MOMS Club to hold open house March 14 in Lafayette

Lafayette - The MOMS Club® of Hampton/Frankford/Lafayette, a local chapter of the International MOMS Club®, will host an open house from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, March 14, at the Village Hall in the center of Lafayette Village. Activities for moms and kids will include an ice cream social, coloring and crafts. MOMS is a support group for mothers who have chosen to stay at home to raise their children. The group includes mothers of all ages, as well as those who work out of their homes or part time. The group was founded by Mary B. James in Simi Valley, Calif., in 1983, and is now an international network of over 1200 clubs with local groups from across the country and throughout the world. A Hampton mom started the MOMS Club® of Hampton/Frankford/Lafayette in June 2000. The club also includes moms living in Branchville, Augusta, and other surrounding areas. The club meets once a month to plan activities. Children are permitted to come to most activities and outings and there is also a monthly “MOMS Night Out” to give the moms a needed break. Club activities have included days at local parks, kids crafts, trips to Space Farm, Shop Rite tour, tour of local fire museum, nursing home visit, bowling for the kids, flower planting, pot luck dinners, Bronx Zoo trip, group-wide holiday parties and more. Playgroups tailored to the children’s ages and moms’ schedules have also been scheduled. A year-end banquet is held to recognize and appreciate the contributions of moms in the chapter. Finally, the “sunshine committee,” a support network within the club, helps members in time of need, such as bringing them meals during the transition of a new baby’s arrival or during a family hardship. The chapter received an award at last year’s state luncheon for “Outstanding Service Program.” Projects during the past year included collecting and donating holiday gifts to Hurricane Katrina victims, art supplies to Artists Helping Children, baby and children’s items to the House of Mercy Mission, and collecting and sending items to U.S. soldiers serving in Iraq, to name a few. Projects in process include making lap blankets for residents of a local nursing home and collecting gently used books for a local low-income housing lending library. Children also have become involved in the service projects by helping to make holiday cards and bake cookies for needy families. For information and directions for the open house, call 973-383-5468 or send e-mail to momsclubhampfranklaf@yahoo.com.