BY LISA VALENTINE
Lake Orion Review Staff Writer
When Susie Ruffini moved to northern Oakland County and started the Oxford/Lake Orion chapter of the MOMS Club, she began with five members.
Today the club has 40 members, all mothers who meet monthly and go on field trips together with their children almost every week.
MOMS (Moms Offering Moms Support) is an international organization that was started by Mary James in Simi Valley, CA in 1983. The club now has over 1,235 chapters in seven countries, representing more than 60,000 members. The Oxford/Lake Orion chapter is one of 25 in Michigan.
“(Mary James) was a stay-at-home mom, itching for friends and support,” explained Ruffini, an Oxford resident. “I moved to Oxford from Berkley, and I’d just joined (the Berkley) club. Then I found out there wasn’t one (in Oxford).”
Ruffini decided to start her own club in November of 2001, along with co-founder Christina Romzek of Lake Orion.
MOMS Club members pay $20 a year to cover operating expenses, such as the printing and mailing of the monthly newsletter, facility rental, supplies and programs. The club holds monthly membership meetings, and meets about once or twice a week for field trips and other activities.
“What makes us different is we do everything with our children,” said Ruffini, mother of 21-month-old son Nicolo and two-month-old son Dario. “(Prospective members) can come to two events before they decide if they want to join.”
Ages of the MOMS Club members range from mid-20s to mid-40s, with children aged newborn to preschool. Members of the club must live in the Oxford or Lake Orion area.
“It’s been a great way for not just me, but my sons to make new friends,” Ruffini said. “Being a stay-at-home mom, especially after working full-time, was a difficult transition. Just having other moms to talk to and get advice from has helped keep our sanity.”
The club also participates in two service projects every year, doing Toys for Tots at Great Lakes Crossing, donating canned goods for FISH and Coats for Kids this year.
“If someone is down and out we all pitch in to do whatever we can,” said Ruffini.
The club holds its meetings at the St-Mary’s-in-the-Hills Episcopal Church on Joslyn Road in Lake Orion, and also has rotating play groups that are held at members’ homes.
“We have family parties and field trips with the children…we went to Petco and saw all the animals, and we’re going to Rain Forest Cafe,” said Ruffini. “We also have a monthly birthday party for the kids.”
The MOMS Club will not turn away any members, and Ruffini said if someone is unable to pay their dues the club will work with them.
“We also have a buddy system for new members, to help them meet people,” she said.
For more information about joining the MOMS Club of Oxford/Lake Orion, call membership vice president Andrea Herron at 814-7079. For more information about the MOMS Club, visit their website at www.intuinet.com/momsclub.