By By JOHN EBY / Dowagiac Daily News
MOMS Club, a new local chapter of a 25-year-old international support group for at-home moms or moms who work from home, is organizing a benefit dinner for National Copper Products families from 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 22, at Elks Lodge 889, President Brandi Crawford announced Friday.
Dowagiac is a new addition to more than 2,000 MOMS chapters in seven countries, representing more than 100,000 members.
Dues cost $20 annually.
MOMS is an acronym standing for Moms Offering Moms Support.
The Dowagiac chapter welcomes members from Dowagiac, Berrien Springs, Berrien Center, Cassopolis, Decatur, Eau Claire and Sodus.
"We can do activities together, and also help out our community," said Crawford. "Anybody can join the club, which is headquartered in California. We're going to have an open house in the conference room at Baymont Inn from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and then 4 to 7 p.m. this Wednesday.
The Federated Covenant Church will let us have meetings there, too."
Crawford said the National Copper Products dinner will be followed by a similar event planned for ICG Jan. 24, 2009.
"We want to give those employees and their families hope," Crawford said. "We need to all come together as a community. I don't see that happen so much. Sometimes, like the $700 the sorority chili supper raised for the library, but all the organizations need money. And people need money, too, if we want them to stay here and not leave. We're going to be a ghost town if there are no jobs. It's sad."
Married nine years, Brandi is the oldest of Tom and Shanna Bryant's four kids. Her sister, Brittany, is marrying Kyle Wilson in September 2009.
Her brother Josh, who lives in Chicago, is getting married in 2010.
Sister Ashley is already married and has two kids. Brandi has a son, Tommy, 3, named after her dad.
Her husband broke his pelvis in August working for Kalin Construction. "It was on the news in Grand Rapids," she said Friday. "He's lucky to be alive."
Brandi graduated in Idaho, went into the Army and attended Southwestern Michigan College.
After working on the election in Third Ward, "I was so proud of all the voters who came out knowing this was a very important election. We were there from 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m."
All meetings and all but a few activities occur during the day, when at-home moms need friendship and support.
During the school year, they meet once or twice a month – once for an indoor meeting, usually with a speaker or discussion topic, and once for fun for a park play day, weather permitting.
In addition to meetings, they will also have outings or other get-togethers, such as trips to the zoo and family or children's parties.
MOMS Club sponsors activity groups for members with common interests.
These change as interests change, but include activities such as children's playgroups, cooking groups, arts and crafts, walking-exercise groups, a monthly MOMS Night Out and babysitting co-ops, among others.
These activity groups will have their meetings times and dates added to the chapter's activity calendar.
Aside from monthly meetings and activity groups, the chapter also performs service projects to help needy children. Crawford already plans on a coat drive and the adoption of two needy families for Christmas.
MOMS believes being a mother shouldn't isolate you, so you may bring children with you to anything they do. You don't have to bring children to attend, but if you do, you are responsible for your child's safety and behavior. Sometimes, a volunteer member may watch the older children away from the mothers, but sometimes they may all be together, so you may be asked to bring some toys to share. Babies are always welcome to stay with their mothers, and you may nurse at meetings. If your baby becomes fussy, please be considerate of any speakers and move to the children's room until your little one quiets down.
The $20 dues are used to pay for room rentals, supplies and programs.
You may attend two meetings (such as a business meeting or park day – activity groups are for members only) before deciding to become a member. They understand that being a stay-at-home mom often means a tight family budget, so if the dues would be a hardship, talk to one of the officers, who also include Terri Schmidt, vice president of administration, and Cathy Craft, vice president of membership.
Jil Hunsberger, the chapter founder, moved here from Marcellus upon marrying her husband, Steve. Her two girls, 4 and 5, accompany her. "He's from here, but I'm not, so I don't really have any friends and I'm a stay-at-home mom with small children, so I felt stuck at home and wanted to meet people. I found this group online and checked to see if it had a group in Dowagiac and didn't."
"What's nice about this group for stay-at-home moms or even work-from-home moms," Hunsberger said, "is that normally to socialize with adults you have to choose between the group and your kids. Children are welcome at everything we do."
Crawford found MOMS on the Chamber of Commerce Web site.
For more, check out bcrawfordkc@gmail.com.