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| Articles |
| MOMS Club� of Loganville, Georgia |
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MOMS club allows mothers to mingle By Sharon Swanepoel The Loganville Tribune Published May 11, 2007 LOGANVILLE � On the first Tuesday of each month, members of the Loganville MOMS club meet at the Loganville First United Methodist Church and plan the activities for the next month. And unlike some meetings, this is one where young children and babies are welcome. Club president, LaChelle Neudorfer, said they all enjoy the opportunity to get together for a little �adult� conversation but since they all have young children, having them around isn�t a problem. �We are a non-profit organization and we meet to plan our activities which include service projects such as collecting bottle tops for the Ronald McDonald House,� Neudorfer said. �But we also enjoy the time out and try to do something fun like a game of trivia,� Neudorfer said. The club members do have one �mom�s night out� a month where the dads get to stay home and watch the kids while the moms enjoy some time together for a little relaxation and adult conversation without having to stop to burp the baby, change a diaper or jump up to prevent an adventurous toddler from finding a way to escape the confines of the meeting room. �We either go to a nice restaurant or get together for something like pedicures,� Neudorfer said. �Most of the moms here are either full-time stay-at-home moms, moms who work from home or those who have part time jobs to help out a little with the finances. We have 34 members at the moment, some from Monroe since they don�t have enough members for their own chapter yet. Grayson, who is our sister chapter, now has enough members for a chapter of their own. We know finances are often a concern so our annual membership is only $20.� The club also offers support to new moms, welcoming them home with a two-week supply of meals to help give them more time with the new addition to the family. �We have five moms expecting babies at the moment so we are here to offer them a helping hand,� Neudorfer said. Besides such activities as collecting for worthy causes, the club plans activities together such as a craft day to make Mother�s or Father�s Day gifts, food drives, penny pinchers coupon clipping, walking or fitness activities and preschool shopping opportunities. The Loganville chapter was started in 2002 by a stay-at-home mom who has since outgrown the group. �But members don�t have to leave when their children start school,� Neudorfer said. �They are welcome to remain members if they choose.� The first chapter actually began in 1983 when Mary James, a stay-at-home mom in California, decided she was tired of being alone at home and, finding no other support organization, founded the first MOMS Club. According to the Web site, www.momsclub.org, there are now more than 2,000 MOMS Club chapters in the United States with 100,000 plus members as well as international chapters now signing on. Being a stay-at-home mom is considered one of the most difficult jobs around � as well as one that is grossly underpaid. According to a study released last week by Salary.com, if stay-at-home moms were paid their worth it would be an annual salary of $138,095 for duties that include housekeeper, cook and psychologist. Although most stay-at-home moms say they wouldn�t give up their roles for anything, clubs like the local chapter of MOMS offer support to those who choose to do so, also providing them with a forum to discuss topics of common interest with other moms who are looking for a little adult conversation during the day. Anyone wishing to find out about the Loganville MOMS Club chapter can go to the Web site at www.geocities.com/loganvillemomsclub. |