Henderson hosts Single Mothers’ conference

WEST CHESTER >> Despite the unusual April weather, more than 100 single mothers attended the fourth annual Single Mothers’ conference held at Henderson High School Saturday.

The conference, hosted by the Chester County Community Collaborative and Chester County Women’s Commission, ran from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., offering free breakfast, lunch and advice for mothers struggling to provide for their children.

A series of talks and presentations throughout the day gave single mothers advice on fostering good relationships with their children, legal advice and financial advice. Mothers could drop off their children at age specific class-

rooms for chaperones to look after.

“What’s amazing to us, is the numbers we had despite the weather,” said Matrie Johnson, one of three co-founders of the event. “This is a collaborative effort of a lot of nonprofit organizations. As women, we can do something committed to.”

According to Johnson, legal advice and advice on raising children are always the most popular, and it’s completely free.

She said planning for the following year’s conference usually begins about two weeks after the conference for that year ends.

Benchmark Federal Credit Union, the organization’s lead sponsor offered free credit scores and additional financial advice as well.

“One of our big community outreaches is single women in Chester County,” said Rebecca Worthington, marketing director for Benchmark Federal Credit Union.

“A lot of them don’t realize what has been reported,” she said. “They need to know these things so they can be aware of it.”

Single mothers also attended talks instructing them how to recognize red flags in relationships with their significant others, and what healthy relationships look like. Items such as car seats and baby strollers were raffled away near the end of the day.

Many resources were also printed in Spanish as well and several interpreters were on site to help translate between English and Spanish, and Mision Santa Maria helped bus in women from southern Chester County.

“It’s a lot of good, valuable information,” said Julie Musser, one of event attendees.

Musser said she has two children, a 2-year-old and a 13-year-old, and plans to come back next year.

ADAM FARENCE — DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA The fourth annual Single Mothers’ conference was held at Henderson High School on Saturday.

ADAM FARENCE — DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA Multiple local nonprofit organizations set up booths to offer free advice to struggling single mothers.