Our PACE Story: When we welcomed our first son, I joined a PACE group for first time parents. Every week for 8 weeks, I joined a dozen other new moms for two hours, with babies in tow, to talk about key themes of new motherhood: infant feeding, sleep, mental health, infant safety, and more. The sessions were led by a trained group leader, and the group continued to meet socially after the ‘official’ sessions concluded.

Our group has stayed close even through the pandemic thanks to a WhatsApp group, now sharing stories, advice, and congratulations as many of the families welcome new babies and navigate the joys and challenges of sibling relationships. 

This group has been an immense support throughout my journey as a mom and especially in the days and weeks after Zander’s unexpected passing. They set up a meal train for our family, managed questions from friends, made sure I had a breastpump for the days of weaning after Zander died, and checked in routinely. On the first ‘photo Friday’ after Z died, everyone shared photos of Z’s from alphabet books or around their neighborhoods in his honor. 

Why PACE? The resources, knowledge, social support, and community created through PACE groups is unique among moms groups. The small size means everyone gets to know each other - rather than being one in hundreds in a neighborhood parents group. The trained facilitators provide practical, evidence-based information, and walking through the challenging months of infancy hand in hand with others also managing through sleep deprivation and early milestones helped me feel less alone. PACE is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit, and all donations are tax deductible.

How will the funds be used? To support the facilitation costs, PACE charges a participation fee for each mom. Through these scholarship funds, more new moms can access the community support of PACE by covering the participation fee for moms in need. Every $375 donated sponsors one mom’s registration fee.

Thank you for your support and honoring Zander. We spent a lot of time thinking through where to direct the kindness of many friends and family who asked how to honor Zander, and supporting other new moms with the social support of a PACE group so they can find more joy in those early days of motherhood felt right.

Amanda & James

PACE is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization providing educational & emotional support groups for first and second time moms in DC, Northern Virginia, Montgomery County, and PG County.

Your donation is tax-deductible. You will receive a donation receipt by email. Please save it for tax purposes. EIN:52-1038628