By Kayleigh Jones
The holiday season presents many wonderful experiences, like attending celebrations that the entire family may enjoy. This year’s Halloween activities at Park Square were one such event. On October 29, the Fishhawk Mombies, a group of 23 mothers, performed at the event dressed as zombies while dancing the night away to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” and they raised $7,118.30 for breast cancer research and treatment.
Andrea Young, founder of Fishhawk Mombies, was inspired to start her own group after seeing a viral video on Instagram posted by the original Mombies, who are based in Fairfield, Connecticut.
“When I saw that video, it was like a lightbulb; this was the most amazing idea,” said Young.
Young began establishing her group after reaching out to the Fairfield Mombies founder, Terry Davis, and receiving her permission to do so.
She commenced her efforts on the 19th to recruit members, but the number of participants soared once she posted the invitation to join online. Many people replied, asking her how to participate or donate. Young began scheduling practices at her residence with only nine days till the event. Thanks to her history in competitive dance, she recognized that six practices from October 22 to October 27 were optimal for familiarizing everyone with the dance preceding the event.
The formation of the group aided in many new connections for both the mothers and their children who all interacted in these practices. Young attributes the group’s success to the united efforts of all the women, their families and her own family.
“The most heartwarming is the overwhelming support from the community,” said Young.
Participating in this group was intimate for some involved, including Young and fellow mombie Michele Jones, who both share a connection to this cause: Young’s lifelong friend is currently battling breast cancer and Jones is a survivor of breast cancer.
All donations are gifted to The Cancer Couch Foundation, and 100 percent of donations are matched by anonymous donors and used to fund research at leading cancer centers Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Memorial Sloan Kettering.
For more information, please contact Fishhawk Mombies at fishhawkmombies@gmail.com. With the handles @FishhawkMombies and @fishawk_mombies, one may also search for the group via Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.
