Leslie Williams moved to Utah from Texas in tears. She arrived with a 2-year-old son and her husband as the sole familiar faces in her life. And choosing to stay at home and rear her son added to her feelings of isolation.
But a blurb in the paper about a support group for moms like her helped turn things around and provided a support network and a slew of new friends.
The Moms Offering Moms Support Club (MOMS Club) is an international organization dedicated to bringing moms together in an environment where they can make friends and exchange tips and ideas in outings that include their children. The frequent activities combat feelings of isolation that can often happen to women raising young children at home.
The idea of MOMS Club was born in 1983 when Mary James, an at-home mother in California, decided she was tired of being alone at home. She wanted to meet other at-home mothers, and she wanted to find other at-home children for her children to play with.
When she discovered there were no other organizations that met during the day and allowed her to come with her baby and preschooler, she decided to start a brand new organization just for at-home mothers.
Two decades later the club has more than 1,500 chapters with 75,000-plus members across the United States and internationally.
Clubs in Utah have been around a little more than 10 years — starting with a Salt Lake chapter. There now are 10 chapters along the Wasatch Front.
Jen Nelson, president of Sandy's MOMS Club Chapter, said the club usually schedules three or four activities a week.
They have book clubs, craft groups, music clubs, park days and swim days. Then the club holds days once a month just for the moms, often for the purpose of pampering with massages or pedicures or a movies night out.
Once a month they have a business meeting. They have guest speakers, such as psychologists and financial planners, who offer advice from which families can benefit.
"For those of us whose families are far away, this almost forms like a surrogate family. If we had a problem or needed help, we could call up any mom here," said Williams.
The club is not affiliated with any religious or community organization and has many different types of moms, be it former professionals or those who have always stayed home.
"I love the fact that many of us are transplants (to the area,) but not all," said Williams. "We are from different socioeconomic backgrounds, different religions, different educational levels but are all coming together on a common ground with the need to network with other moms — to become better moms, more content moms."
Most chapters have an average of 40 to 60 moms. There are chapters in Murray, Sandy, Salt Lake, Bountiful, Salt Lake Valley West, South Valley, Cottonwood Heights, Ogden, Layton and Price.
For inquiries or to find or start a chapter, e-mail momsclub@aol.com or visit www.momsclub.org.
E-mail: terickson@desnews.com