The Chelsea Standard
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Raise your hands
Area moms seek path, passion and purpose
By Crystal Hayduk, Special Writer
PUBLISHED: March 20, 2008
Members of the Chelsea chapter of Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) are flying high after being wowed by the musical motivational speaker Eleni Kelakos on Feb. 22.
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After more than 20 years working as a professional actress and singer/songwriter on the stage and screen of New York City and Los Angeles, the willowy Kelakos now prefers to be addressed and known as simply "Eleni."
"My father was in foreign service, so I spent a lot of my childhood in other countries trying to fit in," Eleni said. The attempts to fit in, however, led to a love of performing when Eleni was in eighth grade. At that point, the stage became central to her life.
Eleni has lived in the Ann Arbor area since 2002 when she married her husband, Jim.
Eleni said she is now on a mission to help others, especially women, to see their challenges as opportunities for growth. "I want to put the wind beneath their wings," Eleni said.
Many women are continually challenged by balancing a job with a home, a spouse, and children. It's hard to have "perspective in the midst of diapers and sleep deprivation," but Eleni encourages women to be conscious of their choices and to let themselves be who they are.
Eleni likens women's lives to "parts cars." "Women give parts of themselves away, and then we wonder why we're depleted. As a parent, we do a juggling act every day. Yes, it's challenging and wonderful, but it's also exhausting," Eleni said.
Eleni believes that women make a choice between diminishing themselves, or using their personal abilities, dreams, and desires to achieve growth.
MOPS member Beth Heiss considered Eleni to be very motivational and uplifting. After the presentation, Heiss updated her resume and sent it out for a part-time job that she was interested in. Eleni "reminded me to embrace my strengths and passions in life and not to let them fall by the wayside as I juggle being the best mom I can be and keeping the fire in my belly alive," said Heiss.
Heiss also commented on Eleni's voice when she said, "The singing during her presentation was the icing on the cake."
MOPS member Emily Kennedy agreed. "She has a beautiful, captivating voice." Kennedy found Eleni's story of personal struggle and growth to be the most inspirational part of her presentation. "It really captured my attention to listen to what obstacles she faced and the decisions she made along the way. That made me think that day and keeps me thinking about the decisions I am making in my daily life," said Kennedy.
MOPS Mentor Mom Bernice Packard echoed the thoughts of several moms in regards to Eleni's website, where one can sign up to receive a daily motivational email. "They are great and right on with what life gives us. They are all about real situations and how to react to them," said Packard.
Eleni not only works with groups of people to energize and motivate them towards the action of realizing their potentials, but she also works one-on-one with people who suffer from performance anxiety to help them take their own speaking to a new level.
Eleni summarizes her hopes for the future of individuals when she said that it is our birthright to know who we are and what we are here to do.
MOPS International is a non-denominational Christian group that was founded in Colorado in 1973. Its purpose is to value mothering for its many contributions, equip women to be all that God has designed them to be, encourage relationships, and help women develop leadership skills.
Allison Vanderspool, coordinator of the four year old Chelsea chapter of MOPS, said that the group was able to accommodate 18 new moms this year. In the past, there has often been a waiting list due to the high demand for child care during the meetings.
Mothers are eligible for MOPS if they have a child from birth through kindergarten. The women enjoy breakfast, have discussion time with other moms who share the same joys and tribulations of parenting, hear a speaker, or complete a project. During the meetings, the children are lovingly cared for by a wonderful group of church and community volunteers.
Chelsea MOPS meets at the First United Methodist Church on Park Street on the second and fourth Friday mornings of the month during the school year. Additionally, they host one evening event each month.
Vanderspool is especially pleased that MOPS has found a way to give back to the community through an ongoing connection with Faith in Action. "We collect boxes of cereal at each meeting that are donated to FIA; and we adopted a family at Christmas time. Many of our members also participated with Project Warmth, a program sponsored by the Ann Arbor News that helped needy children have warm clothing for the winter."
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