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MOMS Club to grow
MOMS Club of Ceres to host Friday open house at Ceres park
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MOMS Club members gathered for their annual banquet, where they raised most of their money for community service projects throughout the year. At the event, members have the chance to bid on hundreds of raffle items received as donations to raise around $2,000 to $3,000. The grand raffle item is for Disneyland tickets. July 12 is the date of the 2015 banquet. - photo by Contributed to the Courier

Stay-at-home mothers need some adult face time to add a little sanity and balance in their domestic lifestyle. That's where the Moms Offering Moms Support (MOMS) Club of Ceres works its magic.

The club, which serves Ceres, Hughson, Waterford and south Modesto mothers, provides a unique social setting and allows for community involvement. The group will host an open house from 10 a.m. to noon on Friday, April 17 at the Ceres River Bluff Regional Park complete with snow cones and face painting. The members want other mothers to know how enriching meetings can be and want to expand membership beyond the current 27.

Karly Wanlass, the Membership Vice President of the MOMS Club of Ceres, said the club provides relief to mothers. It allows moms to come together and share common experiences.

"My husband works all the time so it's nice to have other women to get together with and support each other," said Wanlass, who joined the club in 2012. "I know sometimes with society people tend to shun you when you say you're a stay at home and it's nice to be able to talk to others who relate to you."

With an average of two to five events per week, the club "really gives excellent support for at-home moms and get out there and socialize with the kids," she said.

The women meet on the first Friday of each month at 10 a.m. at the Hughson Family Resource Center on 2413 Third Street, Hughson. The children are cared for in the next room by child development staff of the Hughson Family Resource Center. The women often share ideas and emotional support for whatever the mom is going through, and plan fun activities to do together, such as picnics, arts and crafts sessions, trips to the lake or other attractions and host swim parties in the summer. Generally about three to four activities are planned each week. The women engage in community service projects and have activity groups. Last year the women participated in fundraiser walks for autism and heart health. The club assists the Children's Crisis Center in Modesto on a regular basis.

The club charges dues of $25 per year.

To get out the word to other mothers, the club will be hosting Kids Night at the summer Concerts in the Park series.