A 2007 national survey conducted by the Pew Research Center shows that 70 percent of Americans believe motherhood to be a more difficult undertaking than in generations past. Applewood Plumbing Heating & Electric, a local business that embraces the importance of families, is helping to make motherhood easier for some women in the Denver Metro area.

With its "Caring Community 12 in 12 Giveaway" for the month of June, Applewood is contributing $1,000 to the MOPS Stars program at Cherry Hills Community Church (CHCC). MOPS, which stands for Mothers of Preschoolers, is an organization that supports and educates mothers of young children through relationships and various resources.

"This organization helps mothers do that most important of jobs in our society, childrearing," said John Ward, owner of Applewood Pluming Heating & Electric. "Strong mothers are essential to the success of our communities."

At MOPS, mothers meet for discussion, devotion and general support. Stephanie Ruys is part of the 120-member MOPS group at CHCC where mothers listen to speakers and gain insights into the challenges of raising children.

"It's about fellowship and being able to lean on another mom who has been through it before," said Ruys, who sees the meetings as a brief escape as well as a chance to learn. "This money will benefit to help with scholarships for child care and support community service projects," she added.

One community service project provided by MOPS Stars was care packages for mothers of sick children at Children's Hospital. "Everyone is focused on the kids, but the moms need help too to be strong for their children," commented Ruys.

MOPS, which is an international organization founded in Denver, has had an active presence at CHCC for more than 15 years. The Stars group is one of the oldest MOPS groups in the metro area.

"Cherry Hills was one of the first churches to have an established MOPS group," noted Ruys. "We have a large group and typically we have 20-40 waiting to get into the groups."

Just as MOPS is dedicated to helping mothers grow and improve their families, Ward and the management team at Applewood take great care to support their employees' family lives as well.

Aside from family events like a recent company picnic, Applewood provides its employees with funds to pay for plumbing work as part of its "Don't Do It Yourself" program. Essentially, "Don't Do It Yourself" ensures that plumbers will ultimately spend more time with their families after work.

Applewood Plumbing Heating & Electric has served the Denver/Boulder Metro area for more than 35 years. The company has consistently been rated one of the nation's top 10 service companies by its customers. They are honored to have achieved the Nexstar Network Select Service Designation, to have been named 2007 City of Golden Rotary Ethics in Business Award winner and also named a finalist in the 2008 Better Business Bureau Torch Award for Marketplace Trust.

For more information or to nominate a local nonprofit for the "Caring Community 12 in 12 Giveaway," call 720-249-5145 or go to www.ApplewoodFixIt.com.