Meet-a-Mom Featuring, Rachel Murphy
What’s your favorite family activity in the Hinsdale, Western Springs, La Grange, Clarendon Hills Area?
We love the Morton Arboretum all year round. The farmers markets in both Clarendon Hills and Hinsdale are a summertime weekly highlight. We are lucky to have family close by (in Burr Ridge and New Lenox) so getting together with them or dropping the kids at Grandma’s and Grandpa’s is a treat.
How many children do you have and what are their age(s)?
We have three children. Our oldest, Drew is 7 years old and is in 2nd grade at Walker Elementary. Mae is 5 and enters kindergarten next year. Our youngest, Emi, just turned 3 years old and she has been the comic relief in our household this last year.
How long have you lived in the Hinsdale/WS/La Grange/CH Area? What made you decide to live here?
My husband and I grew up in the Homewood/Flossmoor area of the South Suburbs of Chicago. After college, we got married and started life in Bucktown, a Chicago neighborhood. In 2015, after getting pregnant with our second child we made the move to the suburbs. MJ Schremser, a friend I made in a Chicago moms group was moving to Clarendon Hills. She suggested that we look at the area. After a two day house hunt we found our dream home, which to our complete surprise was right across the street from the Schremsers!
Where’s your favorite place to eat and/or shop in the Hinsdale/WS/La Grange/CH Area?
We love many of the restaurants in the area, especially Davanti Enoteca and Vistro. Beyond those, pre-COVID we loved to go out as a family to Oakbrook Mall and shop, play around the green space, and enjoy an early dinner which we would inevitably finish off with a visit to the Candy Shop, Jenny’s Ice Cream, or even a donut or two from Stan’s.
What’s one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
This summer I attended some of the Chicago protests and rallies that promote police reform and challenge the $1.7 Billion (15%) of Chicago’s budget that currently is allocated to the police force. I strongly believe that the safest communities have the most resources. I am currently aligned with ‘Nita’s Love Train,’ an organization that serves marginalized communities in Chicago by sourcing and distributing mother/baby/child resources.
Anyone special you’d like to thank for helping you through parenthood?
I have been fortunate to have the support of so many wonderful people but one person I would like to recognize individually is my husband, Chris. We have been together for 20 years but the love and support I feel from him as I continue to grow into motherhood and myself has never been greater. He encourages me to take on challenges and the boxes he has carried and spread sheets he has created for me over the last few months is worthy of a vacation (when that’s a thing again!)
Are you involved in a business venture, a local organization, a creative endeavor, or in the corporate world? Please share!
Through my involvement in Clarendon Hills Infant Welfare Society I have hosted multiple “stuff a truck” drives where I collected new and lightly used mother/baby items. Through those experiences, I realized how much I enjoy the relationship of taking what is no longer needed from within our “west suburbs” community and redistributing those items to individuals who otherwise may not be able to afford them. This fall I began collecting similar items but offering porch drop-off on an on-going basis. I have teamed up with Nita Tennyson, who runs Nita’s Love Train, and together we have created a free baby/child delivery program. We distribute goods that have been donated and use monetary donations that come in through Venmo @NitasLoveTrain to fill the gaps where supply doesn’t meet demand (mostly this is diapers, formula, wipes, and feminine products). Individuals from the South to the West Side of Chicago are invited to go to Nitaslovetrain.org where they fill out a request form and we create Love Deliveries from the stock of items we have. They can request clothing, toys/books, shoes, jackets, potty chairs, swaddles, strollers, activity mats, and so many more baby/child items.
How has this community been instrumental in getting you to where you are now?
I would not be where I am without the support and donations of the Clarendon Hills community. The donations have poured in at times! It has warmed my heart and is impacting the lives of so many that live not so far away. I have been taking steps recently to extend my reach and network beyond Clarendon Hills. I’m excited to grow this mission and bring more awareness of this mutual-aid opportunity to surrounding neighborhoods. I think we all want to give another life to items that we find ourselves no longer needing. This is a great way to have a direct impact on the lives of babies and children who are surrounded by love but in much different economic circumstances.