* See requirements below for membership, so that your request for membership can be approved without extended delay. 

* If your membership request is not approved for a week or two, check your profile to make sure that you've answered all of the questions sincerely, and that you have a photo posted that meets the requirements, which are written below. Once your profile is complete, your membership will be approved.

I'm going to try something different with this group. Since there is only one of me, and I have a limited amount of time each month for events, I'm going to open up the ability for members to post ideas for events themselves.  The event host will become the person who posted the idea, and people can direct their questions regarding the event to this person.  If more than three people like the idea, then the idea will automatically become an event.  This way, everyone who is interested can meet and enjoy a fun activity together.  

There will still be more formally held larger events, hosted by myself and event organizers, such as dinners that require a reservation for a certain number of people, but it would be fun for people to be able to get together for spontaneous events as well, if they are free; such as meeting for coffee, ice skating, hiking, taking your dogs for a walk, having lunch, skiing, seeing a movie, etc. 

I will continue to maintain the group as the group organizer, and oversee the activity of the group.  It is important for everyone in the group to treat each other with respect, and consideration. If anyone in the group acts inappropriately towards another member, or puts them at risk, I need to be informed of this so that person can be removed from the group.  This group is for people who want to form genuine friendships with others, to enrich their lives and create larger circles of people that they consider to be good friends. Some of the best romantic relationships grow from friendship.  With friendship as the foundation, anything is possible....... :-)

I wish you all the best, and I will be seeing you very soon,

Karen A

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Our group, is for people 35-55 who are single, and looking to expand their social circle to make new friends. It doesn't matter if you've never been married, if you're divorced, legally separated, or widowed. It also doesn't matter if you have children or not, want children or don't want them, have pets, or are allergic to them. What's important is making genuine connections with other people, making true friendships, and doing fun activities together in the suburbs, as well as in the city and other parts of New England.

However, if you are still in a relationship, but are confused about where it's heading, or whether or not you want to stay in the relationship, then it's not fair to the other members of the group for you to join.  Once you and your significant other have truly ended your relationship, and you are free to date single and available people, without hurting them or anyone else, then you will be ready to join the group.

Internet dating is a good resource, but it's often difficult to make genuine connections via a computer screen and email.  So, for those of you who want to break out of your comfort zones to meet other single people, this could be a great way.

Important:

* Since this is a social group, and the premise of the group is for people to form genuine connections with each other, a photo of yourself on your profile, is required for membership with the group: 

1. a photo that shows your face clearly, without sunglasses

2. a photo that is larger than 2 inches when I click on it to enlarge it.

3. a photo of you by yourself (Avoid using a group photo, or photo of you and another person, which makes it difficult to identify which one is you).

4. Your photo should be visible on your profile at all times (not hidden), from onset of your membership request, and it needs to remain on your profile throughout your membership.   

5. Your first name is also necessary on your profile (not a made up username, or initials).

6. All questions on your profile page need to be answered prior to membership approval.

* It is important for me, for the Assistant Organizers, and for other members to be able to recognize you at events, just as you can recognize us.   

Our group activities could include: Kayaking, bowling, river rapid tubing, whale watches, sunset cruises, picnics in the park, show tubing, horse back riding, going to movies (new, classic and foreign), wine tasting, going out to dinner, seeing live music performances, swing/salsa dancing, rock climbing, hiking, day trips to various parts of New England, taking a scenic drive to see the foliage.... and any other great ideas that people may have.  Group trips to other countries or islands, is also a possibility in the future.

Studies have shown that taking time for leisure activities apart from the demands of work and other responsibilities helps people function better physically and mentally.  In fact, the more time spent doing different types of enjoyable activities, the better a persons health tends to be.

* If you are interested in becoming an Event Organizer and organizing events in your area, please let me know.

Organizers plan events based on activities that they themselves enjoy, and invite others to join them.  They are not paid to do this, it is all volunteer... out of the goodness of their hearts.  They do it for the fun of getting to know other people, and the enjoyment of enabling others to make positive connections with each other.

For this group, it also doesn't matter what you do for a living or what your salary is; you could be a sales person, hair dresser, engineer, waiter, lawyer, carpenter, electrician, medical professional, entrepreneur, business owner, etc.

* All that matters is that you are heterosexual, single, and are a respectable, and compassionate person, who enjoys making new friends, and being supportive and encouraging of other people. 

As a disclaimer: Talking badly about other members, or making fun of them, is not appropriate or acceptable, so if you're a person who enjoys doing that, then this is not the group for you.

Also, although this is a group for singles, it is not a group for casual hook-ups, or swingers.  I'm sure there are Meetup groups specifically for that, if that's what you're into.  But, this isn't it.

This group is for people who truly want to make genuine connections with other people, w/o any pressure, expectations, pretenses or drama.  And, if a great connection naturally grows from that, and you find your perfect match, then GREAT!!!!  We will all be very happy for you!!  :-)

Rules for events hosted by Organizers:

Please RSVP “Yes” only if you are certain that you will attend: “Maybe” isn't an option, this is particularly important for dinner events.

If your plans change and you are unable to come to the event, please update your RSVP, so that someone else from the group can take your place.

If it is less than an hour from our meetup time, and you are unable to attend, or are running late, you MUST contact the organizer by calling or texting, her/him, so we don't wait for you unnecessarily, or save a seat for you.

Please be considerate of your fellow members by arriving promptly.

The organizer will email the members who have RSVP'd “Yes” for this event, by 11:00pm on the day prior to the event, with their cell phone number.

Please bring enough cash to pay for your portion of the event. For dinner events, this includes the price of your meal, your drink(s), tip, and tax.

If this meetup event is full and you wish to attend, there will be an automatic wait list RSVP. When a spot opens, your RSVP will be changed to “Yes”, based on the time your were wait listed.

No-Shows:

If after the meetup, your name appears on the event page as a “Yes”, but you have not attended, and have not contacted the Organizer prior to the event to inform him/her that you can't join us, it is counted as a “No Show”.

“No Shows” impact everyone; your fellow members who attend the events, as well is the organizer.  If it is a dinner event, and a reservation has been made, it also effects the restaurant who staffs based on our reservation.

“No Shows”, will also effect your membership status.  An email from you, within 24 hours, explaining your absence is an expected courtesy.

A "No Show" to a dinner event, when there are people on the wait list who could have taken your place, will result in removal from the group.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation