BEA Moms group off and running with events
Group started on Facebook, now meets in person once a month
If you are a mom and you would like to get out and meet other moms and their families, then Blue Earth Area Moms may be just the group for you.
Although the group is named Blue Earth Area Moms, or BEA Moms for short, it is not affiliated with the Blue Earth Area School District.
“BEA Moms actually began pre-COVID as a Facebook group,” Katie Alford, a mother of three, explains. “It was a way to organize play dates and other get togethers.”
COVID effectively put a halt to the group’s activities.
“It may have been out of my own personal needs,” Alford admits, “But, I made an effort to restart the group using the established Facebook page as the platform for doing so.”
And, things took off.
“We now have a core group of moms and have purposely designed the group to include representatives from each of our surrounding communities that comprise this area,” Alford says. “Those cities include Frost, Winnebago, Delavan, Elmore along with Blue Earth.”
One of the group’s missions is for moms of all ages and from any situation or background to feel welcome.
“We want to be inclusive,” Alford adds. “We want to welcome people from all local communities, all schools and from all types of family structures and dynamics.”
The BEA Moms Facebook page is a private group.
“We screen everyone who requests to be a member of the group. Those applying have to answer a couple of questions,” Alford comments. “We do this to make sure everyone is on the same page and that they feel safe and secure discussing life’s tough topics.”
The groups’ aim is to reach out to people.
“I also think many people do not realize there are a lot of new families in the area,” Lori Cervantes, another member of the core group, comments. “There are many new moms living in the community.”
One of the ways the group helps build connections between moms and families is with scheduled outings and playdates.
“During the summer we held a bike riding event, we met at the swimming pool and had “house hops” where we would go to different moms’ places for family outings,” core group member Lacey Hanson says.
One thing the group is not doing is competing with groups that are already offering activities.
“We actually try and promote organizations like Blue Earth Area Community Education, the library and other groups and let our members know what they have to offer,” Alford clarifies. “Our group does try and help promote new ideas like the basketball courts which were put up at the elementary school in Blue Earth and we put out a survey to help see if there was support for a new playground out by the Giant Welcome Center.”
One of the organizations which has helped support BEA Moms is The Refuge.
Located in Blue Earth, The Refuge has become the host location for many of the BEA Moms’ events, meetings and playdates.
“We recognize that The Refuge is a Christian outreach ministry striving to build healthy relationships with area youth, families and the community to guide and reflect the principles of kindness, respect and integrity,” Alford says. “That fits nicely with our goal to provide a safe and welcoming atmosphere for all families, including a variety of age appropriate activities which are located throughout the building.”
In October, the group held an event where they gave away free Halloween costumes.
“We started out with a large table and two full racks full of costumes,” Alford shares. “By the time we were done there were not many costumes left.”
The group normally holds events the third Sunday every month where they have a themed event with food, activities and a resource spotlight.
The next event for BEA Moms is Sunday, Nov. 19, from 4-6 p.m. and the spotlight will be on area food resources such as the local food shelves.
“We are calling it ‘Cereal-ously Thankful,'” Hanson shares. “It is going to be a family hangout night and the menu for the event will be cereal. It is easy, there is no pressure to prepare a meal. And, what kid, or adult for that matter, doesn’t like cereal?”
Along with the ‘Cereal’ themed dinner, there will be family crafts and games for all to enjoy.
Another part of the BEA Moms’ mission is to provide for those in need, whether it is physical or emotional.
With that in mind, the group will be giving away a six-person meal for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. They will also be hosting a Family Christmas Party from 4-6 p.m., on Dec. 17th, at The Refuge. A movie, complete with popcorn and hot cocoa will be a part of the evening’s activities along with the opportunity to decorate a holiday mug (while supplies last).
“There are more people than most of us realize living in our community who are having to make tough choices,” Alford says. “Sometimes the choice for families is between buying gas or buying food for their family. We are trying to help those people.”
The group is also debuting a new website, which was scheduled to go online this past week.
“It is beamoms.com,” Hanson says. “It is easy to remember and will be a resource for people to utilize to guide them to information they might be looking for.”
“We don’t have to rebuild everything,” Alford adds. “We just need to be able to point people in the right direction.”
A portion of BEA Moms’ mission statement encourages the principle of loving your neighbor as yourself.
Renee Johnson, another mom who is part of the core group, expresses her thoughts, saying, “Motherhood can be really hard, lonely and stressful.”
That is where BEA Moms wants to help.
“A big part of our group and the community we are trying to build involves simply taking care of each other,” Alford concludes. “We have all been in a tough spot in some way – and someone, somewhere helped us through. We strive to come along beside each other during the good and bad times and do life together. If we all continue to replicate that, look at the potential ripple effect it will create by paying it forward.”