When Angie Baker started an online moms group seven years ago, she never dreamed how much it would connect moms in her neighbourhood.
Baker started the Port Royal Moms Group page on Facebook in August 2009 as a way of improving connections between moms of youngsters living in her neighbourhood.
“One day after meeting a couple of moms I went home, and I said I’ll start a Facebook moms group, which we call the Port Royal Moms Group online. Over seven years I just started adding people slowly. I started with one mom. Now it is almost up to 300,” Baker said. “It has totally grown in the community. It used to be strictly for Port Royal people and now it’s turned into Queensborough moms as well, but mostly Port Royal.”
Although moms on maternity leave or days off of work would often bump into each other while walking their little ones on the river walk around Port Royal, the group provided a place where they could connect, make plans and offer support. The Port Royal Moms Group provides a place where moms network, promote the efforts of their small businesses, share information about child care, talk to other moms about community resources and school information and support each other.
Baker, mom to six-year-old Ryden and three-year-old Baylee, is grateful to the connections she’s made through the group.
“I’m social. It’s nice to keep connected and have support from other moms,” she said. “When I was off on maternity leave two different times, it was nice to keep together and have support from the moms. It’s not an easy job being a mom. It’s nice to have the support with people who you can literally walk to their door, have a coffee and let the kids play.”
In the past seven years, the group has become much more than a place to arrange play dates for kids and meetups for moms.
“It’s a good feeling to know your neighbours and to help each other out if needed,” Baker said. “Building community - that is what we have done over seven years. It’s been amazing.”
Along with informal get-togethers with the kids, the group has done events for occasions like Easter and Halloween – and pub nights for moms only.
Originally restricted to Port Royal moms, Baker eventually started allowing Queensborough moms to join the group as kids started entering the school system and attending programs at the community centre. Some of the kids’ teachers and before-and-after-school child-care providers have also joined the group, which keeps everyone in the loop about what’s happening with professional days and community events.
“We have had nothing negative,” said Baker, who screens all requests to ensure they’re from moms in the neighbourhood. “It’s really focused.”
