Allison Trimble (left) and Lori Pace catch a windy April day when they meet to talk about their GEMS and Soulfully Stapleton brunch on Mother’s Day at Punch Bowl Social.

Are you a busy mom feeling alone dealing with your job commitments, community groups, kids’ needs, and household drudgery? Or are you a family of color or blended family wishing to connect with families like yours? NE Denver has two Facebook groups where you can connect with like-minded neighbors.

GEMS (Gainfully Earning Moms) provides “a forum that can serve as a sounding board for the issues working moms face,” says founder Lori Pace. Soulfully Stapleton, also founded by Pace, helps connect families of color and blended families in NE Denver. Both are open Facebook groups; simply search by group name to join.

GEMS and Soulfully are sponsoring an open-to-the-public Mother’s Day Brunch on May 12 at Punch Bowl Social (3120 Uinta St.) to bring the community together. Attendees will have the opportunity to donate to a fund to help a family that will be purchasing a home in the affordable homes program this spring. A kids’ buffet will be available for $10/per child and adults will order from the menu, which will include special items for Mother’s Day including a Bloody Mary bar and “mom-mosas.” GEMS and Soulfully will host free kids’ activities and crafts, gifts for moms, door prizes and family photos. Reservations are strongly encouraged; go to www.opentable.com or www.bit.ly/punchbowl2019 to secure a table. This year’s second annual event will take place from 11am – 2pm.

GEMS hosts conversations among about 500 moms from around NE Denver and Soulfully includes almost 100 families. With a background in urban planning, Pace understands that community is about more than houses. In her work as a realtor, she helps families leverage their home equity. Equity is especially important for families of color, who often face a profound racial wealth gap as a result of decades of discriminatory policies and practices. “It’s a social responsibility to keep our neighborhoods diverse.” She feels strongly about giving back to the community where she and her husband are raising two daughters. “We all have these great resources. Everybody wants that for their kids.”

For more information contact Lori Pace at Lori@kentwood.com.