Ridley moms get organized for fun and for service
RIDLEY TOWNSHIP » Thanks to the efforts of a small group of women that’s growing in number daily, moms in the Ridley School District will now have a club to support them and enhance their lives and the lives of their children.
The MOMS Club of Ridley Township was founded July 12, becoming an official chapter of the national and international MOMS Club, an organization that serves over 100,000 mothers in over 2,000 chapters in just the United States alone. The club’s main purpose is to lend support to mothers who choose to stay at home to raise their children. Mothers not only have an opportunity to get involved in their community, learn more about topics of interest, make lifelong friends and bond with other mothers, but their children often also make lasting friends.
MOMS Club provides activities and a forum for topics pertinent to children, child rearing, homemaking, personal improvement and family. The club’s mission is to support mothers who choose to stay home and raise their children, as well as to enrich the lives of the family and the community and undertake and complete at least one charitable, humanitarian project each year as a group.
Although there are MOMS Clubs in neighboring towns, Ridley has never had an official chapter. A few members of other clubs who reside in Ridley Township decided last month to take the knowledge and experience that they acquired and begin a chapter in their hometown.
Ridley MOMS Club president and founder Laura DiGrado is one of those pioneers. DiGrado was a member of the Downingtown MOMS Club before moving to Ridley Township. She joined the Prospect Park MOMS Club but still yearned to connect with more families in Ridley. Prospect Park MOMS Club is about 18 years old and includes moms mostly from the Interboro School District, but also from the Ridley and Southeast Delco communities. After talking to a few other mothers in the other club who felt the same way, they amicably broke off and formed a Ridley chapter on their home turf. Just like the other MOMS clubs, their sole mission is to provide support to mothers and their children and the community.
“We thought we could help our community so much better if we could sister off from the other club and become our own chapter,” DiGrado stated.
Together with Ridley Township residents Vice President Gina Anderson, Treasurer Heather Vander-Wielen, Secretary Chantell Wech and Charities Chairperson Kimberly Carlin, DiGrado forged ahead and started a Ridley MOMS Club chapter to serve women residing in the zip codes of Ridley Park, Swarthmore, Morton and Eddystone and the Folsom, Holmes, Leedom, Secane, Woodlyn, Milmont and all other sections of Ridley Township. Residents of other nearby communities are welcome as well. The club currently is within a 60-day “grandfathered in” grace period when they can accept members who reside in any location outside of the Ridley School District.
Only a few weeks old, the MOMS Club of Ridley Township is already active with playdates at local parks like the Swarthmore and Ridley Park Tot Lots, CADES playground, Triangle Park in Rutledge and members’ homes. Various members host the playdates and can choose if they want other members to meet them at a local park or go to an attraction like the Please Touch Museum, Adventure Aquarium, the zoo, a farm, the firehouse or the library. The hostess can choose anywhere she’d like to host the group or even plan a themed party.
The club, still in its infancy, already has about 25 children actively involved with their parents. Members have two upcoming outings to the movies planned in August as a group, as well as a club day at Home Depot for kids to build and paint a Penske truck.
“We’re just getting off the ground,” DiGrado explained. “We have lots planned for the fall, like a witches’ ball and an adopt-afamily program for the holidays. We are hoping to help at least three Ridley families for the holidays this year as one of our charitable projects.”
Local charity is one of the club’s focuses. Every MOMS Club must hold at least one service project a year to benefit children in the community. DiGrado said the Ridley Club hopes to do many service projects, including visits to local nursing homes with the children.
“After our club gets stronger and begins to thrive later this year, we hope we can even partner with our neighboring MOMS Clubs on some charity, social and fundraising ventures,” DiGrado remarked.
Club members get together often, usually staggering the times of playdates and outings so that all members can have a chance to attend, according to their own schedules. Although the club was founded to support mothers who choose to stay home to raise their children, some mothers in the club work part-time and some even full-time.
“We don’t discriminate,” laughed DiGrado. “If a mom wants to join and she has a job or gets a job, we would still welcome her with open arms. We are an all-inclusive club!”
Outings include couple nights when husbands can attend, family outings for both parents and the children and “mom’s night out.” The moms-only nights are also hosted by various members. Hostesses can choose going out to dinner, dancing, themed parties or any idea out that they come up with. The women seemed to be excitedly looking forward to their next upcoming solo night out, which will be an adult PJ party hosted by Anderson at her house that would include games and other planned fun. Their last outing was a “Wine in the Woods” event.
Membership costs $25 annually, and the club plans to host various fundraisers throughout the year, mostly to raise money for chosen charities. The group is already at work planning a fall flea market. They often have easy food fundraisers, where members can dine at Chick-fil-A, Richman’s Ice Cream and other local eateries, and the club gets a percentage of the sales from that night.
Club meetings take care of business, but they also include time for socialization. Mostly all activities in the club are kid-friendly, and members are always encouraged to bring their children. Monthly meetings often include speakers who talk on a topic relative to parenting or the community. Past speakers have included a preschool director, a health/fitness expert, a police officer, a firefighter and a children’s librarian. Anderson said she and DiGrado and other members hope to be out in the community handing out fliers and recruiting later this month at the Ridley Park Farmers Market, preschools, libraries and other spots. The Ridley Township MOMS Club also has a Facebook page where moms can get updated information on the club and its activities.
“We hope more Ridley moms will consider joining our club,” Anderson stated. “MOMS Club is a wonderful way to meet other moms who share your same interests and concerns. It’s also a great way for their children to meet other kids their age and develop friendships. We really do have a lot of fun in our club!”
For more information about joining, contact Anderson, who is also membership chair, at 484-800-2862 or gina@lemonlawonline.com or DiGrado at 352-874-8139.