This is kind of an experiment to see how many people are truly interested in this new addition to our site. Up until now, GAP has been purely a site for finding information. We have only had one event and that was really just to get the word out about the site.
Having a meetup group means that the people who join it will be able to view, rsvp for, and attend all kinds of kid and family-friendly events in our area. Yes, you were always able to attend events on our calendar, but we didn't go as a group. We would officially be a group of parents who can go out and have fun together, with and without kids.
So, how do you join? Click on any of the links in this post or on our site for the meetup group and sign up! It's very easy and quick. There will be a few simple questions about you since it is set as a private group (no one outside the group will be able to view events). There is also a $5 charge to join, purely because I am paying out of my pocket for the www.Meetup.com membership, which is at least $12 a month. I have only paid for three months for now, just to see how many of you are interested. The payment will be made through an account I created for GAP at www.Amazon.com . It will be very simple to do, especially if you already have an account with Amazon, and it is entirely secure.
Once you have requested membership and paid the joining fee, we will quickly approve you and you will then be able to view all events scheduled. You will see who has RSVP'd for which events and you can easily RSVP to anything also. Some events may have a limit so that it doesn't get too crowded; some will have no limit.
What sort of events should you expect to see? There will be library story times, movie nights for parents, playground play dates, kids' classes at environmental centers, trips to museums, and much more! You will also be able to communicate with all members via the message board and can sign up to receive all postings by email.
This means you will be able to chat with members about anything, such as parenting issues, events you are attending, and questions about area schools.
And, remember, this is your group. We are simply the facilitators. So, please, always let us know if you think we should add more events or try new kinds of venues or different times. Always give us feedback so that we can do our best to provide what you need.
Some of you might be wondering how this is different from some other parent groups in the area. First of all, this group is for ALL parents. That means moms who stay at home, moms who work outside the home, dads, grand parents, and all care givers. We will also try and always have a very full calendar of events scheduled so that you will have a lot to choose from.
And we really believe using www.Meetup.com will make it a lot easier to connect everyone. Being able to RSVP so easily and view who else is planning on attending any given event, will hopefully encourage more members to go. And if you don't want to clog up your inbox with emails, you don't have to. You can choose not to subsribe to the message board posts and simply visit the group when you want to check out events and who is going.
We are very, very exited about this and hope you are too! Please sign up, RSVP for an event, and let us know what kinds of events you want to see in the future! Hope to see you all soon!
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