Sometimes reading the local news can make it seem as though Fayette County and the city of Fayetteville are in a period of contention, marked by an “Us vs. Them” mentality. I wanted to take a moment to relate the experiences I’ve had as a new(ish) resident to the county, which have demonstrated the very opposite.
I was pregnant with my first child when I moved to Fayetteville in 2007, and knew no one in the area. Without a support system, I found myself isolated and knew I needed to take action to prevent myself from sitting alone in the house every day with a newborn.
I found a local chapter of MOMS Club International and eagerly joined. Most of the moms in the group were like me, newer residents of Fayetteville, and looking to establish roots in their adopted home. The MOMS club quickly became a central part of my life here in Fayetteville and the friendships I’ve established because of it will last my entire life.
Luckily, this wasn’t just a group of women hosting playgroups, though, but also a group of women who wanted to give back to the community that had given us so much.
In 2011 we began our chapters’ largest community service project to date, the renovation of the Church Street Park in downtown Fayetteville. As co-chair of the project, I’ve had the unique experience of representing the park project at various community events, as well as approaching political and business leaders with requests for support and financial sponsorship.
Nearly every person the MOMS Club has approached about the park over the last three years has shown such enthusiasm about the project, and such willingness to help that it has been a true joy to work on.
An example of this is the MOMS Clubs upcoming Southern Nights Gala and Silent Auction on June 7. With the help of the community, we have received over $14,000 in donations for the event, from the use of the City Gardens at Southern Oaks as our venue, to the donation of a one-year toddler tuition from Fayette Montessori School as an auction item.
Every door the MOMS Club has knocked on has simply flown open, and it has been such an incredible experience to work on such a worthy project in such a generous community. I just wanted to let your readers have an idea of what a welcoming, giving community we are all a part of.
For more information about tickets for the Southern Nights Gala, the Church Street Park or the MOMS Club, please email churchstreetparkproject@gmail.com.
Sara Van Etten-Athey
MOMS Club of Fayetteville, Ga.
