Like a lot of moms, Lake Country resident Melanie Fulks-Kraus has a pretty full day everyday, making lunches, running kids around, helping with homework, making dinner, and yes doing laundry.
And like many people in this day and age, she says there just isn’t enough time in the day to get everything done.
“It just seems like since I’ve been a mom there isn’t a lot of time for anything,” said Fulks-Kraus. “We’re all trying to do so much in so little time. It seems to be the common thing nowadays. I thought by having this ladies night out we can not only assist in doing something amazing in the community but we can get out of the house.”
And judging by the reaction to the first gathering of a new lady’s group in Lake Country, she’s got a lot of support.
Nearly 200 Lake Country women showed up to the inaugural Life After Laundry Ladies Club in January, a gathering that saw women of all ages get together to share ideas and think of ways to help their community.
“I think it was time for something like this,” said Fulks-Kraus. “I think the ladies of Lake Country needed a night out and I think that knowing that you are doing something for your community is so powerful. A lot of these women have never done anything for charity and I had so many of them coming up to me and saying they had their eyes opened.”
The Life After Laundry Ladies Club isn’t just a bunch of housewives getting together to relieve stress. Instead it’s designed to help the community in a variety of ways, from donating money to charity, to teaching kids about the value of community to helping out residents who may have fallen on hard times.
“Sometimes we don’t realize something so small can help the community so much,” she said, alluding to the fact that the group raised over $1,000 at its first gathering, by collecting just $5 from every person who attended the meeting.
“To me it’s about doing more by doing less,” said Fulks-Kraus. “Staying closer to home, incorporating kids into some of this stuff and really learning about empathy and community. We want to teach our kids what a community is and remind women what a community is. It’s time to learn and do the little bit that we can whether it’s helping out for an hour somewhere or dropping food off at the food bank with your kids.”
The Life After Laundry Ladies Club is in the process of becoming a non-profit society and Fulks-Kraus says the reaction from women in Lake Country has been incredible with her team of organizers growing by the day. The group plans to hold its main event once a year to raise money as well as other events to help the community.
“I didn’t know there would be this much response,” she admitted. “It was beyond amazing. There are a lot of things in the works, a lot of planning and a lot of ideas. We have class, we have integrity and we have a team that is growing daily. So for a month’s work that’s a pretty good foot in the door in the community.”
If you are interested in learning more about the Life After Laundry Ladies Club, e-mail them at lifeafterlaundryladiesclub@hotmail.com