WE love Mamas for Mamas
WE are excited to announce that Wheel Estate has collaborated with the fantastic charitable organization Mamas for Mamas. They are a Kelowna-based, award-winning company that help single mothers experiencing crises and provide ongoing support to low-income mamas and their children. Read on to find out about how and why WE felt partnering with Mamas for Mamas was a special thing to do, and the fantastic giveaway for one very deserving winner!
The Collaboration
In the beginning, the co-founders and the husband and wife team behind Wheel Estate, Chad and Cherie Ball, were leery to share their story of how the company evolved. Like many people, when they struggle financially, find it embarrassing to ask for help from family and friends or let them know the difficulties they may be going through. This was especially true for Chad and Cherie as they were going through the hardest time of their life.
They began to realize that it was important to share their story with everyone, no matter how embarrassing they felt it may be. By embracing their situation, it empowered them to help others in a way they didn’t know was possible. By telling their story, people started to understand that Wheel Estate didn’t start by waking up one day and thinking “let’s start a website where we can make a lot of money”, but that there was a deeper meaning behind it. They also learned that Wheel Estate could help both guest and trailer owners equally.
On one side, you have people like Chad and Cherie who may be struggling and desperately want to get away, rent their neighbour’s trailer affordably, connect with family and friends and make memories. On the other side, there are owners who want or need to make some extra money from their trailer that they aren’t using as much as they thought they would. Now, thanks to Wheel Estate, that trailer helps their family financially without them having to get a second job and it allows them to take more time away with loved ones. Seeing the value it brings to both guest and owner is what really makes Chad and Cherie feel so good about the community and connections being made offline at Wheel Estate.
It wasn’t long ago that WE heard about this great not for profit organization, Mamas for Mamas, through one of our favourite people, Jillian Harris. WE know that Jillian has a big heart and is a genuine human, so WE felt compelled to check out Mamas for Mamas after seeing how she supported them, and how passionate and often she spoke about them. After visiting their website and learning more about their cause, Chad and Cherie learned that they shared many commonalities.
Mamas for Mamas
Mamas for Mamas are a Kelowna based organization that supports mothers in crisis, as well as providing long-term support to low-income mama’s and their children. Their mission is to change the landscape of poverty by employing innovative approaches to fiscal barriers. Mamas for Mamas also provide a space where Mamas and their children can feel comfortable and safe. They do not believe anyone should be embarrassed to ask for help and provide valuable support when it comes to navigating resources for mamas such as social supports. Mamas for Mamas are proud to have created a community that looks after each other, with no mama left behind.
Chad and Cherie related on a personal level after losing everything during the 2008 recession. They sold their possessions to pay the bills and put food on the table. Chad and Cherie desperately wanted to get away with their 8-year-old son at the time, even for a few nights. They so desperately needed to hit the reset button, connect as a family and figure out their life as it seemed to be spiralling out of control.
Mamas for Mamas helps so many families with their guidance and support through their tough times. Because of this, Chad and Cherie felt an immediate and strong connection to this great organization and felt that Wheel Estate needed to get behind them and support them any way they could, but particularly on a more personal and meaningful level. Remembering how they felt, Chad and Cherie wanted to provide a weekend, all expenses paid, where a family could get away and enjoy camping and forget about the stresses of life.
The Giveaway
Chad and Cherie decided to contact Mamas for Mamas to offer and organize this awesome camping experience for a lucky winner. They wanted to continue to give back to the community so supporting such a great cause was an absolute no-brainer. Mamas for Mamas were entirely on board with the idea and set up a competition to win this fantastic prize. The lucky winner, Stacey Bennett, could not have been more deserving.
Stacey’s story
Stacey is the single mother of two amazing boys aged 3 and 10 who had experienced a particularly tough year. After their father left around a year ago, they, unfortunately, lost contact with him and had to lose their beautiful home due to financial difficulties. On top of this, one of her boys experienced a number of medical problems. There’s no doubt that Stacey and her kids deserved a break, and some time away to grow as a family and create lasting memories. Stacey, when entering the competition, stayed humble explaining that “see[ing] my kid’s smile is gift enough” and explained that “just being able to tell my story on here has been therapeutic”. WE thought that it was fantastic that Mamas for Mamas, through offering this competition, had made a difference to Stacey by allowing her a platform to discuss what had happened to her and her kids. For us, this only strengthened our belief that we had made the right decision partnering with Mamas for Mamas and we were pleased when we were informed that Stacey had been selected as their deserving winner! When Mamas for Mamas told her she had won, she graciously accepted.
Wood Lake RV Park & Marina
Chad and Cherie took their son Mason with them and personally drove out to Kelowna with the Wheel Estate trailer to help Stacey and her family get set up. When they arrived, they were proud to see the impact that this prize had on Stacey and her kids. There were smiles all round, and a very relaxed atmosphere (even if the kids were immediately ready to start playing!). WE were very thankful to Wood Lake RV Park & Marina, who graciously donated the full-service site for two nights, as well as a beautiful welcome gift basket full of super gifts for Stacey and her boys. They also donated life jackets for the boys to use, campfire wood (unfortunately there was a fire ban!) and on Friday night supplied complimentary s’mores and hot dogs on the beach. Everyone had great fun, and, we have to say, between Wheel Estate, Mamas for Mamas and Wood Lake RV Park & Marina one genuinely awesome weekend took place!
The future for Wheel Estate and Mamas for Mamas
We look forward to sharing more experiences with Mamas for Mamas and having the opportunity to meet more of their wonderful families. WE will never forget this great experience and have enjoyed every minute of it! WE want every person facing hardships to remember that there’s support available, please don’t be afraid to look for it and to utilize it. You can list your RV for rent on RVTravelCentral.
Contact Mamas for Mamas
Remember, check out Mamas for Mamas for more information on their fantastic work and services. If you are interested in the work that Mamas for Mamas do, or if you are a Mama who could do with some extra support and love or know of a Mama that might need a safe space with their children where they can access crucial support and advice, please check Mamas for Mamas out today.
