Photographs by William Taufic.
“I ’ve always known that women in general are givers,” says Westport resident and RTM member Medha Thomas. “We want connection and camaraderie. When I had my daughter, I realized how much more important that is for mothers.”
Medha, a Philadelphia native who left business school at the University of Pennsylvania to become a mom, launched CT Moms (CTMomsOnline.com), creating a virtual village for thousands of mothers. “It became a place for moms to connect with each other,” says Medha, “and also find jobs, pet sitters, sell houses, find charities we want to give to … We help one another and help local charities. We are busy moms giving of ourselves in ways that fit in with our schedules and life while making the biggest impact possible in our area.”
Stephanie Snell of the Department of Children and Families in Norwalk comments: “Medha is one of the most caring and giving people I know. Whenever I have called on her and CT Moms to help a family or child in need, they have always come through 110 percent.”
Medha adds, “Homes with Hope called about a displaced family that needed everything. I put a call out, and within a day we were able to provide them with household goods, clothes, small appliances, diapers, groceries … . We get requests like this once a week from the 127 charities we work with, but sometimes it’s just a simple call for a pair of warm pajamas for the Pajama Program or a supermarket gift card for a shelter.”
Meredith Grant, a CT Moms member from Greenwich, notes how Medha “turned a simple group into a machine of women who come together to raise money for so many good causes, from donating diapers to collecting unopened Halloween candy to send to troops.”
Nicole Lyons, a member from Darien, adds, “Within a month of the devastating Christmas fire in Stamford two years ago, Medha had mobilized volunteers in towns reaching from Greenwich to Bridgeport to host a Fire Safety & Awareness Day at local fire stations. Donations were contributed to the Badger family, and the event provided a way for firefighters and rescue teams to connect with residents in a meaningful way that impacted everyone’s lives.”
Medha is motivated by giving back and surrounding herself with women who join her in that mission. “Growing up, I was the recipient of a lot of giving,” says Medha. Now CT Moms gives $80,000 worth of services every year. And some of what the organization gives can’t be quantified. “One mom who struggled to avoid depression after having her first baby later told me that CT Moms website was the place she came to when she couldn’t sleep at night,” explains Medha. “It kept her connected to the world in a time when she didn’t feel connected at all.”