“Coming together with friends and to welcome newcomers motivated me to come out of my comfort zone.”

Craig Macartney
Spur Ottawa Writer

Members of the Rideau Valley Home Educators’ Association (RVHEA) celebrated the back-to-school season with a Hawaiian luau. The tradition caps a summer of “Friday Fun Days”, where homeschool moms welcome residents of Ottawa’s Eastway Gardens to join them for fellowship at a local park.

“I started this event because, as a homeschooling mom with young kids, I got lonely,” explains Evelyn, who founded the tradition five years ago. “I felt a desire to get to know people better, but I also felt kind of self-conscious saying, ‘I’m a lonely mom. Would you like to be my friend?’ I decided to throw a luau at the local [outdoor] pool.”

A luau is a Hawaiian party with a very summery theme. Evelyn says the idea was to host an environment that celebrates the past summer and gears families up for the coming school year.

A mom brought a cake shaped like a roast pig one year, which is a staple at luaus. Photo courtesy of Evelyn.

“It is intentionally informal so people can sit, talk, and enjoy the Canadian summer. For the luau, there are normally between 50 and 75 [people] at any given time, but people come early and some people come late. Normally there are about 75 or 100 people who show up for this event, from the community and RVHEA.”

The luau is the culmination of weekly “Friday Fun Days” Evelyn began hosting around the same time. She says it gives kids a chance to run around and burn off energy and lets moms connect.

“Moms are [often] interrupted in the middle of a sentence and can’t finish their thoughts. Having that continuity of conversation helps establish relationships.”

“The Fun Fridays have been a great encouragement to me and also to my children,” says Lisa, who homeschooled her three children for several years. “Coming together with friends and to welcome newcomers motivated me to come out of my comfort zone.”

Lisa adds that both the Friday Fun Days and the luau are a great opportunity to share your experience with other moms and find out what worked well with their kids, in terms of curricula, schedules, and parenting.

Evelyn says the event was a catalyst to get to know her neighbours, beyond “Hellos” and “Goodbyes”. Being at a city park put the event on “mutual ground”, she says, where everyone felt relaxed.

“It’s about finding common bonds and finding people who can connect with other people. It’s also been a critical way to have conversations with my neighbours who aren’t going to set foot in a church.”