Fort Worth Weird Moms’ Club (FWWM) has launched the Michelle L. Sketchley Award for Philanthropic Achievement and is accepting nominations.
The award will be given to a local nonprofit or business that honors and supports the exceptional courage and commitment of mothers in Tarrant County. Nominations are being accepted through Sept. 1. It will be presented to the honoree at the Fort Worth Weird Mom Prom 2022 fundraiser on Sept. 17.
The Michelle K. Sketchley Award for Philanthropic Achievement is named for a founding member of FWWM who died from cancer in 2020, just one year after the inaugural Weird Mom Prom.
“She had such a big heart, was very family-oriented, and was always looking to help,” said Haley Seaux Ballenger, founder and leader of FWWM. “We were devastated [when she passed], and because it was the very beginning of the pandemic, none of us got to say our proper goodbyes. So, this is our way of honoring her.”
Nominations can be submitted via email to fwwmpromaward@gmail.com. Submissions should include the organization’s name, contact information and a few words about why the nominee qualifies for the honor.
The award will be presented by Sketchley’s family.
“We all know the struggle and the village it takes to raise kids nowadays, and there are so many great companies and organizations out there that are doing this amazing work,” said Ballenger. “We wanted to tell them thank you, we see you and appreciate you, and we hope we can help you keep doing what you’re doing.”
FWWM was founded in 2018 as a safe space for local moms who didn’t fit in the typical mom group and has grown to more than 1,400 members. The club is LGBTQIA+ friendly and supports the Black Lives Matter movement. It is open to anyone who identifies as a mother or grandmother.
“In FWWM, we’re all about loving each other, our kids, and our community fiercely and boldly,” said Ballenger.
The group offers opportunities for its members to support one another online and gather in person.
The first Fort Worth Weird Mom Prom was held in 2019 as a charitable event to benefit organizations that support women and mothers. The first Prom raised $900 for Opening Doors for Women in Need, an organization that provides transitional housing and programs to recently incarcerated women trying to re-enter society.
This year, FWWM is expanding its fundraising capacity by opening the Prom to the public. Fort Worth Weird Mom Prom will be held at Southside Preservation Hall. The event will include dancing, a food truck, cash bar, a raffle and door prizes. Tickets are $30 and this year’s theme is “Mask-uerade.”
