When I started the Second Acts series, I didn’t think that millennials would be part of it. Having taught many of these children, born between the early 1980s and early 2000s, I assumed they would be in school, looking for a job or in the early years of a first career.
But after meeting with fellow GWIN member Leanne Ballard, I changed my mind and decided to feature her in this series.
Passionate and organized—not the usual combination of adjectives, but they certainly fit this busy mom of three who is running a local franchise.
Trained as a veterinary technician, Leanne secured employment at a small vet clinic in Mississauga where she was later promoted to office manager. While she enjoyed working with the animals, she found the job physically demanding and realized it would conflict with motherhood.
After her son was born, Leanne became a member of momstown, an organization focused on connecting neighborhood moms. She enjoyed the experience so much that she decided to buy the Guelph franchise.
That was three years ago.
Since then, the local group has grown and provides over twenty local events for moms with tots aged 0-6 years old.
As momstown mama, Leanne’s schedule is jam packed, but she still manages to exude a calm and competent air. Her eyes, however, sparkle when describing the different activities and benefits of momstown. It is not surprising that the organization has flourished under her tender loving care.
A Bit of History…
Momstown began as a small mothers’ group in Burlington, Ontario. Three moms (Christi, Ann-Marie and Shannon) wanted to provide events and encouragement for all moms–working moms, expectant moms, mat leave moms and stay-at-home moms.
There are weekday, evening and weekend programs that can fit in even the most hectic of schedules. While Momstown uses the Internet to connect, the primary goal is to get moms off the computer and out of the house.
To date, there are twenty franchises across Canada.
Where to find Leanne…
Blog: http://momstown-guelph.blogspot.ca
Twitter: https://twitter.com/momstownguelph
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/momstownguelph
Joanne Guidoccio 