Chi Omega Mom's Day 2021
During the last weekend in April, we welcomed our moms and other special women in our lives to Iowa City to celebrate Chi Omega’s annual Mom’s Day. In a year full of unknowns, we loved showing our mom’s what it means to be a Chi Omega: from spending time with our sisters, to raising money for Make-A-Wish, to touring the house, we loved celebrating the special women in our lives and welcoming them into our Chi Omega family.
Our event featured a virtual celebration including senior speeches, photo ops at the house, tours of Chi Omega for PC ‘20 and their guests, lovely treats provided by local small business Emi’s Treats, carnations, a silent auction to raise money for Make-A-Wish, and lots of smiles. After, members of Chi Omega met in small groups at restaurants throughout the Iowa City area to spend some quality time with their sisters and moms. We’re so thankful for our incredible Moms Day Chairs and Make-A-Wish Director for creating a memorable, safe, and fun experience for Chi Omega!
“Over the past few months, I’ve had the privilege of working as a Mom’s Day Co-Director with Libbie Pavon. She is one of the hardest workers and best problem solvers - something we both needed to become in order to plan an event during COVID-19. We worked diligently to make sure each Chi Omega and their guests felt safe during these uneasy and ambiguous times. I wanted to start off by saying thank you to all the moms that attended Mom’s Day 2021. You have all raised such caring, appreciative, and loving daughters, and I’m so thankful to be able to call them my friends and sisters. The event was so special and I couldn’t have asked for anything better. The generosity and selflessness shown through the donations and auction baskets for Make-A-Wish was incredible, and the hard work of Make-A-Wish Director Katie Freund was incomparable! I was beyond impressed with Natalie Havenstrite and her chairs for creating such a beautiful banner and cute T-shirts. Lastly, getting to celebrate the seniors and seeing everyone’s reactions on our Zoom celebration was heartwarming and reminded me why I love Chi Omega so much. Again, thank you for everything and making Mom’s Day 2021 one of the best.” Emma Ford - Mom’s Day Co-Director, PC ‘18
“I was thrilled to be able to attend Mom’s day 2021! I appreciate the creative planning to assure there could be a fun yet safe event this year. There were so many special touches from the beautiful banner to the cute cookies to the carnations for everyone. The auction baskets were incredible and I commend the donors. I celebrate the Chi O women for raising funds for Make-A-Wish. The Zoom was a perfect way to kick off the day. The senior messages were truly amazing. What I loved the most was the time with my daughter and connecting with her sisters and their moms! Thank you to the women who planned this and created a really special day. ❤️ I am very proud of my daughter Emma for her work on this as a Co-Director. I look forward to next year!!” - Molly Schaffer, mother of Emma Ford
“This past Mom’s Day we were able to support Make-A-Wish through our first ever virtual auction. It was incredible to see moms and daughters come together to create 21 amazing baskets. Through auction funds and donations, we were able to raise $3,971 in just five hours! Seeing everyone’s faces light up as they looked at the baskets made my heart so happy! I am so thankful for all of the girls and moms who were able to participate. Right now, many children have had their Wishes postponed due to COVID-19. However, these donations were able to make such a huge impact and move Chi Omega closer to our goal of personally adopting a child’s Wish. We are so grateful for all of the participation and look forward to more Make-A-Wish events in the fall!.” - Katie Freund, Make-A-Wish Director, PC ‘18
“I loved being able to celebrate my incredible mom! She is the most selfless woman I know, so being able to take the time to make her feel appreciated was so wonderful. I especially enjoyed getting to watch the Senior Video with my mom. It was awesome to be able to share in love that all of the women in my pledge class have for the important women in their lives as well.” - Mary Grace Henderson, PC ‘17
“Soooooo many beautiful AND SMART young women! I wish I could have hugged them all. Thank you for the virtual luncheon. I didn’t eat 1 calorie but, I gained a world of admiration for you ALL.” - Nan Horvat, mother of Mary Grace Henderson
“Chi Omega Mom's Day is truly one of my favorite events of the year! It is so inspiring to see the beautiful, kind, and strong women who raised the members of our Psi Beta chapter. I'm very grateful that Chi Omega was able to plan an experience for us and our moms that felt safe, and they did so with the same elegance and charm they usually do! My mom and I love spending time with not only my close friends and their mothers, but any of the women that we have the pleasure of interacting with throughout the day. I cannot say enough wonderful words about my Chi Omega sisters and the lovely women that raised them!” - Gina Sobecki, PC ‘18
“It was a wonderful day! What a pleasure to meet Sylvia's friend's Mom's & get to know them on a more personal level than a quick introduction. Having the time to have dinner in a smaller setting was very enjoyable. I don't think it could have been any better! It was a great day and many memories were made.” - Kellie Clubb, mother of Sylvia Clubb, PC ‘18
“Mom’s Day was such an amazing opportunity to celebrate the women we owe everything to! Libbie and Emma could not have planned this day better. It was a safe, fun and lovely way to all be together and to have my mom meet my Chi O girls’ moms! My mom loved to get to know all of the girls I won’t shut up about & to meet their mommas!! I am feeling so thankful to have an excuse to bring my mom to Iowa City after a semester of no in-person events! My love for Chi O is so big!” - Grace Balison, PC ‘19
“It was so special to have the weekend with our moms. This semester has been rough for everyone and this was a chance to have fun and celebrate the amazing women in our lives. Emma, Libbie, and Katie did such an amazing job organizing everything in such a restricting time and it could not have gone better! I know both my mom and I felt so loved and special.” - Bailey Hollis, PC ‘19
“I absolutely loved introducing my mom to the women in Chi Omega that I get to surround myself with everyday!! She loved getting to know the girls and their moms and understanding what Chi Omega is about and how friendship is so so so important to us. She felt so special the whole day and I was so happy to have an amazing day dedicated to appreciating the most important women in our lives!!” - Claire Enyart, PC ‘20
“Mom’s day was so special because it was the first time I had the opportunity to really show my mom what Chi Omega is all about. From safely touring the house to eating out with other moms, the day was wonderful. I especially enjoyed partaking in the silent auction where my mom and I were also able to give back to Make-A-Wish. I love my mom with all my heart, and I am so grateful that I was able to share my love for Chi Omega with my mom for the first time!” - Anna Bauer, PC ‘20
“My Moms Day experience was so special! This was one of the biggest events we had this year and it was truly so special as I have never had a Moms Day before! Being able to show my mom around the house and my future room was so fun and I know my mom appreciated it so much! It was so fun being able to introduce my mom to the amazing girls I have become so close with this semester too! I will cherish this memory with my mom forever!” - Anna Hamling, PC ‘20
“I had a wonderful weekend with Anna meeting all of her Chi Omega friends and their moms. It eases a mom’s heart to meet such loving, hardworking and kind friends that Anna had made through Chi Omega this year. I’m already looking forward to Mom’s weekend next year. I thought you planned a wonderful weekend given the Covid restrictions and did a great job making the experience still special for all the girls and their moms.” -Allison Hamling, mother of Anna Hamling
We are so thankful for the women who raised us and made us into the Chi Omega’s we are today. We’re proud of the women they are and the women they raised our sisters to be: strong, smart, classy, and caring individuals dedicated to celebrating each other. We are so thankful for the time spent with our mom’s, whether that be in-person, over FaceTime, or miles away. We cannot wait for Mom’s Day 2022!
Next up on the Blog - World Wish Day!
WORLD WISH DAY!