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(Out)reaching to single moms

Nick Rotunno | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 14 years, 7 months AGO
by Nick Rotunno
| May 8, 2011 9:00 PM

COEUR d'ALENE - Single moms enjoyed some first-class treatment on Saturday morning.

Rebekah Bailey, a Coeur d'Alene mother of two, brought her vehicle to Lett's Downtown Car Wash on Third Street, where a small army of volunteers from Heart of the City Church was busy cleaning, cooking and pampering.

"It was amazing," Bailey said. "I got an oil change, and they washed (the car) and detailed the inside for me."

After all that work, her ride looked 100 percent better, she said.

The fifth annual Single Moms Outreach - always held the day before Mother's Day - served 50 women from local communities. Cars were washed, oil was changed, food was served and gift bags were passed out.

There were even a couple of massage chairs for stressed-out mothers.

"I think it's a good opportunity for single mothers to get connected with something," Bailey said, "and bring all of them together at one time."

All vehicle services were free of charge.

"Just our way to reach out to the single moms in the community, and make 'em feel honored," Jen Cady, administrator at Heart of the City, said early Saturday. "It's going really good. We're on schedule. We try to keep the flow of people pretty steady."

Lett's service professionals changed the oil, moving quickly from vehicle to vehicle, while volunteers took care of the window and interior cleaning.

Kids bounced around in a special children's area, and upbeat music filled the parking lot. Coffee and freshly-made hamburgers were on the menu.

"This is huge for me," said Jana Siebrecht of Coeur d'Alene, a teacher and single mother with two children. "I love this church. I just started going a couple months ago, off and on, and now I'm going every Sunday."

Her car was cleaned out and scrubbed down.

"That was fantastic," Siebrecht said.

The goal of the annual outreach, according to Heart of the City Pastor Jonathan Owens - better known as Pastor T.O. - is to be a blessing for local mothers. They deserve to be honored, he said.

"To me, they're absolute heroes," he added. "I've worked with single mothers that literally hold down three jobs."

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