Local Club Builds Community of Moms

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There is a resource for moms of young children in Bristow who want to meet other moms and share information about parenting; it is called MOMS Club of Bristow-North.

MOMs (Moms Offering Moms Support) Club is part of an international nonprofit organization primarily for stay-at-home or part-time working moms. They arrange activities, playgroups and mom’s nights out.

Since many Bristow families are transplants to the area, MOMs Club provides the kind of support they may have received from family and friends in their hometowns.

“My husband is active duty Air Force, so we are used to being on the periphery everywhere we go.  For me personally, this club has made me feel like I actually have a life here,” said current President Julie Beal.

Beal joined MOMs Bristow-North in 2010 shortly after she moved to Linton Crest.

“From meeting the women and learning about the community to creating playmates for my kids and friends for myself, I feel like I am really a part of this community because of the club,” she said.

Moms who have just left a job can utilize the club to find new friends where they live, rather than where they work.

“It’s great networking for stay-at-home moms who might not know other moms in the area,” Beal said.

Besides the lasting friendships the club helps develop, members also share advice on parenting and services in the area.

“The women here are an incredible source of information. They can recommend a pediatrician, or where to have a kid’s birthday party,” Beal said.

According to Beal, the club has a diverse group of women of different ages and with different sized families. Although women typically join when they have newborns or toddlers, some stay with the club until their children are in fifth or sixth grade.

Moreover the club allows members to pick and choose the meetings and events they want to attend.

They also have an active on-line community. Members can post questions to the group on their private Facebook page, which is also where they share advice and information.

International MOMs Club organizes its chapters by location and membership numbers. Originally, Bristow Moms attended the Gainesville Chapter, until it grew too large in 2004 and broke away to form its own chapter.

The Bristow-North Chapter has room for approximately 20 more members, who live in the Bristow neighborhoods between north of Sudley Manor. Victory Lakes is included in the territory.

Although people outside the area cannot join the Bristow-North Chapter, they can contact the group and find out if there is a MOMs Club in their area, or how to go about starting one.

Beal invites anyone with young children within the Bristow-North territory to visit their website www.bristownorth.com to learn more about becoming a member.

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