A group of single moms enjoyed nearly two hours of foot soaking, facials, eyebrow tinting and hand treatments while adults nearby supervised their children. What seemed like the real treat for the group of strangers, though, was meeting each other.
“I think it’s just really fun to actually talk to adults and not have to worry about anything,” Rebecca Mayer, of Vancouver, said as she nibbled on a helping of Mighty Bowl.
Mayer and other local mothers were selected to take part in a Mother’s Day pampering event Sunday at River City Church, 2400 E. Fourth Plain Blvd. The church received 20 nominations, mostly through Facebook, of single moms in less than a week, and 10 were selected, said Ryan Sidhom, the church’s pastor.
The church, which began public services April 21, has roughly 30 regular parishioners to date, Sidhom said. Each Sunday, the church holds a service, volunteer project or family-friendly event on a rotating basis.
Since Sunday fell on a volunteer day, the pampering event was a “no-brainer” for Sidhom and his wife, Clarissa Sidhom, who have been planning for months.
“I really think single moms are some of the most hard-working and unappreciated people in society,” Clarissa Sidhom said. “They’re not going to put time and money into themselves. They’re going to put it into their kids.”
The “super moms,” as they were called throughout the event, also received free car washes, oil changes, food, coffee, flowers and gift certificates for free massages.
Autumn Hancock, owner of Autumn’s Auto Lube who helped organize the event, is a single mom of three children. When her children were younger, Hancock still needed to take care of them on Mother’s Day, which didn’t offer much of a respite, she said.
“It’s kind of, just, another day of work,” Hancock said. “So, to be able to provide that for these ladies, it was great.”
Meanwhile, a number of parishioners spent time outside washing cars.
“It’s not like other churches where you just sit down and let the pastor do everything,” Jose Vidal, of Vancouver, said as he took a break from washing.
As the church grows, Ryan Sidhom hopes the Mother’s Day event will as well, he said. “We want to do this bigger and better next year. Our only regret is that we couldn’t do more for these moms.”
