I had a very enjoyable brunch with a few of the cast members of Bravo’s new show Mother Funders. Mother Funders is a reality show about a group of PTO (Parent Teacher Organization) parents who will do just about anything to raise money for their kids elementary school. In attendance were the PTO board members which included:
President: Carla Stephens
Volunteer Coordinator: Amber Bryant
Secretary – LaShon Thompson
We met at Community Smith a chic restaurant in Midtown and enjoyed beautiful and delicious food while we chatted about Mother Funders. I have interviewed many reality stars and I always love it when I can see the other side of the edited/scripted characters that are presented to us on the show. When I watched the first episode I just knew that there had to be way more to these ladies then what was being portrayed. I mean the bottom line is that they ALL go above and beyond for their kids as any mother would so how can you not respect that? I was eager to know more about them.
As a former PTA President myself I quickly let them know that I don’t know how they do it. Trying to get busy parents to participate in fund raisers is HARD! Public Schools often do not have the finances necessary to purchase things like new score boards for the football field or funds to create gardens on campus etc. PTA’s/PTO’s are responsible for planning effective fund raisers and facilitate activities to raise these extra funds. The board members often times will end up coming out of their own pockets to make certain things happen for the school and donate a LOT of their personal time. The President gets all the kudos when things go well, but they also carry all of the blame when things don’t go so well. It is a thankless job and I understand it because I’ve been there.
President, Carla Stephens runs the PTO and is described as “the perfect blend of Betty Crocker and a drill sergeant”. She runs a very tight ship and is absolutely dedicated to creating unique events that will bring in money for the school. You can tell that she is very passionate about what she does and as she spoke about her family and the fact that she actually runs several businesses you could see that she is no joke. She is a true leader. When asked how she balances being a wife, mother, entrepreneur AND PTO President, she stated that she believes that women understand balance differently depending on their situation. For her, running the PTO like a business is key in helping it to be successful.
Volunteer Coordinator, Amber Bryant is married to a former NFL player and has access to wealthy donors. Even though her child is not old enough to attend the school yet, she is getting her baby ready. Parental involvement is very important to her. She is so dedicated to being involved that she was made a honorary volunteer coordinator. She hopes that through the show she can encourage more parents to be involved with their kids PTO/PTA.
Secretary, LaShon Thompson is a wife and mother who has a blended family. She also runs a successful trucking company with her husband. LaShon made a special effort to be involved because she believes that it makes her kids happy. She says that she was inspired by Carla and her enthusiasm. She is learning to open up to other parents and enjoys her friendship with Amber and Carla because it creates a village for her kids.
Yeah, I know it’s a reality show. Drama sells. But when you spend a little bit of time with the real women you quickly see they are just like you and me. Doing whatever they have to do for their kids. I like to find the positive aspect of things and I absolutely enjoyed chatting it up with Carla, Amber & LaShon. Each of these ladies were friendly, inviting and just real moms with the same concerns as everyone else. I’m not mad at them.
I had a great time with these ladies as well my fellow blogger sisters A Mom Who Blogs and Butter and Beats. Make sure you check them out.
Big Thank you to Liquid Soul for this opportunity.
Bravo’s Mother Funders airs on Sundays at 10PM ET. Check out the hastag: #MotherFunders and follow them on Twitter as @MotherFunders
When is the last time you contributed money or time to your child’s Parent Teacher Organization?
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