If you are looking for other moms like you, look no further then Moms club. Moms club was started in 1983 in California by Mary James. Since then the club as grown and now has 110,000 members and has thousands of chapters all over the country. There are six chapters in Colorado Springs alone: North, Northeast, West, Northwest,Monument, and Tri Lake areas. I recently spoke with Kelly Tullberg who is the current president of the Northwest chapter. She is fellow mom to two girls; ages 19 months and 4 years old. She use to work for over 10 years in marketing and events for National Multiple Sclerosis Society. She loves staying at home now and is enjoying all that Colorado has to offer. She told me a bit more about Moms club.
How did you get involved and why?
Kelly: Moms get involved with MOMS Club for many reasons. For me, I had just moved to the Springs, was a new stay-at-home mom, and I wanted to meet other women who were in the same stage of life as I was. It was a great way to get introduced to the city, and meet friends for both me and my girls. It also gave me several activities to fill up our daily calendars. When you've been a working professional for so long and then decide to make the change to stay at home and raise your kids, you lose that adult connection. It's nice to meet other women, who also come from intelligent, professional backgrounds, but have made the same choice to focus on their family.
What do the clubs do? Is there a meeting time or events? What events are coming up?
Kelly: We are a support network that includes speakers, playgroups, field trips, themed events, affinity clubs, moms night out, social events, holiday parties, and philanthropy projects. We mostly meet during the day, when moms need us most, and children are always welcome to every activity (except for moms night out, when we need a break!). We are here to provide a cure for the daily routine, as well as answers and support when moms need it.
We have weekly playgroups, based on stage (baby, toddler, preschool, school aged), and usually have 3-4 other kid-focused events a month, and 6-7 mom-focused events a month. Examples of past kid-focused events include a Bubble-fest, a Ladybug education event with bug find and crafts, a Wacky Sports event, and field trips to My Gym, Kindermusik, Lil Kickers, and Patsy's Candy. Mom-focused events have included meeting up for lunch at a local restaurant, a book club, a cooking club, a hiking club (new hike each month), and a monthly member meeting with speakers and topics important to moms of young kids (kindergarten preparation, Q&A with a doctor, safety talk, healthy eating habits, etc.). Kids are welcome to all of those activities, and we usually have toys and crafts for them to do.
Additionally, we do philanthropy projects throughout the year to give back to moms and kids in need in our community. We've collected items to donate, done garage sales, decorated cards for soldiers, and more.
- Monthly speakers meetings, includinga D20 Kindergarten Preparation Talk, and Hip & Healthy Food Tips from speaker Kelly Parthen, author of Bean Appetit and co-founder of Bean Sprouts, a nationally recognized hip and healthy kids cafe
- Halloween and Christmas Parties, including crafts, games and food
- Alphabet party, including crafts, games and food celebrating the alphabet
- Field trip to the pumpkin patch
- Business Boutique, featuring booths from all the popular at-home businesses
- Monthly playgroups, hikes, moms night outs, lunches, coffee talks and more.
What does the club do with the $20 fee?
Kelly: What members get for the $20 is a year's worth of free events, including monthly speakers, field trips, themed events, and mom-focused activities, and weekly playgroups, plus a membership kit & pin, monthly newsletter, and access to a support network when you need it most.
34% goes to chapter communications, including our Meetup site, postage and paper supplies
16% goes to awards and recognition for all of the volunteers to run our club and host events
12% goes to our reserves
11% goes to board resources, including training workshops and background checks
10% goes to International dues, which supports training, communications and member support
9% goes to holiday and anniversary parties
8% goes to membership drives and recruitment
What do you want other moms to know the most about MOMS Club?
We are a club for moms. Whether you want creative activities to do with your child, or you just need support from someone who gets it, we are here for you. We offer a calendar full of things to get involved in, as well as many volunteer opportunities to channel your creative energy.
What is the best way to get involved?
Kelly: Contact us and try out two events for free. We can be reached at momsclubnwcos@yahoo.com, or 719-695-0715. We also have a Web site: www.momsclubnwcos.com. Once you decide you like it, we have a membership application for you to fill out. Then it's just up to you to find the activities you want to attend and attend. We have all our activities on a private Meetup site, and we send out a monthly newsletter with the upcoming calendar, as well as news and articles important to moms.
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