About Us
In early 2003, three mothers with infants born with Down Syndrome met at the Professional Center's parent support group on a Wednesday evening. Although the adult conversation was helpful, the mothers - still overwhelmed by their new situation - decided to schedule a playdate so that they could get together with their children to focus on celebrating their new babies. Almost one hundred playdates later, Morning Travelers now serves more than one hundred families in the Merrimack Valley.
For the first year, Maura Fitzpatrick, Charlotte Gray and Sharon Randall met in their homes. But their goal to invite any family with a child with Down Syndrome to join them soon presented a problem. The First Calvary Baptist Church of North Andover donated their spacious nursery and the limits to how large the playgroup could grow were removed. Morning Travelers has been meeting on the third Saturday of every month (see Calendar of Events) at the church since 2004 and typically has twenty-five families at any given playgroup. To assist with the group's management, mother Kathy Healy Norton has served since 2006 as special events coordinator, and mother Susan Grabski serves as the group's Webmaster (see Contact Us).
In 2008, Jacob Gray, son of Charlotte, was diagnosed with Autism. Suddenly the Grays were presented with a set of different challenges and "Morning Travelers 2" was created to serve families with the dual diagnosis (see MT Special Interest Groups). Charlotte quickly realized the traditional playgroup format wasn't helpful for this group and now these mothers meet monthly online in a chat room and a solid network of support has grown.
Morning Travelers is singularly focused on friendship - creating an environment where children, siblings, parents, grandparents and friends can gather monthly to have fun. Annual events now include a Halloween parade, a Holiday Party, a Family Sweetheart Dance and a Family Cookout. Although the first Morning Travelers - Davis, Amanda and Jacob are eight years old now - the playgroup continues to welcome many families with newborns, and often families who have received a pre-natal diagnosis and want to get settled into this wonderful community right away.
Please come out and play if you can!
Testimonials
Every time I go (to playgroup) I meet new people and families. It's amazing how much we can share information with each other in such a short period of time. I travel 50 miles to attend; the long trip is certainly worth it. This is an incredible group of women who are making a real difference in the lives of families with a child who has Down syndrome. -Inga Wronski
What a comfort it is to know there is a group of people who understand the ups and downs of raising a child with Down syndrome. Sharon, Charlotte and Maura have created this incredible community of people that we couldn't do without (although it's very hard for us to get to the playgroups.) Knowing any one of them is just a phone call or email away, is so reassuring. -Debbie Christianson
My son Nate was diagnosed with Down syndrome prenatally at 17 weeks. I reached out to Morning Travelers immediately. Sharon, Charlotte and Maura all responded to me within 30 minutes of my phone call. That day and in the months leading up to Nate's birth, they shared their experiences of raising a child with Downs, offered endless support and provided me with optimism for our future with Nate. I honestly don't know how I would have made it through the prenatal diagnosis without them. Now that Nate is fully recovered from his heart surgery, we've been actively involved in the monthly playgroup sponsored by Morning Travelers. What an amazing, spirit-filled community these three women have built. It's wonderful that we have a place to bring our son where he can just be Nate and not Nate with Down syndrome. My husband and I have never felt alone in this journey thanks to Morning Travelers. -Michelle Hoenig
Morning Travelers has been a place where I have felt supported and comfortable. It is a place to meet people who are dealing with the same struggles as well as the same victories. Sharon, Maura and Charlotte specifically are like amazing hostesses who connect you with others who have great things in common. It is really a blessing for me and I am so thankful for those women who have also become great friends. -Nancy Thompson
I am the mother of a 5 year old with Down syndrome. It has been a wonderful thing to go to Morning Travelers each month to be with other parents who are "going through the same thing" I am. Sharon, Maura, and Charlotte are my friends, and I feel like they are also my anchors. They are excellent listeners and are very friendly and welcoming. It is always wonderful to be near to them. I don't think I can say more, other than my son and I are truly blessed by these women! -Heather LaBudde
In a time of uncertainty, fear, and uncontrollable emotions I attended a Morning Travelers playgroup. This group welcomes families with open arms and helps to sort out all of the unknown that comes with having a young child with Down syndrome. These 3 women are truly inspirational in their desire to help other families understand and believe that life for our kids will be OK and that we will have a huge group of friends to turn to, always. The work that they put into this group is amazing and we are lucky to have them in our lives. -Andrea Hanson
Morning Travelers is a wonderful gathering for both the kids and parents. It is a time for the kids to play with others while parents share their experiences. It is just a great meeting for getting ideas to help your kids on life's journey and find support. Sharon, Charlotte, and Maura provide a wonderful service. They give so much of themselves; playgroup is something we all look forward to each month. -Tim Wickens
