Grosse Pointe Moms Club Looks to Recruit New Members

The Grosse Pointe Moms Club is looking to recruit new members to become of part of the organization that aims to help adults make social connections as well as their children.

The Moms Club—a misnomer, really, as dads are welcome too—provides a support network for parents who stay at home or who work part-time. The group is holding its annual membership drive this month and is asking parents who are interested in joining to come to its Sept. 22 meeting, which will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. in the gathering space at . Annual membership dues are $35.

The 11-year-old club, which has about 100 members and serves the Grosse Pointes and Harper Woods, organizes a variety of activities for adults and children. Adult activities include “moms’ night out” dinners at restaurants, potluck dinners with recipe exchanges in members’ homes, coffee and walking clubs, a lunch bunch and a business social. For kids, there are regular play groups, art activities, and other events. The group's Web site provides a full list of activities with descriptions.

The Moms Club meets the second Thursday of each month in the Methodist Church space between 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m., a time specifically designed to allow parents with preschoolers to make drop off and pick up. Each meeting features a guest speaker, refreshments and a social hour, and child care is provided in the church’s nursery area by paid babysitters and adult volunteers so that parents can stay engaged the entire time.

The Moms Club also conducts outreach to its members and the community at large. Through “Helping Hands,” members prepare and deliver frequent meals to new mothers and members who are recuperating from medical procedures. The club also undertakes a quarterly charitable activity or fundraiser, which includes adopting a disadvantaged family at Christmas.

Moms Club President Karen Dybis, a Grosse Pointe Woods resident, said the club was a “lifesaver” for her when she joined in the fall of 2005. She had just moved to Grosse Pointe from Royal Oak after giving up her job at the Detroit News, and her first child was only five months old.

“I had gone from working for ten years to staying at home full time,” she recalled. “It was quite a culture shock. I heard about this club and I came to a meeting and I felt very embraced. Many of the friends I have now I made through this club.”

Dybis said that new members, many of whom are married to doctors or auto company executives who have been relocated to Grosse Pointe, are often lonely and have no family nearby for support. For that reason, new members are assigned a “big sister” to help them get acquainted with the club and its members.