Geelong Mums announces name change

GEELONG Mums has announced a change to its name, recognising the role the community plays in the local charity’s mission to help the region’s vulnerable children and babies.

Inspired by the adage, ‘It takes a village to raise a child’, the organisation unveiled its new name, Our Village, on Wednesday (May 1).

Chief executive Ruth Holdaway said the name change better reflected the contributions of the local community on which the much-loved charity relies.

“We are, and have always been, so much more than mums in Geelong,” she said.

“We’re Geelong mums, dads, grandparents, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, carers, social workers, nurses and more.

“Our new name truly reflects this.”

Established in 2013 by a group of five Geelong mums, the organisation works in partnership with a network of support groups, social workers and maternal and child health nurses, to rehome preloved essentials, such as prams, car seats and clothes, to vulnerable families.

The organisation, aided by a large community of volunteers from all walks of life, has supported more than 44,000 babies and children across the region.

Geelong Mums is one of three branches of the charity, with the other two located in Melbourne and Ballarat.

Ms Holdaway said the name change would be reflected across all three organisations.

“We are incredibly grateful to all our amazing donors and volunteers in Geelong who have helped us get to this point. And we have so much more to do,” she said.

“Geelong Mums is joining forces with St Kilda Mums and Eureka Mums as Our Village, to enable us to reach the 100,000 babies and children in Geelong and right across Victoria who need our help.”