Bartlesville Blue Star Mothers At Risk Of Closing Chapter

A group of moms who support soldiers overseas is fighting to keep their group going.

The Blue Star Mothers in Bartlesville say their membership is down.

Now, their chapter is at risk of closing, so they're calling on moms with children in the military to join them.

One of the main things the Blue Star Mothers do is pack care packages for our troops overseas. But if membership doesn't grow, the moms in Bartlesville won't be doing that anymore.

The Blue Star Mothers are thinking about those in the Bartlesville area who have served or are currently serving in the military when they get together to prepare care packages. 

"We send a little piece of home every time that we send a box," said Blue Star Member Anita Lankford. 

Anita Lankford's son Blake serves in the Army National Guard and has been to Afghanistan and Ukraine. 

Being a Blue Star Mother gives her a chance to bond with other moms.

"Even if we do have to completely shut down, I've got sisters that I'll never be able to replace," said Lankford. 

The group has lasted 10 years and has overcome challenges before.

"We've been down to 67 cents in our checking account. All we have to do is send out a note saying, 'Hey, we've got these 25 troops that need support. Can you help us?' And it shows up. It's here. And they're taken care of," said Blue Star Mothers President Angel Barrows. 

But now, instead of being short on money, they're short on mothers. 

President Barrows said in order to keep being a nonprofit, they need two more moms to commit to being officers.

Which is why they're having an emergency meeting, a last call for moms around Bartlesville. 

"We really, really, really need members," said Lankford. 

"If we do have to shut down, we know that we've done good work in the 10 years that we've been doing this. We've touched a lot of lives," said Barrows. 

The emergency meeting will be Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. at 1009 Leisure Lane.

If you can't make it and you're interested, call: (918) 337-2213 or visit https://bsma.memberclicks.net/