How FAN began… In 1994, two Winchester mothers found themselves with new babies and completely new lifestyles. Susan Schwarz and Betsy Wall had begun the journey into the world of new motherhood – seeking play dates instead of client meetings, pushing strollers to the playground instead of working out daily, and looking for advice on a good nursery school rather than the latest trendy Back Bay restaurant. Luckily for all of us who now participate in the Winchester Family Action Network, they found each other.

In September of that year, Susan, Betsy, and a group of about a dozen Winchester women held a meeting to share ideas. It was generally agreed that there was little organized support available for women with new families, but people had different ideas about what was needed. Two main camps emerged. Generally women with school-age children were more interested in a group geared more toward women only, kind of a support network. Many of the women with babies and toddlers needed an organization that would include the entire family, because they had less ability to participate in activities without their children in tow.

Betsy, Susan, Jenna Roy, and Martha Stone Martin were among the early volunteers who started working on the family-focused group. Betsy found out about a group in Weston that had started as a grass-roots effort to bring families together. She began working with members of the Weston Community Children’s Association to get ideas for a Winchester group. Needham also had a similar organization; its founders actually started a consulting business to help other communities develop family networks. The nascent FAN organization contacted these women, and although they did not hire them as consultants, came away with more advice on starting their own group.

By February of 1995, Jenna had arranged to hold the first FAN Wednesday playgroup at the First Congregational Church, which donated the space for the event; and seed money to the organization. FAN began to attract families through the Winchester Star and by word of mouth. The organizers began publishing a newsletter and holding monthly meetings. Martha recalls of those early days that the monthly gatherings were very much like business meetings, except that the participants were constantly nursing!

By the spring of 1995, though, it seemed that the initial burst of volunteerism was fizzling. The then co-presidents, Susan and Martha, began talking about how to make FAN a viable, long-term organization. They set a benchmark of attracting 60 member-families by June, and committed to having more activities throughout the year. If they could meet those goals, they would continue to pursue the idea of FAN as a formal organization. That year, 75 new families came to the Families and Firetrucks event and became members. There was definitely enough interest in the community to keep the organization going!

Since then, FAN has continued adding members and sponsoring activities. In 1996, a babysitting cooperative was formed and the first FAN pre-school survey was distributed. The following year, FAN published a cookbook and the first membership directory/resource guide. FAN incorporated as a non-profit organization in 1998, and posted a website. In 2000, FAN organized children’s activities for Winchester Town Day, an effort which requires dozens of volunteers.

FAN’s journey from a good idea to an incorporated organization required a lot of work and perseverance on behalf of its unpaid organizers. Volunteers are still the driving force behind the Winchester Family Action Network. As of 2007, over 300 member families benefit from their efforts.

- Laura Doherty

FAN MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS

Weekly Playgroup
Weekly, September through June. Toys and activities for children, conversation for parents and caregivers.

New Members Playgroup
A playgroup formed to help welcome those who are new to FAN.  The playgroup meets on Fridays twice a month, usually at a FAN member’s home. 

Working Parent's Playgroup
A playgroup that meets on a weekend afternoon, usually Sundays to accommodate family's with both parents working out of the home.

Children’s Events
Events include Families and Firetrucks, puppet shows, and sing-a-longs.

Adult Events
Past adult events have included cocktail parties and cooking classes.

Monthly Newsletter
Filled with details on fun events, informative articles, and more!

Yahoo! Discussion Groups
We've created a group to allow parents to ask questions and share information on just about anything

Preschool Directory
A comprehensive survey of Winchester-area preschool programs.

Membership Directory and Resource Guide
Member contact information and local activities and resources for families.

FAN COMMUNITY AWARENESS
One of the hopes many of us share is that we live in an area with a strong sense of community that comes together to work towards common goals, communicates with each other and that teaches our children the importance of giving to others. FAN is pleased to announce its launch of a community outreach program that will help foster these goals. The outreach program will facilitate initiatives that will take place either during regularly scheduled FAN events or on individual projects. We will have programs geared towards the enhancement our town with new landscapes, clean parks and promoting recycling efforts. We will also seek to develop and nurture relationships with our families and our senior citizens through collaboration with the Jenks Senior Center. We have many other exciting initiatives this year and we encourage you and your family to join us in helping to make a difference! Please free to contact Marnie Dowd for more information.