home-cooked Christmas dinners with Santa, and conducted Easter egg hunts and other holiday activities for the children in the shelter. Additional assistance has ranged from providing clothing and food to purchasing a stove for their facility.

In the past, M.O.D. has also partnered with other organizations to sponsor events consistent with our organizational goals. One such event was the "Choice Beginnings" Conference, a day-long conference for teen parents (male and female) presented to address a myriad of parenting and life issues. Breakout sessions included: Child Safety and Nutrition to College Financial Aid to Coping with Teen Parenting. This event was cosponsored with Planned Parenthood and First Choice Group, Inc. and was funded through corporate sponsorship. Other M.O.D. outreach programs have included participation in high school career days in order to expose students to a variety of employment choices while at the same time promoting the importance of contemplating parenthood as closely and carefully as one would a career.