The Loyola Mothers’ Guild (LMG) has been hosting their annual Back-To-School Coffees in various cities over the past four weeks. Led by Area Coffees Co-Chairs, Cynthia Garcia and Jane Hawley, the Back-To-School Coffees help introduce new mothers to the Loyola community.
With many hosted activities and parental involvement, the Mothers’ Guild has been a part of the Loyola community for 87 years. Led by LMG President Mona Schlater-Hewlett, the guild welcomes all mothers to join and serve as a hospitality arm for Loyola.
Hostess of the West LA Coffee Jackie Smith-Hastie recalls the importance for new mothers to attend LMG events, as doing so provides an opening into the Loyola parent community.
Smith-Hastie, who hosted the West LA moms at her house, said, “The coffee event is important because it’s an opportunity to meet new mothers on a regional basis and really get to share information about local things like transportation, and while some mothers knew each other, there were many new faces to meet.”
Amanda Mansour, mother of freshman Elias Mansour, recommends that all moms go to the coffees in their area as a way to improve their son’s high school experience.
Mansour said, “I think [the coffees]are a great way to get involved in the community and to start meeting other mothers and learn more about the school as we are starting the next four years of our lives.”
The Back-To-School Coffees typically consist of a meet-and-greet, information lecture and a time dedicated solely for questions. According to Hawley, the coffees begin with a social gathering for parents to meet each other and converse amongst themselves. Then, a group of mothers often follow an agenda, which consists of certain mothers explaining what a parent should expect for freshman year, as well as the following three years. Afterwards, the rest of the meeting is open to questions from the new mothers to experienced ones.
While the coffees are one way to introduce new mothers to the Loyola community, members of the Mothers’ Guild always stress the importance for the parent, just as much as the student, to participate in particular activities involving Loyola. Mothers of Loyola students interested in attending a coffee have one final opportunity to do so. The final coffee will be held on Loyola’s campus on Saturday, Sept. 30.
More Mothers’ Guild-related information can be found under the Mothers’ Guild portal on the homepage of Loyola’s website.
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