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Community Connection > NewsMOMS Club offers support to moms and kidsPublished: Sunday, October 30, 2011Tweet
0 By Sue EricksonConnection Editor
serickson@berksmontnews.com
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“I was alone and unsure of what being a mom was all about,” said Pattie.
That’s when she found the MOMS Club of Pottsgrove/Pottstown.
The MOMS Club, an acronym for Moms Offering Moms Support, began in the mid 1980s when a group of new moms were looking for other new moms to share their experiences, find child-friendly things to do and support one another.
Pattie found the Pottsgrove/Pottstown chapter and went to an open meeting.
“It was such a relief,” said Pattie. “I was welcomed with open arms and I knew that I had found an organization that was going to become a very important part of my life.”
Pattie has been a member of the MOMS Club since 2007 and has been a board member for the past four years. She has been the president of the Pottsgrove/Pottstown chapter for the past two years.
“Our MOMS Club has almost 50 moms and more than 150 children,” said Pattie. “We’re growing by leaps and bounds and always look forward to having new moms join our group.”
Specifically designed for stay-at-home moms, the MOMS Club offers weekly meetings, as well as activities, tours, theme-parties and play groups. Each mother is asked to host a play group at her house; however, play groups are also scheduled at kid-friendly establishments, such as McDonald’s and Chuck E. Cheese, as well as playgrounds and parks.
“It’s also a way to teach children socialization skills,” said Pattie. The children are around other kids their own age and learn life skills like sharing and interacting.” Continued...
1 2 3 See Full Story Reader Comments » View reader comments (0) » Comment on this story » “That’s the really nice thing about joining MOMS Club,” said Charity Tabor, MOMS Club secretary and a transplant from Florida. “When I moved to the area, I had no idea where anything was. I remember driving around with my son in the car, looking for a park or a playground. I had no idea where to look or who to ask.”“I just wanted to be able to have a place to take my son where he could meet kids his age and play, but where I could also have control over the situation by being able to be there with him,” she continued.
The MOMS Club of Pottsgrove/Pottstown is a non-profit organization and members are all volunteers. From bringing snacks to helping with baby sitting needs, they band together to help one another as much as needed. They also do charitable service projects to help fund activities for the club, including this year’s cookbook.
“Each mom submitted a recipe for the cookbook,” explained Pattie. “We had the children put their hand prints on a piece of paper and that’s what we used for the cover of the cookbook. Everyone got in on the design and content.”
In addition to fund raising activities and service projects, the moms are all about helping one another. The MOMS Club has a MOMS Helping Hands group that offers to make and bring meals to families where the mother has recently given birth or has undergone surgery.
“It’s a huge relief not only on the mom, but on the dad, as well,” explained Pattie. “It gives the parents one less thing that they have to worry about.”
“I was really nervous the first time I came to a MOMS Club meeting,” Charity laughed. “I walked in alone but walked out knowing that I had made a wonderful decision and lots of wonderful friends.”
And for those new moms considering joining the MOMS Club, the members offer “big sisters” - members who will meet a new mom at a meeting or an event and introduce them around while explaining things to them.
The MOMS Club of Pottsgrove/Pottstown meets monthly, but activities and play groups are generally held on a weekly basis. For more information on the MOMS Club of Pottsgrove/Pottstown or to find out where and when the next meeting is being held, visit the website at www.momsclubofpottsgrove.com.
“It’s just so comforting to know that you’re not in this alone,” said Pattie. “We’re all in the same boat!” Continued...
1 2 3 See Full Story Reader Comments » View reader comments (0) » Comment on this story » Follow the Community Connection on Twitter @commconn 1 2 3 See Full Story Reader Comments » View reader comments (0) » Comment on this story » 1 2 3 4 See Full Story Reader Comments » View reader comments (0) » Comment on this story » When Pattie Ann Bilyk moved to the Pottstown area, she felt more alone than she had in a long time. Even with a growing family and a new son, Pattie, who moved to Pottstown from California, didn’t have extended family in the area or a network of friends she could count on.
“I was alone and unsure of what being a mom was all about,” said Pattie.
That’s when she found the MOMS Club of Pottsgrove/Pottstown.
The MOMS Club, an acronym for Moms Offering Moms Support, began in the mid 1980s when a group of new moms were looking for other new moms to share their experiences, find child-friendly things to do and support one another.
Pattie found the Pottsgrove/Pottstown chapter and went to an open meeting.
“It was such a relief,” said Pattie. “I was welcomed with open arms and I knew that I had found an organization that was going to become a very important part of my life.”
Pattie has been a member of the MOMS Club since 2007 and has been a board member for the past four years. She has been the president of the Pottsgrove/Pottstown chapter for the past two years.
“Our MOMS Club has almost 50 moms and more than 150 children,” said Pattie. “We’re growing by leaps and bounds and always look forward to having new moms join our group.”
Specifically designed for stay-at-home moms, the MOMS Club offers weekly meetings, as well as activities, tours, theme-parties and play groups. Each mother is asked to host a play group at her house; however, play groups are also scheduled at kid-friendly establishments, such as McDonald’s and Chuck E. Cheese, as well as playgrounds and parks.
“It’s also a way to teach children socialization skills,” said Pattie. The children are around other kids their own age and learn life skills like sharing and interacting.”
“That’s the really nice thing about joining MOMS Club,” said Charity Tabor, MOMS Club secretary and a transplant from Florida. “When I moved to the area, I had no idea where anything was. I remember driving around with my son in the car, looking for a park or a playground. I had no idea where to look or who to ask.”
“I just wanted to be able to have a place to take my son where he could meet kids his age and play, but where I could also have control over the situation by being able to be there with him,” she continued.
The MOMS Club of Pottsgrove/Pottstown is a non-profit organization and members are all volunteers. From bringing snacks to helping with baby sitting needs, they band together to help one another as much as needed. They also do charitable service projects to help fund activities for the club, including this year’s cookbook.
“Each mom submitted a recipe for the cookbook,” explained Pattie. “We had the children put their hand prints on a piece of paper and that’s what we used for the cover of the cookbook. Everyone got in on the design and content.”
In addition to fund raising activities and service projects, the moms are all about helping one another. The MOMS Club has a MOMS Helping Hands group that offers to make and bring meals to families where the mother has recently given birth or has undergone surgery.
“It’s a huge relief not only on the mom, but on the dad, as well,” explained Pattie. “It gives the parents one less thing that they have to worry about.”
“I was really nervous the first time I came to a MOMS Club meeting,” Charity laughed. “I walked in alone but walked out knowing that I had made a wonderful decision and lots of wonderful friends.”
And for those new moms considering joining the MOMS Club, the members offer “big sisters” - members who will meet a new mom at a meeting or an event and introduce them around while explaining things to them.
The MOMS Club of Pottsgrove/Pottstown meets monthly, but activities and play groups are generally held on a weekly basis. For more information on the MOMS Club of Pottsgrove/Pottstown or to find out where and when the next meeting is being held, visit the website at www.momsclubofpottsgrove.com.
“It’s just so comforting to know that you’re not in this alone,” said Pattie. “We’re all in the same boat!”
Follow the Community Connection on Twitter @commconn
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