MCDONOUGH - “I had absolutely no village.” Martine Stefanovic says. She had just left New York, the life she knew, the friends, the rhythm, the ease of connection. First Wisconsin, then Georgia. Two young kids, a new marriage, and no one around her.
“I was drowning in postpartum. I realized it was postpartum loneliness.”
In New York, life had been full. “Happy hours, girls trips every year… to go from that to zero, I knew I needed to build community.” So when she arrived in Georgia, she made a decision. “My number one goal is to build community. I’m gonna get friends.”
When she couldn’t find it, she created it. In 2019, she started a Facebook group with about 50 moms. “This is not like I wanted this to become my business. I needed this community.” She poured into it, even using her own money to bring people together. “I would pay $60 and say, ‘If you come, you get a free cup of coffee.’” Because for her, connection had to be real. “You can talk a good talk, but if you don’t see it…”
Then came COVID, and everything shifted. “Where can I find toilet paper?” she laughs. “Moms really leaned on the community.” What started as a digital space became something deeper. Two moms meeting for brunch turned into three, then thirty. Today, McDonough Moms is nearly 19,000 women strong.
But for Martine, the number isn’t the point. “I think the most rewarding part is seeing relationships being formed outside of the group.” She’s intentional about what the space feels like. “We have to be like toxic kindness… like unlimited rainbows.” Because every new mom who joins should feel safe, a place where she can ask questions, be vulnerable, and not be judged.
That same instinct to fill a gap has carried beyond the group. After struggling to piece together summer plans for her own kids, Martine launched Henry County’s first Summer Camp Expo, bringing families face-to-face with local programs in one place. “I’ve been sitting on this idea for a while… I was scared, but I said, I’m going to do it.” Hundreds of families showed up.
Because that’s what she does. She sees what’s missing and builds it.
“I would love for McDonough Moms to be a space where moms can come in order to meet another mom and build a village.”
And for thousands of women across Henry County, that’s exactly what it’s become.
If you’re a local mom looking for connection, you can request to join the McDonough Moms group on Facebook: facebook.com/groups/mcdonoughmoms