It came as a total surprise when our daughter, Harper Libby, was diagnosed with Down syndrome. After a very traumatic birth and first few years of major surgeries and scary health concerns, my husband and I really felt the need to meet and connect with other parents who had experience with Down syndrome. We wanted Harper to get a chance to meet and play with other children her age who might share similar issues and stories. We tried to connect with other families, but there didn't seem to be much going on in our immediate area. I read about Morning Travelers in an issue of the MDSC newsletter and contacted them immediately. Every time we can make the Saturday playgroup, we always have such a great time and it is so nice to have finally gotten a chance to meet so many other families who have walked a similar path with their youngsters. Although the group meets in a location that is not too close to our home, we always try our best to make the trip and it is always worth it. We are greeted by name and we always feel right at home. Morning Travelers has been a godsend for our family. It is so nice to be amongst a group of people where you don't have to explain away certain behaviors, actions or physical issues/delays that are common to Down syndrome and we are so happy we have been able to connect with the Morning Travelers families. -Maisie Hochella
Our granddaughter, Maya, arrived suddenly two months early and we were told she had Down's syndrome. We flew to Boston immediately. All of us were confused, concerned and the going was very tough in those first weeks. Two days after we returned to our home in Florida a friend from the North Andover area sent me a newspaper article about Morning Travelers and suggested that I contact them. I emailed Sharon and that very day she replied. That was the beginning of our journey to understanding. On behalf of the Morning Travelers, Sharon led us in the direction we needed to take. She was so insightful and shared with us how to express our joy about our new granddaughter to her parents, how to offer help to them, how to be involved in Maya's life even though we live far away. Several visits later we had the opportunity to attend a Morning Travelers playgroup. What a pleasure; many happy little kids and parents who are so involved, willing to share and pay it forward! Morning Travelers reaches out to so many people with energy, caring and welcoming. It is a life ring when you need it most and a continuing place for sharing and growing together. -Marge and Dom Gualtieri
Morning Travelers has changed my family forever. We were fortunate enough to learn about the group very early on and started going when my son Eric was only 4 months old. I remember being greeted by Sharon and feeling so welcomed and more than anything UNDERSTOOD. The playgroup has allowed my family to meet wonderful friends and find support as we learn our way through different things in relation to Eric. More importantly, the group has given me the ability to begin to give back to others. It wasn't long ago that I was lost and confused. I still feel anxious, but now I am empowered with the feeling that I have a group that I can rely on. I cannot thank Sharon, Charlotte and Maura enough for forming a wonderful group and allowing all of us to meet. -Maggy & Philip Godfroy
My son was born with Down syndrome in February 2005; I felt overwhelmed and desperately lonely. Surrounded by family and friends who loved and supported us, I still felt like the only person in the world who had ever gone through this. Then a MDSC newsletter arrived with a story about Morning Travelers. I emailed them and within the hour I received a response inviting me to the next playgroup. I cannot say enough about Sharon, Charlotte, and Maura. These three women welcomed my family like old friends and made us feel like we were part of something truly special. That is the beauty of Morning Travelers! Sharon, Charlotte and Maura spend countless hours - not to mention personal resources - helping new families like mine celebrate the excellence of our children with Down syndrome. -Kate Connors
Morning Travelers has made a gigantic difference. In the beginning, I felt like all we did was meet with well-intended professionals who told us everything that would be wrong with our child. We were given books that bombarded us with all the challenges we would face. Morning Travelers is a place where everything is right. My daughter was 4 months old the first time we went. I was very nervous, not knowing what to expect. Everyone was so welcoming and the kids seemed fine to me! My journey of acceptance turned a corner that day - it was the first time I felt like it would be okay. And every time I go to playgroup, I get that reassurance again and again. At Morning Travelers, our children are celebrated, thanks to Sharon, Maura, and Charlotte for generously giving of their time and spirit to make it all happen. -Randi Elkind
After our daughter was born, Morning Travelers gave our family a sense of immediate and joyful belonging. Sharon, Maura, and Charlotte enveloped all of us and made concerted efforts to meet us and provide us with much needed guidance on resources, the educational path for our child within our hometown, and also introduced us to other families containing a member with Down syndrome. Sharon, Maura, and Charlotte are very warm, welcoming, knowledgeable and seemingly always available to greet the newest family entering our very special situation. We believe that Morning Travelers has, and will be for many years to come, an integral part of our lives, community and circle of friends for not only us as parents, but for our daughter and sons as well. We feel fortunate to have had such a wonderful network available to us and know that many families since us too have found tremendous comfort in its membership. -Wendy Agudelo
The Morning Travelers group is the only opportunity my family has to really connect with other families with Down syndrome family members. Sharon, Charlotte and Maura are so giving of their time, energy and compassion to welcome any family from across Massachusetts who wants to connect with this wonderful second family! -Katherine Craven
As the parents of a child with Down syndrome, we know first hand how important it is to connect with families in a similar situation. And that's why we feel very fortunate to benefit from the Morning Travelers group. The sharing of solutions to problems experienced by many families, access to information in a relaxed setting, inspiration for new parents to see first hand the positive development of children with Down syndrome, relationship-building experiences for children with Down syndrome, their siblings and parents, a community of friends…and more...are all a part of what the Morning Travelers group has brought to our lives. Not to mention it's fun and it's run by individuals who genuinely care about others. We are very grateful to the founders: Sharon, Charlotte, and Maura for creating such a worthwhile program. -Joy and Roger Kruppa
We’d love for you to join us!! Please feel free to contact us!