In the Clare House community room, a mother enters with her crying newborn and notices a new, brightly colored rocking chair. She sits down and begins gently rocking her baby to sleep.
This simple, peaceful moment is the culmination of months of planning and generosity.
At Clare House, we strive to provide more than just a safe place to stay. We offer opportunities for social and emotional engagement, from parenting classes to youth activities. Sometimes, support can be as simple as providing a rocking chair.
The journey to bring that rocking chair, along with 24 others, to the families at Clare House began months earlier at our annual Charity Ball. During the event, attendees had the opportunity to purchase rocking chairs for every room at Clare House, with the intention of creating a special place for mothers and grandmothers to bond and spend quality time with their families.
In just a few minutes, 25 rocking chairs were purchased — one for every room at Clare House, plus two for the community room.
By September, volunteers from ConocoPhillips Alaska arrived with tools in hand, ready to assemble the newly arrived chairs and place them in their new homes. An eight-year-old Clare House resident even joined in, excited to help build something.
Rocking chairs have long symbolized places of family bonding: where memories are created, infants are cradled, and people find comfort and relaxation. The joy of sitting in a rocking chair is nearly universal, spanning generations.
As the volunteers were preparing to leave, one mother paused to thank the staff: “Thank you! My kids are already playing on it!”
These chairs will go on to cradle many moments of joy, comfort, and love for years to come. Whether it’s a mother feeding her newborn, a grandmother reading a bedtime story, or children curled up doing homework, each chair holds the potential to create a million memories.
Thank you to those who made these rocking chairs possible.
