(Riverton, WY) Fremont County families with littles (or parents expecting them) are invited to the 5th Annual Community Baby Shower put on by the Fremont County Maternal Health Coalition on April 13 in Heritage Hall at the Fremont County Fairgrounds.
The free event goes from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and is free for all families who are expecting or have children ages 0-3 years old. There will be free gifts and door prizes, snacks for the kids, many informational booths, and engaging, informative resources and connections with local service providers supporting development and family well-being. Caregivers and guardians are also welcome to attend. There will also be a food truck on-site for those who would like to purchase lunch.
PAT: A strengths-based program for parents
The Parents as Teachers (PAT) program heads up the Maternal Child Health Coalition, an organization comprised of programs that are involved and invested in maternal child health, including public health, early Intervention, CDS, and more. PAT also provides home visits for caregivers and holds monthly meetings for the Coalition.
“Anything invested in maternal child health,” said Stephanie Ghormley, who oversees the local PAT program, and also coordinating the baby shower event.
“I just think Parents as Teachers is a great resource in providing support for families with littlest…we’re a very strength-based program and that is what I love about it. The program started with home visitors working with families with littles…sensible nutrition, early Intervention, school readiness… those types of programs that come together for families, parents, partners, mothers, caregivers typically under the age of three.”
The Community Baby Shower is their biggest event and was an annual event for several years before COVID hit.
“We started it back up again last year and it was very successful,” Ghormley said. “We were able to provide diapers to every family that came last year and hope to be able to do it again this year. There are lots and lots of door prizes and awesome grand prizes like baby strollers, pack n’ plays…we are really stressing that this is a free event and great opportunity for the community to find out what we have for resources.”
Attendees will be able to meet with local therapy groups, hospitals, health care providers, and “various organizations in the community that could help them with parenting, medical issues and all kinds of things,” Ghormley continued. “We’re pretty spread out and so sometimes it’s hard to know, so this is a great, one-stop place to come and check out what there is.”
A group from Jackson will also be coming down for the event and will be setting up a “Freebie Room” that will have used and gently used items to give out, free to the community.
For more information about the Fremont County Parents As Teachers, or the Community Baby Shower, visit their Facebook page or contact Stephanie Ghormley at 307-463-4117 or email [email protected].
For more about Parents As Teachers-Fremont County, visit their national website at parentsasteachers.org.
