Uniting Familes on the Ridge: Helping Mothers Build Community

Feeling alone isn’t a foreign sensation for most. When faced with a new experience, additional stress, or a challenge that seems insurmountable, it can often feel like you’re alone on an island trying to make sense of everything and looking desperately for a path forward. The problem with this feeling is that it is self-perpetuating, that is to say that the experience of feeling it feeds itself and encourages the feeling to continue to grow. Breaking that cycle is key to exiting the downward spiral, and the best way to do it is often with a circle of supportive individuals around you. There are few experiences as daunting as motherhood, and certainly few situations where one could feel more alone. Know that if you’re feeling this, you are not alone, and that you don’t have to feel alone in motherhood. Luckily, there’s a group nearby who are here to support you in every way possible and prove that feeling alone in motherhood can be a thing of the past.

Moms of the Ridge is a group created by Staci Galla, a mother herself who realized a proper support network for mothers was missing in Paradise. Aimed at promoting positive mental health for mothers and providing opportunities for kids on the Ridge, the group has quickly become a cornerstone for so many. Not only has this group united parents throughout the area, but it has also created new friendships and built a support system for moms in Butte County. Staci’s hope is that through providing mothers and children with resources and creating the space they need, that they will grow together in a more healthy fashion. By doing so, the community will benefit as a whole as more mothers will be available to provide that same support for others in need.

Moms of the Ridge creates opportunities for field trips, playdates, mom events, and outings. They partner with Paradise Stronger who has an incredible kid-friendly program, and Paradise Recreation and Park District who now offer KidZones at their large events so kids have fun opportunities as well. Each of these partnerships further enhances their available support network and creates fun experiences mothers can enjoy with their children. You can read more on Paradise Stronger and the incredible things they’re doing throughout The Ridge in the February issue of Upgraded Living Magazine.

Over the past few years, Staci and the moms from Moms of the Ridge have created a good number of opportunities for mothers to bond with their children as well as each other. Some past events have included a tour of the fire and police stations—which kids absolutely adored, a summer bounce house, and water days to keep everyone busy and cool during those incredibly hot months. There was an alpaca farm field trip, friendsgiving, plenty of kids play dates, a moms’ bunco night, and even a night out for moms to just enjoy some well deserved alone time with each other. Not only have their events been wonderful experiences, but they’ve been altruistic too. A number of these events have helped fundraise for families and parents in need, like a mother with a sick child, meal trains for new moms needing extra support, and many more. If ever there were times where a mother might feel alone, these would certainly be them, and Moms of the Ridge made sure they weren't.

It goes without saying that groups like these are exactly what we need more of now more than ever, and we couldn’t be more thankful for the work Staci and her team of moms are doing to not only bring these seldom-spoken-of issues to the forefront, but also provide a means to alleviate them. We wanted to dedicate some space in this issue to allow Staci to introduce herself, and we hope you take the time to contact and meet this wonderful woman on the Ridge. We know it will be just as much a pleasure for you as it was for us.