Moms Unite for Charity, Camaraderie

Hermosa Moms Club president Lana Imbagliazzo's guests arrived one-by-one at her home Tuesday night, casually letting themselves in the front door to sit at her kitchen table and chat about babies, bottles and breastfeeding as she prepared cheese, bread and wine.

Imbagliazzo was hosting the group's February board meeting. Important fundraising and charity events were on the agenda, but the overall gathering felt more like an assemblage of old friends.

One of the three club members who arrived early, Christine, recently gave birth to her second child, a 3-week-old baby girl.

“Are you getting any sleep,” a fellow club member asked.

“Yes,” Christine exclaimed. “She’s only up at one time in the night... she wakes around 4:30.”

Imbagliazzo joined the other three women at her kitchen table and handed out the beverages, bread and cheese. Once two more local mothers arrived, Laura and Ah-San, the board meeting commenced.

The topic of discussion transitioned from newborn baby sleep patterns to the upcoming and a charitable fundraising raffle event in May.

"I am very proud of the charity work that the Moms Club does," Imbagliazzo told Patch. 

This past December, a couple of the club members joined  in helping raise money for the Hermosa Beach Education Foundation, she said.

The Moms Club conducted a book drive in support of the 1736 Family Crisis Center around that same time, she added, and the books were given to children for Christmas.

"Our biggest charity event comes in May," Imbagliazzo said. "We raise money for a chosen charity or nonprofit organization."

For example, the Moms Club raised more than $2,000 to buy baby products for the charity Open Arms during last year's May event.

"We are a close-knit community that cares for each other and for the community," Imbagliazzo said. "We join together to raise money for our schools. We watch over each other's children. We hold each other's hands when someone needs help."

This was evident at Tuesday's meeting as the club members shared advice on how to research and select the right local preschool for a child (which Patch will report on in an upcoming Moms Talk column).

Along with being "caring," Imbagliazzo said that she would describe the typical Hermosa mother as being "active" and "hip" too.

"We may be moms but we are stylish," she pointed out.

If a local mother is interesed in joining the Moms Club of Hermosa Beach, she should contact membership at hbmoms@yahoo.com. The mother will  be given an opportunity to attend one event before joining the club.