For Samantha Speck, support is a shared resource.
Speck was a stay-at-home mom of three boys when she earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Wilmington University in 2018. Now she’s pursuing her master’s in Applied Family Science through the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. Let’s just say she’s a superstar multitasker.
For the past two years, she’s been helping other families. At her job as an international adoption specialist for Madison Adoption Associates in Claymont, Delaware, she manages cases originating in China and Bulgaria. Her other job with Wilmington-based Wingmom allows her to be part of a team of local moms lending a hand in homes throughout New Castle County.
“I feel very fortunate that I found not one, but two positions that have allowed me to use what I’ve learned at Wilmington University to give back to the community,” says Speck.
Speck was Wingmom’s first hire in June 2018, as it began its growth from a two-woman babysitting, grocery delivery, and ride-to-the-airport startup to a full-service, 40-mom-strong community-based business. It now offers household assistance with everything from home organization to meal preparation to doctor’s appointment transportation for seniors to waiting for the cable guy to show up. “If we can do it,” says Speck, “we’ll definitely do it for you.”
Founder Kate Maxwell was inspired to create Wingmom by the support she received from family and friends after her fiancé, Christopher Leach, a 14-year veteran of the Wilmington Fire Department, died fighting the Canby Park house fire in September 2016.
While the cautions surrounding COVID-19 have curtailed the demand for rides and inside-the-house services, Wingmoms equipped with masks, gloves, hand sanitizer and wipes are still providing contactless grocery drop-offs at their clients’ front doors.
“When this all began, I wondered how I could support Wingmom without putting my family at risk,” says Speck. “But without our services, some families wouldn’t be able to put food on their tables. So, it’s worth it to me to continue to work for them.”