VERO BEACH — “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” (Genesis 1:3) Now, a Christian-based group in Vero Beach is saying, “Let there be shade,” too.
And there will be shade. That is, at Troy Moody Park thanks to the Buggy Bunch, a nonprofit organization made up of 1,500 moms throughout the area.
The Buggy Bunch and the City of Vero Beach rallied for the so-called Good Neighbor, Good Shade cause and clinched a $25,000 grant offered by State Farm. The grant is aimed at empowering local organizations in various communities to strengthen neighborhoods.
A shade mechanism, likely to be a fabric-based system with support poles and cement footings, will be installed over the playground equipment at Troy Moody next spring.
If the Buggy Bunch succeeds in reaching its goal of raising matching grant money, similar action will be taken at Humiston Park.
“A lot of people who come from out of town, come to Florida and don’t understand they can be in the sun for only a few hours and ruin their whole vacation,” said Kelly Sartain, executive director of the Buggy Bunch. “Anyone with a kid knows that it is no fun to have a sun-blistered child on vacation.”
The project includes the placement of educational signs on sun protection.
These signs will have a code that can be scanned to divert the reader to a website on sun-smart strategies relating to eye protection, skin protection and what to do when you get sunburned.
Some local dermatologists, oncologists, radiologists and pediatricians have contributed as much as $1,000 each to the shade fund.
The Buggy Bunch is a nonprofit consisting of mothers, grandmothers, nannies and some men – husbands and business owners. Its annual budget is $40,000.There are no membership dues, only a suggested donation of $15.
The group got its start a few years ago when Sartain and three other women got together to take a jog over Vero Beach’s Barber Bridge.
They got to talking about the ins and outs of living in a community where many residents are retired, and realized they had more in common than wanting to exercise.
“There were a lot of lonely moms in town,” recalls Sartain, 34. “It’s not a huge town for young families. A lot of new moms felt disconnected.”
Within a month of creating a Facebook page, 500 moms signed up for the organization that touted fun, fitness and fellowship, and “through our friendships bring one another into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.”
“Moms felt there was a need for social aspects,” Sartain said. “A lot of them were lonely, and weren’t involved in anything like organized exercise classes with their kids. It is a perfect opportunity to share God’s love in that. But all moms are cared for no matter what race, or socio-economic status.”
Ninety-two percent of its members do not identify themselves as Christian, according to Sartain.
Still, many of them participate in such offerings as Bible study, religious speakers and prayer requests.
“Our membership is free to anyone who is interested in sharing Jesus Christ,” she said.
Sartain and her husband have a 3½-year-old and 6-month-old. She said she had just had her first child, had moved to a new town and wasn’t feeling connected when the Buggy Bunch idea sprouted.
“It was nice to have a community of women who were going through a lot of the same things I was going through.”
The group collaborates with businesses, organizations, and individuals in the community that support mothers.
After all, Sartain points out, “Moms make up the lion’s share of the market. They are the ones doing the shopping.”
Fitness classes, playgroups, speakers on the topics of faith and family and other activities fill up the calendar of events.
The annual Mother’s Day Luncheon and Christmas Dessert Exchange are among its highly attended events, and free to participants.
A regular event is Soul Food at Crispers in Vero Beach in which members enjoy a meal and discuss such topics as how to have a better relationship with their mother-in-law and mother.
The group also offers leadership opportunities for mothers in the community with its special training courses and leadership retreats.
“It gives young moms an opportunity to use skills and talents outside of their home,” Sartain explains.
A few men, mostly husbands, have joined.
“They are invited, they are welcomed, but we don’t target them,” says Sartain. “There are stay-at-home dads. Now dad’s lonely. Dad doesn’t know what to do. So he goes to the playgroups and he is definitely welcomed.”
Kristin Goldberg, 27, who is expecting her second child, spent up to 15 hours a week at Buggy Bunch activities before she went back to work full-time.
Still, she sends her 3-year-old to the classes with the babysitter, and attends events as frequently as she can.
“I wanted to be around women who were at the same point in their lives as me, to be around other women who I’d have things in common with,” says Goldberg. “I love the camaraderie and being a part of something greater.”
For more information: www.thebuggybunch.com
