Compiled by The Bedford Citizen
From 11 am until 3 pm on Saturday, June 22, the Bedford Family Connection (BFC) will celebrate its 25th anniversary with a barbeque celebration at Springs Brook Park for current and former member families. There will be crafts, games and activities to keep your family entertained for hours. There is an $8 fee for non-members of Springs Brook Park. BFC appreciates the support of the event’s sponsors: Diane Hughes of Higgins Group, Sheena Santos of Higgins Group, The LEAP School, The Goddard School, and Bedford Children’s Center.
Editor’s Note: The BBQ and sundae bar tickets are sold out, but families are welcome to bring their memories to Springs Brook on Saturday.
In the Beginning
According to co-founder Sarah Dorer, the Bedford Family Connection was “born” on June 16, 1988 when a notice in the Bedford Minuteman inviting anyone who might be interested in forming a town-wide preschool parent group drew approximately 15 moms to Judi Babcock’s house.
While some of the mothers knew each other through their babysitting coops, others came because they saw the notice in the paper or knew someone else who was attending. Many lived on busy streets where the concepts of “neighborhood” and sidewalks were non-existent.
Dorer explained her vision for the organization that became BFC, citing the loneliness she felt as a mom with two young children in a town where she knew no one in particular. She explained that such an organization could provide an opportunity for families with babies and young children to socialize, share parenting information and offer activities.
Enthusiasm was high and after a short brainstorming session, the new organization was named the Bedford Family Connection, or BFC for short.
The first BFC governing board included co-directors Sarah Dorer and Judi Babcock; newsletter editor Peggy Barons; recording secretary Eileen Allen; activities chair Sue Gregory. and Parenting Workshop Coordinator (Sarah Dorer). Sarah Dorer also coordinated the Parenting Workshop series and provided organizational support. Judi Babcock organized membership efforts and BFC’s debut on Bedford Day.
By the fall of 1988, BFC had 62 official members and within a single year the list had grown to more than 160 members. Because of the cost of postage for the monthly members’ newsletter, the $5 annual membership dues were doubled in the first year.
BFC was introduced to the community when it marched in the 1988 Bedford Day parade, flying a banner with a logo designed by Bedford artist Ronnie Gould and sewn by Christine Rabinowitz.
From its birth, the Bedford Family Connection was committed to helping the community make Bedford an even better place to raise children. The BFC newsletter announced upcoming events and provided a forum where parents could share information. The first special event featured guest speaker Mary Levenstein, a pediatric nurse practitioner and Bedford resident, whose topic was “Emergency First Aid and Household Safety.” The Hospitality Committee helped new members get acquainted, offered support to new mothers and provided community information to new residents. BFC members worked with Bedford’s Children’s Librarian Sharon McDonald to expand the library’s parenting resources, and one of BFC’s members became a liaison to BEST, Bedford Elementary Schools Together, the parent/teacher organization serving Davis and Lane schools. The annual toy and non-perishable food drives continue.
The Playroom at First Parish was established during BFC’s first year, along with a list of additional play groups held in private homes. The Playroom was initially open only on Thursdays and Fridays, but quickly expanded to a schedule that mirrored the public school calendar. There were popular activities for children and families during BFC’s first year: outings to the Fire Station and the Post Office; visits to a maple sugar farm and Great Brook State Park in Carlisle; Halloween costume parties and trips to the Discovery Museum. Eventually, BFC added activities specifically for fathers and their children.
BFC Today – Its Members’ Own Words
Current BFC Co-Director Leah Walton: I joined the Bedford Family Connection in 2009 when my oldest child had just turned one year old. In the early days, we enjoyed going to the BFC playroom. I could always count on meeting some other moms there! As time went on, we attended some of the bigger events, like the Halloween Party and the Spring Egg Hunt, but we also participated in children’s activities during the week. It was a great way to feel connected with other families in Bedford! I met great friends through the BFC, and I felt propelled to get more involved. By that time, my husband and I had welcomed a second child. Life was busy, but it was easy to commit to be a playroom opener once a week. When the opportunity to co-direct the BFC came up, my friend, Dawn, and I jumped at the chance! As our time as co-directors is coming to an end, I am having trouble believing how quickly it passed. But the friendships have only expanded! The Bedford Family Connection is a true treasure of this town. Belonging to the BFC has enriched my life, and it has deepened my connection to Bedford.
Daisy Girifalco, President of the Bedford Children’s Center: I could bring you to tears of boredom with the stories of the BFC and what it means to me, who it brought into my life and how during tough times those same people held me up and allowed me to cry like a baby.
What I am is going to tell you about how before I even bought my house in town I WENT TO A BFC EVENT. I’m not even kidding that’s how nuts I was. I went to the new mom’s tea that someone told me about and I hadn’t even bought our house. I’m laughing out loud at the reminder of it all. While I was there I met Beth Venuti (you may imagine my excitement of meeting the woman who owned the best ice cream in town) and Carla Bradford (I met many others but I was clearly delirious).
Three days after I actually moved here (I swear I have the deed to prove it) I went to the country store – I saw Carla Bradford again and she recognized me and said hello. My sister in law who was with me said “man you did move to Pleasantville”.
In many ways the BFC is the life preserver in a time where you forget how you spell your last name during those years of attempting to raise young children. If you’re lucky it allows you to bring your professional expertise into working with the board. I’m really lucky in that it was the footing that created the hometown for my children and the place I now call home. I talk about the BFC to my parents at the Bedford Children’s Center as though the organization is my child.
