May 30, 2007 - 04:05:19 CDT
There is common sense, and then there is mom sense. Mom sense inspired the women of Evangel Assembly of God MOPS group to sponsor Bismarck's first Great Moms Walk last spring.At 10 a.m. Saturday, they'll be coming back for round two.
The Great Moms Walk became a national MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) fundraising event in April 2004 and continues to spread across the country every year. It was mom sense that led the Bismarck MOPS to schedule their walk in June.
"It's too cold in April," Tamara Steckler, mother to 3-year-old Kyle, said.
Steckler is the finance coordinator for the group. As such, she plans the fundraising events. She participated in the first walk and thinks it was not only a great event, but made a lot of sense on a financial level.
"At this one, you actually get to meet everybody. Sometimes you know a mom but you don't even know what the kids look like because we're separate at the meetings," Steckler said.
"It's also a bigger fundraiser - that's better than a bunch of little ones - so it doesn't feel like you're always fundraising."
Steckler's husband, Jay, said the exciting thing for him is meeting some of the people his wife talks about.
"I always hear great things about how much fun Tamara has," he said.
MOPS Intentional Inc. is a nonprofit community-based organization. At weekly meetings, mothers encourage one another and discuss topics ranging from potty training their toddlers to strengthening their marriages. Most meetings also contain spiritual discussion and prayer, but spirituality is not forced.
"The reason for MOPS is to meet everyone's needs where they're at," Roberta Kottsick, mother of three, said.
Kottsick joined MOPS eight and a half years ago at a time when she didn't have a lot of friends. Her two oldest children were 2 years and 6 months.
"It's done wonders in my life. At the time I joined, my life was a disaster and I didn't have Jesus in my life," Kottsick said.
Kottsick and Kree Nelson co-coordinate the Evangel Assembly of God MOPS group. Bismarck is home to two other groups - one each at Grace Lutheran Brethren and First Evangelical Free Church. Although the Great Moms Walk is sponsored by the Evangel Assembly of God group, it is open to anyone.
Kottsick welcomes anybody "newborn to 100."
Registration begins at 9:30 a.m. Saturday at Sertoma Park shelter 8, where the walk begins at 10 a.m. A free picnic for all participants will be at 11 a.m.
Participants are encouraged to pre-register. It costs $15 per person and $30 per family. Registration the day of the event is $40 per family. Anyone interested in preregistering can contact Tamara Steckler at 221-2997.
The funds raised at this year's Great Moms Walk will primarily go toward off-setting the cost of childcare during the MOPS weekly meetings.
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