Mother Daughter Luncheon in Akron a chance for 300 to celebrate motherhood

The Mother Daughter Luncheon on Saturday at Guy's Party Center in Akron was more than a chance for generations of moms and daughters to celebrate the special bonds created by motherhood.

It was a return to an annual tradition for the Akron chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho and all the better because of a two-year gap since the last get-together.

And it picked up where it left off, attendees said, giving a chance to appreciate moms, meet old and new friends, and do a bit of networking.

Karen Matthews, a first-time attendee who trekked from North Carolina for the event, said she was impressed with the turnout and enthusiasm among the 300 attendees.

“I like the feeling of sisterhood,” she said.

She was accompanied by her daughter, Kenyona “Sunny” Matthews, a Cuyahoga Falls resident who works in political consulting.

“She’s from North Carolina, and she came all the way up here,” Kenyona Matthews said. “This is my first time here; I’m so impressed and I’m having a ball.”

When Kenyona Matthews came to Akron for law school, her mother came, too, staying six months to help her get established. It's an example of the connection between mothers and their children and the bond that never goes away, she said.

“Without my mom, I would never have been able to do what I do,” she said.

Matthews, who pledged this year to Sigma Gamma Rho, invited more than a dozen moms and daughters to the event.

“Moms have a way of looking out for everybody,” she said.

Velma Smoot, 97, came with her daughter and granddaughters. Before the two-year COVID pause, she was a regular at the annual event, and she plans to attend in the future.

“It’s not the last time,” she said.

Her daughter, Donna Smoot Walters, said her mother was involved in the founding of a Sigma Gamma Rho chapter. She said the event retained the fun and energy it had before the two-year break.

“It’s basically the same,” she said. “It always sells out.”

Some of the moms brought young daughters with a wide open future full of opportunity, Verna Smoot said. She pointed out a mom with a toddler nearby.

“Her mother hopes one day she’ll be in college,” Smoot said.

It’s a hope shared by many, if not most, moms in the room, she said.

Edna Borders, first vice president of the Summit County Democratic Party and on the executive committee of the NAACP Akron, said the event gives Sigma members and others a chance to spend time together and network.

“It’s bringing women together,” she said.

Janell Brown, a teacher and leader with Sigma Gamma Rho, said members were eager for the event to return after the pandemic.

“They miss each other,” she said. “The miss that camaraderie.”

Brown said the event started small, in downtown Akron at the old Cascade Hilton. As it became more popular, it grew into a celebration of mothers and a networking experience.

On Saturday, several entrepreneurs sold homemade products, including Sylvia Humphrey, whose daughters Cara and Carys started a candle-making business after learning it as a hobby.

“We did it as a craft and they said, ‘Momma, we can make this our business,’ ” she said.

Humphrey runs her own establishment on Brown Street in Akron called the Straight Laced Smoke Shop and sells the candles there.

She said Saturday’s event had been successful and fun for her daughters, who were line dancing when she spoke.

“They sold a bunch of candles,” she said.

Brown said the Mother Daughter Luncheon adopts a new theme each year.

“This year, it’s royalty to remind them that they are special,” she said. “A lot of times we don’t celebrate each other enough.”

LaShawn Terrell, a member of Sigma Gamma Rho, said at a prior luncheon, six generations of the family were present.

Sacha Parson, who helped organize this year’s event, said the sorority is celebrating its 100th anniversary and has big plans to increase its presence.

It will award two scholarships for $1,922 to mark its founding year, and it’s calling for 100 acts of kindness in the community and 1,922 hours of community service.

“Our focus this year is to get out in the community and empower our community,” she said.

Linda Lanier, who chaired the luncheon and the sorority’s social action committee, said at the end, the event is something to enjoy.

“It’s a fun day,” she said. “It’s just a day of fun for everybody.”

Leave a message for Alan Ashworth at 330-996-3859 or email him at aashworth@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @newsalanbeaconj.

For more information

Sigma Gamma Rho was founded 1922 at Butler University in Indianapolis by seven educators.

The sorority’s motto is: Greater Service …Greater Progress.

To learn more or become a member go to facebook.com/ALS.SGRho/. The national Sigma Gamma Rho website is at SGRho1922.org,

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Mother Daughter Luncheon in Akron a chance for 300 to celebrate moms