Fun at 50+

Marcela Campbell moved to Colorado Springs from California three years ago to be near her daughter, son and grandkids. "I knew I didn't want to cling. She's a career woman, wife and mother, and I didn't want to be a burden." But the retired counselor wasn't sure how to go about finding a circle of friends. Then she saw an ad for a book group sponsored by the Colorado Springs chapter of The Breakfast Club Singles 50+.

What she found - besides a group that discussed Shakespeare for six months - were many other activities: dancing, hiking, biking, pinochle, Scrabble, lunches and dinners, skiing, movie nights, camping, jazz and theater.

And, of course, breakfast, a once-a-month gathering that attracts a good number of the group's 160 members.

"I wasn't looking for a date or mate, and have found this to be a very safe and intellectual place," Campbell says.

As the name of the group indicates, the only requirement for membership is that a person is at least 50 years old and single. The group fills an important social need in the region, members say - a way for older widows and widowers, empty nesters, divorcees, retirees and others to make new friends.

"I know some churches have singles groups, but I don't have an organized religion," says Rose Marie Havel, a retired archaeologist and club vice president. "So this was perfect. Everyone is extremely friendly."

The Breakfast Club was founded in Parker in 2001 by Carole Mitchell, who had retired from the marketing business. She had just moved to the small town from Littleton.

"It can be lonely. You don't want to go to the theater or concerts by yourself, and making friends can be scary."

The original five members started meeting at a Parker cafe but soon had to find bigger digs.

"I thought it was going to be a friendly little Parker group," Mitchell says. By January 2002, they had attracted 100 people, mainly by word of mouth and distributing a few flyers.

"We went from five people to 500 in five years," Mitchell says. "We had people coming from northern Colorado, from Burlington and Limon, and even from Goodland, Kansas." They eventually incorporated as a nonprofit organization.

She says new people often tell her their life is in a rut.

"Having a social life gives them a whole new outlook," Mitchell says.

Wes Fielder, a life coach, had heard from clients about the difficulties of finding friends. While looking into ways to help them, he discovered The Breakfast Club and liked it so much, he ended up joining.

"There's been all lot of good friendships made here," Fielder says.

In July 2005, Fielder and a handful of other members who had been trekking north to attend events decided to start a local chapter.

The club offers events of all sizes - cozy get-togethers at members' homes and gatherings that everybody joins in, such as the breakfasts. There are also special holiday festivities such as Christmas and New Year's open houses and Super Bowl parties "so no one has to be alone," Campbell says.

"It really helps fill a void for many of us," said Bill Gaumer, an Air Force retiree who works for a military contractor. Six months after his wife died, a friend told him he should get out more and suggested The Breakfast Club. He joined because of the hiking group, but has since become a game night fan.

"They were playing pinochle and I said, ‘Let's try bridge, too.' And they did. It's easy to find those who have the same interests as you have."

Fielder says the club makes it easy for people to set aside shyness to join in. When prospective members call, they are paired with a greeter who tells them about the organization and arranges to meet them at the event to help them get acquainted.

While the group is not a matchmaking or dating club, romance is not unheard of. Charlotte and Wade Mountz, both 60, met at a club luncheon. Both widowed, they were married in December.

"We had second thoughts about getting married because we were afraid we'd get kicked out of the club," Wade Mountz jokes. (Luckily, club bylaws allow couples who meet and marry as members to continue to attend events.)

"I would have hated to have had to leave," says Charlotte Mountz, who is helping organize the club's upcoming rafting trip. "We've met so many nice people, and the activities are lots of fun."

CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0371 or carol.mcgraw@gazette.com