Families First Spring Gala and Film Premiere

Families First of Rhode Island is hosting a Spring Gala on May 3rd to support Moms For Moms, a campaign to help mothers who have recently had a child and are suffering from postpartum depression. This program offers peer monitoring through weekly visits from trained volunteers, or “Mentor Moms.” These volunteers are given extensive training in supporting women dealing with maternal depression, a problem that afflicts up to 24% of women nationally.

The 2014 Gala will feature the world premiere of Moving Through Darkness a stunning documentary depicting first-hand accounts of women struggling with postpartum depression. The film juxtaposes these heartfelt dialogues with original, choreographed dance by Colleen Cavanaugh, which represent a woman's internal wrestling with this disorder. General admission tickets are $75. VIP tickets are available for $125 which give attendees access to a private reception with the Filmmaker, Soren Sorensen. All proceeds from the gala fund the Moms For Moms program.

The Spring Gala will be held at the Greenwich Odeum at 59 Main Street, East Greenwich, RI from 5:30 – 9:00pm. To purchase tickets for the event please visit Odeum.ticketleap.com.

Being honored at the Spring Gala are Dr. Gregory Fitz, MD; Dr. Margaret Howard, Ph.D; and Peter and Mary Troy. Dr. Howard, Director of the Postpartum Depression Day Hospital, recently stated “Postpartum depression is one of the most common complications of childbirth and yet it remains widely misunderstood and under recognized. Too often, women suffer silently.  Those who have felt the impact of postpartum depression personally, as family, as friends, and as caregivers must endeavor to speak in one voice, loudly, that postpartum depression exists, deserves recognition and, most of all, is treatable". 

Families First promotes the secure and nurturing parent-child relationships that are the foundation of every child’s overall well-being and future success.

For more information about the 2014 Spring Gala, please visit FamiliesFirstRI.org or contact

Jamie Puleo, Executive Director, at (401)-419-3383.