While every mother has some hefty responsibilities, those who care for special needs children or spouses carry a particularly heavy burden.

Fortunately, the Caregiver Day of Pampering will allow 34 of those local moms to kick up their feet, enjoy a massage, and bask in some much-needed relaxation."What we set out to do is love, honor and celebrate moms of special-needs children, or the wives of special-needs husbands," organizer Connie Quinn said. "We set a day aside every year to do that. They're treated to a breakfast in the morning, followed by a program, then we treat them to lunch. Then in the afternoon we have spa services provided by volunteers - hair cuts, manicures, chair massage, stuff like that. It's really exciting."Quinn met with Caregiver Day of Pampering co-organizer Linda Tomko, along with Turn To Us founder and executive director Alicia Kline, on Friday to finalize the plans for the April 1 event at Salem Bible Fellowship Church in Lehighton. Co-organizer Carren Bynon was unable to attend."As a mom of a special-needs child, I know how important it is. Moms don't take care of themselves to begin with, and when you have a special-needs child your duties are twofold," Quinn said. "You're trying to take care of your family, plus you have all of these extra needs going on. So, mom doesn't take care of herself. It's very rare that you'll find her taking time out to get her nails done."Quinn, Tomko and Bynon have known each other for about 25 years, having connected as parents with special needs people in their lives. Jon and Friends, a Christian group that focuses on the disabled community, had previously hosted similar events. Quinn and company were able to put their first event together in four months, helping 18 mothers."I had a son with multiple disabilities, and you get very little time away when you have a child who needs care on a continual basis," Tomko said. "It's such a part of your life, and everyone else in the family, the siblings also. Just having that personal involvement and bringing more awareness, and to give hope and honor those who are caregivers, matters a lot."With their first event, the caregivers attracted the attention of Kline and Turn To Us, who saw a kindred spirit in the group's mission. Turn To Us, which offers financial and emotional support to area residents who are dealing with long-term illnesses, promoted the Caregiver Day of Pampering, and this year, they offered up their services again."This year, I said, 'If you guys need anything, let us know,' " Kline said. "It fits our mission. What they're doing is fantastic. I love how these three moms stepped up and created this. We're the 501c3, and the donations were made to us to help pay for this day. It's a huge undertaking, and the more money we can raise for this day, the more moms that can get pampered."As of the meeting on Friday, the group had raised $320 that will be used for food. Donations of raffle items and baskets were also made. While this year's event is full, Caregiver Day of Pampering encourages anyone interested to follow them on social media for updates and information regarding next year's event."If mom isn't together, the family can't be together. When mom doesn't take care of herself, how can she take care of her family?" Quinn said. "It's important that she feels good about herself when she's in this role."