Free Mom Hugs has a new home!

We are so excited to share with everyone that we finally have found the perfect fit for our staff and board to carry out all the duties of a non-profit changing the world. We found a shared office space in the heart of downtown OKC where our 3 staff can work together and be productive in all things Free Mom Hugs. Karrie, Sara and Katrina are finally able to sit across from each other after a year of communicating via zoom and emails. Without our financial supporters, we would not have been able to make this change as we continue to grow with hopes and dreams for international reach. We really are trying to change the world. And with this new office space, we are that much closer! And thank goodness we have a Preston on our board of directors to set us up with all things technical. It’s been so fun having him in the office with us to show us how to not be scared of giant monitors, track pads and earbuds!

Moving Day was great as we loaded up everything from Sara’s house and unpacked in our new home. Sara has been using her home and spare bedroom to house the Free Mom Hugs “office” since 2016. Meetings, panels, zooms and podcasts have all been done in her home. Before Sara knew how to use Skype and Zoom, Katrina would come over at 5 am on some mornings so that Sara could do a podcast with India or Germany. That kitchen table has seen and heard A LOT!

If you know anything about Free Mom Hugs, it’s goodness, passion and devotion can take over your life…and your house. I bet most of our Chapter Leaders have at least one corner of their home that is leaking all things Free Mom Hugs related. T-shirts and merchandise have been stored in Parker’s old bedroom over the years. The official office has been in Travis’s old room and the kitchen table has served as the workspace for organizing care packages and t-shirts.

This same kitchen table held so many meetings to plan how a group of friends can help LGBTQ+ kids who have been rejected. The first board meetings were hosted at this table. Tours and fundraisers were planned there. The very first Transgender Valentine’s Banquet was all organized here too. Good news, bad news and all news in between were processed around this table. Guests from out of town have often stayed in Sara’s home and have shared meals and stories here. This also includes Jamie Lee Curtis, who came to visit Sara and her family after she purchased the rights to Sara’s book.

So now, we have expanded in the best of ways, thanks to all of you sharing the movement and helping us grow. We were able to hire three staff members this past year and now are able to office together to be the most efficient machine in the fight for LGBTQIA+ rights. Now, the only complication will be what temperature to keep the office as the three of us have completely different internal thermometers. Stay tuned for pictures of Karrie in a hat and scarf, Sara in a jacket she takes on and off all day, and Katrina wearing shorts and t-shirts throughout the winter!

Our mission statement is stronger than ever as we are now able to work as a team, in one location to:

Empower the world to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community through visibility, education and conversation. And yes we still give hugs!

Our new space is a wonderful location that allows us the perfect amount of privacy while also being able to network with other businesses who office in the same building. This space will also allow for us to have in person board meetings using the amazing conference rooms at our disposal. And with Preston’s help, we can zoom with our out of town board members.

The Free Mom Hugs movement all started in the heart of Oklahoma City, and we are so proud to continue to be where it all began. Our hope is to help Sara’s dream come true of putting Oklahoma on the map for taking care of their LGBTQIA+ families. We have a long way to go, but we’ve also come a long way. We can’t wait to see what the future holds for all of us as we take this next step to making the world a kinder, safer place where all people can live fully free as their authentic beautiful selves. If you would like to join us or learn more about Free Mom Hugs, just head to our website freemomhugs.org