Who We Are
In 2016, an unlikely group of Mother figures began to meet on Erie’s Lower East Side. Our goal was to learn and grow with and from one another.
We had little in common on the surface. Black, white, married, single, homeless, homeowner, urban, suburban, GED graduate, college graduate, working, stay-at-home—we could list our differences for days, but every one of us was committed to our families and we all believed that the health and well-being of local Mother figures was critical to the health of Erie.
While our team has grown nearly beyond measure from those first days, Erie City Moms’ leaders and volunteers were, and still are, real, honest and vulnerable, which is a refreshing alternative to the media’s “perfect” parent and the urban core’s hard exterior. They have navigated many hardships—addiction, violence, mental illness, racism, homelessness, and loss, to name a few. Yet, they are light in dark places and continue to transform themselves even as they inspire growth in others.
MEET THE TEAM!
Board of Directors
Chair Amanda Burlingham
Treasurer Diane Kuvshinikov, Erie Insurance
Secretary Janet Peters, Mercyhurst Prep
New Yorka Morrow, American Income Life
Ashley Westgate, Emma’s Footprints
Operations
Amanda Burlingham, Acting Executive Director
Jessy Burkell, Public Relations Director
Darlene Cohen, Office Manager
Niki Halbig, Good Friend Director
Tracy Hokanson, Millcreek School District
Spring Stephens, preschool teacher
Mentoring Team
Dorine Biggie, child care specialist, entrepreneur
Jane Johnson, Community Health Net
Diane Kuvshinikov
Mark Pattmore, Staples
Daria Wells, Friendship Baptist Church
Ashley Westgate, Emma’s Footprints
Moms Groups Team
Ashley Duran, mechanic
Danielle Godfrey, teacher aide
Melissa Hall, RN
Cypriana Milsap, Milsap Family Daycare
Alondra Moffett, PA Department of Labor and Industry
Tara Prishak, The Plastek Group
Advisors and Partners
Joe Bizarro, Interstate Mitsubishi and Nissan
Scott Bonnell, Bonnell’s Auto Group
Gloria Coleman, advocate, author, and speaker
Alan Hilling, Hilling-Pfeffer Insurance
Shayla Jones, University of Pittsburgh
Housing Team
Jerry Cafardi, Erie First Assembly of God Church
Darlene Cohen
Catherine Fox, Coldwell Banker Select Realtors
Keith Hardin, Grace Church
Katie Peppers, Mercy Center for Women
Jim Schriefer, retired school teacher and licensed contractor
Reach out.
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650 East Ave.
Erie, PA 16504
ErieCityMoms@gmail.com -
Jessy Burkell, Public Relations Director
burkelljl@gmail.com