Virtual Support is REAL Support - La Leche League of Charleston, SC is here for you!

Virtual Support is REAL support – Naomi Hambleton, Pronouns: she, her, hers; La Leche League Leader, Charleston, SC When I found La Leche League in New York with my first child, I never thought I’d be a Leader of a Group but over the years I have loved being in this role. Leading in Pennsylvania, I have had “Dads Too and Meeting Two” evenings, I have held Cafe’ style events at libraries. I have been part of LLL playgroups in my current area and many fun events that really met a need and connected our community. This past year when COVID hit, I was so grateful that my co-Leaders and I didn’t skip a beat and went right to virtual ways to support our families. I am a Leader in Charleston, South Carolina, USA. My co-Leaders are Bea, Kacy, Kat, Kimberly, and Tamsen. We already have a good Group with different locations each week of the month, the FIRST FRIDAY in one part of town for new mothers, the SECOND TUESDAY in another for parents and partners, and even the FOURTH SATURDAY for working families. When COVID shut down our ability to have in-person events, we decided to continue our usual scheduled day and time events but to move to virtual. We have tried ZOOM, Google Meets, and even Facebook Rooms for our Facebook Group which has over 4.6 thousand in it!! We have found that that attendance has ebbed and flowed with highs and lows as the tides do here for us in the Lowcountry of South Carolina! We had challenges with connectivity, challenges with getting glitches and links to work, and lots of a learning curve for those of us who weren’t used to this style. But we also have had so many great things that I want to share how proud I am of our Leaders! We all had to adjust our jobs, our families, and our homes for being physically distant while still trying to be social. My co-Leader Tamsen worked on getting us out a monthly flyer that I could post on Instagram and we could use to share with our community. My co-Leader Kimberly held scavenger hunts for the kids during her virtual meetings. She also did a “New Years Day Virtual Meeting/party with Hats and Disco lights”! Kat has worked hard to engage and meet parents on her Saturday meeting while also juggling her children. Bea and I have done our SECOND TUESDAY meeting backing up each other while Bea has deadlines for work at the same time and her little ones home too. My own kids continue to work in their rooms virtually as I set up my dining room with a La Leche League homemade poster hung on my wall for our events. Our co-Leader Kacy became a Leader and her very first meeting was held virtually!! I am really proud of and honored to work with my Charleston Leaders. These are women who love the community we volunteer in and we all really check-in and work as a team. Whether we had one parent or dozens join in, we held 48 meetings in 12 months!! I am proud that we volunteer to support our area and that collectively we were there for families each week as we have been when we were in person. We have even had some wonderful outcomes. Many new parents who would not have been able to travel to meetings are attending our virtual events while in their PJs, while eating meals, while folding laundry, while double tasking work calls, and while parenting their little ones. And Leaders are doing the same on the other end as we remind our children to get on their virtual school classes too! Our in-person meetings usually had lower attendance on bad weather days. This year, if wifi is up and running, we have had nice chats on rainy days without parents having to leave their homes or bring their little ones out in the rain. I know that this year has been a challenge for us but I just want to acknowledge how much work and creativity my lovely group and I have done. We really have taken on this year and made it work for the better. We know that many of those who attend our meetings can be part of vulnerable populations and toddlers are not known for social distancing. I think some of us may even continue to do pop-up Lives on our social media or virtual events as we start to consider when we can find safer ways to also meet in real life out of doors or with masks or in larger spaces. Join us! https://www.lllofsc.com/events