Community Corner
Burke MOMS® Clubs Provide Social and Service Opportunities
MOMS® Club Burke-North and MOMS® Club Burke-South provide connection with other local moms.
“Motherhood is rewarding, but it can also be crazy and hectic," said Laura McGuckin, president of MOMS® (Moms Offering Moms Support) Club Burke-South. "MOMS® Club gives members the opportunity to connect with other local moms.”
Burke’s two MOMS® Clubs, North and South, organize activities for stay-at-home moms and their children, fostering friendships and a sense of belonging to the community. Both are affiliates of the international, non-profit organization MOMS Offering Moms Support (MOMS) Club®.
The clubs hold monthly meetings, a monthly moms night out, play groups based on birth year, and outings for moms and kids. Club members are required to participate in at least two community service projects each year.
For example, members of MOMS® Club Burke-North are filling Christmas stockings for the .
In addition, the group will sponsor its 11th Annual Community Preschool Fair at the on Jan. 12, 2012. The fair gathers preschools from the Burke and Springfield area in one location for parents to visit. The Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office will offer its free Child ID program at the fair. The event is free to the public.
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According to MOMS® Club Burke-North president Jaime Racer, proceeds from this year's Preschool Fair will be donated to Messiah United Methodist Church’s Weekend Backpack Program. "Every week, bags of food are discreetly slipped into needy children’s backpacks at local elementary schools so they have food to eat over the weekend," said Racer.
Members of Burke-South sponsor a family with meals and gifts during the holidays. Members also participate in the March for Babies walk, sponsored by the local chapter of the March of Dimes.
The two clubs jointly host a booth at the annual .
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MOMS® Club Burke-North members live in the 22015 zipcode north of Burke Centre Parkway. For more information about meetings and the group, email burkemomsclub@onebox.com or call 866-841-9139 ext 1581.
MOMS® Club Burke-South holds its next monthly meeting on Dec. 12. The chapter's membership is from zip code 22015 south of Burke Centre Parkway/Lee Chapel Road, and zip code 22039, all of Fairfax Station. Those interested may contact the club at burkesouthmoms@gmail.com
Membership is open to any mother in a chapter's area. Modest dues (about $15) cover the general expenses of the group. Prospective members are welcome to attend a meeting or outing before joining.
The first Burke MOMS® Club was established in 2001. The MOMS Club® Burke-South chapter was established in Oct. 2004 when the Burke-North chapter grew too large.
MOMS® clubs began in 1983 when Mary James, a California stay-at-home mom, wanted to find other at-home mothers and children with whom to socialize. Finding no organization that met during the day and allowed her to bring along her baby and preschooler, James formed MOMS Offering Moms Support (MOMS) Club®. Today there are more than 2,100 chapters in the United States.
