Mummies List connects moms with community

The website www.mummieslist.com and the "mummy card" connect generations of mothers with family-friendly businesses and raises funds for charities that benefit mothers and their children.

When speech pathologist Andrea Rich became a mother to daughter Sophia almost two years ago, she was “really out of the mommy loop.” She had no idea what was available to her in the community in terms of mother / baby classes, activities, places and events to find specialty baby items and toys, or places to meet other mothers and just hang out.

She started doing research, and as she met other moms, they started sharing information. They shared it with their friends and soon the "mummies list" grew to over 700 Montreal moms. The list continues to grow daily as moms and moms-to-be view the list at no charge just by going to www.mummieslist.com. “The larger we get, the larger the voice we will have in the community,” says Rich.

Soon the files of information about family-friendly businesses, services and events got too large and the “mummy card” was born. “We got so big sending e-mails became a chore, so I had to make a website for all that information.”

While dedicated to the project, Rich didn’t want to absorb the costs incurred to create and maintain the website, but didn’t want to start charging the mothers, so she had to find a way to subsidize the website which she updates weekly with information about new businesses and services and upcoming events.

Her solution was the "mummy card," a discount card available to mothers of all ages for $45, of which $15 goes to a charity of the month. The rest pays for maintaining the site. Rich takes no income for administration.

The card gives mothers discounts at over 100 family-friendly businesses in the Montreal area, all of which have been referred by mothers and are listed on the website. The mothers just present their card at the business and receive the offered discount of 10 per cent or more. There is no limit on how many times a mom can use the card. “They can buy a pair of shoes from Naturino every month and they will get their discount every time,” says Rich. The "mummy card" has well over $1,000 worth of savings throughout the city. “Moms make the yearly fee back tenfold; it’s a no-brainer,” says Rich.

In Westmount, those businesses are not just targeted to young moms but to all mothers and grandmothers. They include Art-Enfant, Atelier Victorien, Aurore Boreale Construction. Babar en Ville, Bark and Fitz , the Bead Emporium, Bodywares Boutique, Concept Moss Pink, Cote Kid, Doo Salon Eatz Encore, Edible Arrangements, Elite Laser, Greens and Co. (Mimi and Coco Salads), Heidi Hollinger Studio, Hogg Hardware, James, Java U both locations, LMNOP, Mademoiselle Pinki, Metro Fletcher, Naturino Shoes, Pays D’Oz, Rivet Laundry, Second Cup Greene Ave, Sox Box, U * Catering, U salon and Zebre.

Businesses pay $100 a year to be on the list and on the card, and the businesses listed must be referred by a mom on the list which makes the businesses more credentialed.

Sales of cards have raised $550 so far for the Montreal Children’s Hospital, $255 for the Hope and Cope breast cancer team, over $300 for various school fundraisers and $105 for the Mummies List Walk to End Breast Cancer team.

Since the Mummies List is all about families, Rich and the mothers on the list have also planned family-oriented events. Starting the week of June 1 and running through to the beginning of August, Mummies List will host Music in the Park, a program of musical events featuring children’s entertainers including Loony Lorny and Princess Fiona for children five months to five years in Westmount parks. The demand has been so great Rich is thinking of increasing the venues and the dates.

The "mummy card" can be purchased online at www.mummieslist.com using Pay Pal and by mail. This month, for Mother’s Day, proceeds will go to the Mummies for a Cure team for the Walk to End Breast Cancer. Interested charities and schools that would like to use the mummy card as a fundraiser should e-mail Rich at mummieslist@yahoo.com.