Jennifer Buckley: We moved to Bedford in 2002, and I had my first child, Liam, in 2003. I had been what I refer to as a “corporate raider” before I decided to stay home with him, and then also his sister who followed in 2005. The shift in my everyday life was enormous. I welcomed the change, but at the same time struggled to find social connections. The BFC opened up every door for me and helped me build a network of friends (and resources) that I would not have survived those early years without – these are relationships that will be forever a part of our life here in Bedford. I’ve watched my own children grow so quickly, and get to do the same for my friends…we all embrace and celebrate milestones, and come together in tough times as well.
I don’t even remember what my very first introduction to the BFC was, but I remember meeting the directors and committee who were incredibly welcoming and generous with information about all things Bedford and parenthood. I remember sitting around those tiny little chairs in the playroom at the UU church, and meeting Carla Bradford, Sue Sepe, Lisa Felice, Breena Gordon..and many others.
And, around that same time, I answered an ad in the BFC newsletter calling for old prom dresses for an organization that donated them to young women in need. When I called “Daisy” the contact we had a lovely chat on the phone, then I went to her house to drop off the dresses, and from literally that day on we’ve been very close friends ever since. I was Co-Director with her for one year in 2006-2007. She invited me into her playgroup, which then we evolved that, years later, into another playgroup with the younger siblings. Again, those women are an important part of my life.
The BFC was created out of a need for parents of young children to connect. And over the last 25 years it has done so in spades. From its activities, to playgroups, to the playroom, holiday activities, the newsletter, new mom’s brunch…informational seminars…. It’s an invaluable a resource and an organization that makes Bedford, well, Bedford. And each year an impressive group of women, all struggling to find balance between life/work/family ,keep it growing and thriving.
Carla Bradford: My first exposure to the BFC was as a baby gift from Kelly Craven, a family friend and former BFC Director. When Kelly gave me my first membership and extolled the glories of the BFC playroom, I remember laughing and saying to her “thank you, but the baby is way too young to play…”. Her response was: “Carla, this isn’t for her. It’s for YOU”. Truer words were never spoken. I’d lived in town for years by that time, and didn’t know a soul except the few families that we’d already known before we moved here. Within a year, BFC had turned Bedford into my hometown rather than merely the place that I lived, introduced me to a whole collection of new friends who have remained integral parts of my life here, and introduced me to a wide range of experiences that hadn’t previously been part of my social repertoire.
In some ways BFC created who I am today. For one thing, I found my way to First Parish, the church that was absolutely right for me and my family, through serendipitous exposure as I spent many hours in the playroom located in their basement, a connection which has greatly enriched my life. And I think it might surprise some people to know that until the very moment I raised my hand in a BFC meeting and said “sure, I’ll organize playgroups”, I would never have considered myself a “joiner”, and certainly had no self-identity as a “volunteer”. My experiences in BFC performing such services as arranging playgroups, bringing new moms together, helping to arrange community activities, etc. fostered those tendencies and helped to generate the hunger for community that I now seem to spend a lot of time trying to satisfy!
BFC is a unique organization run by a long string of amazing people. It was truly bittersweet when it was time for me and Meg to “age out” of it. I’m so glad that I had the opportunity to be a part of it while I was feeling my way as a new mom, and while I was looking for roots and a stable place in the world for Meg. Here’s to 25 more years of providing the same haven and support that I was lucky enough to find for future Bedford families!
Diane Cadogan Hughes: My memories of BFC all stem around conversations. I recall events such as sledding, the Halloween party, and the wonderful playroom in the lower level of the UU Church, and before that briefly at St. Mikes. I remember conversations at these events that involved concern over what the future may hold such as preschool, Kindergarten, school busses. You never imagine that when you walk into a BFC event for the first time, that the other mom sitting across from you, or parent that you’re sharing potty training tips with, may become one of your closest confidants. It’s impossible to imagine when your greatest concern is stopping colic, diaper rash, preschool admissions, sleeping thru the night, that one day you’ll be sharing tips on college admissions, drivers ed, dating, and can even imagine wedding planning. The Bedford Family Connection bond is a strong one. I’ve looked across the room at a fellow former BFC mom at the 8th grade Moving on Ceremony and been transported back to a time when we were deciding whether munchkins or animal crackers were an acceptable snack in the BFC playroom, and how to communicate “nut free” to a Halloween party.
My “generation” of BFC was decidedly low tech. As a Board we made the decision to snail mail newsletters, focus on crafts, playgroups, and old school outdoor activities. The BFC today is a bit different than years past. It appears to be more synchronized, organized and has an impressive reach, which is likely due to the increase in social media and the benefit of the internet. I happen to be a proud corporate sponsor of today’s BFC. Despite the fact that today BFC appears less grass roots and more “corporate” organized I think the core values are exactly the same. The group exists to introduce families with young children to each other, and to provide a welcoming environment for all families to share their parenting experiences together. I’m so pleased to live in a community that offers an organization like the BFC. As a Realtor, I talk about all the “extras” Bedford has to offer–and the BFC is always at the top of the list. Simply put, BFC is a microcosm of Bedford–friendly, approachable, and welcoming to all. BFC is just one of the many elements that make Bedford such a great place to raise a family, and as I was reminded this weekend, the source of many wonderful memories of our families’ early years.
To learn more about Bedford’s Family Connection, visit www.bfctoday.org.
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It’s wonderful to read about how it is still going strong.