Women of Argyle will host its first meeting on Monday at 6:30 p.m. at Little Joe’s Farmstead.
The group, started by local business owner Aimee Buckert, aims to bring together women in the community and hone in on Argyle’s small-town feel.
“One thing I see as Argyle grows is a sort of disconnect,” said Buckert. “At one point, you walked into a room and you knew almost everyone in the room. We’re growing so fast, you don’t see that as often and I hope Women of Argyle will be a way to bring that back.”
Buckert, owner of The Bees Knees boutique, said she was inspired to start Women of Argyle after spending time in the Women of Flower Mound group.
It was one of the first things Buckert got involved in after moving to Texas. There, she made plenty of new friends and eventually became a board member for the group.
The only problem was that Buckert didn’t live in Flower Mound.
Buckert and the members of Women of Flower Mound didn’t mind if she served on the board. However, Buckert felt like she had a great opportunity to bring use her experience to open up a chapter in her own community of Argyle.
“I participated on the board with Women of Flower Mound for about two years and, just recently, finally started putting everything together for Women of Argyle,” she said. “We made a couple of changes and tweaks here and there to make it our own and what would really fit with the town.”
Buckert said her time at Women of Flower Mound was valuable not just for getting involved with her community, but also preparing her to do the same for Argyle, including knowing the right people to help get the new chapter started.
Right now, all seven members on the Women of Argyle board are local business owners, but that was just part of Buckert’s plan to reach as many people as possible.
Women of Argyle is not a business networking group and invites any women of the community, not just women in business, to join and get involved. It’s different than some other women’s groups, including a previous Women of Argyle chapter.
Buckert said the group has plans of hosting monthly meetings, starting Monday evening, and planning two major fundraising events per year.
Women of Argyle will also have “connection clubs,” which Buckert described as small groups that break off from the larger group to focus on specific topics.
“We’re starting right out of the gate with a book club, a Majong club, a pickle ball club and a foodies club that will go around to new restaurants,” she said. “It’s just a way for them to get a little more personal connection with people.”
The funds raised from the events will contribute to scholarships for students of Argyle High School and Liberty Christian School.
Buckert, as a mom, knows all the hard work that goes into students achieving good grades. She also knows how hard it can be to compete for scholarships when so many students in the area excel academically.
So, Women of Argyle will be offering scholarships to some of those seniors, as well as a student that plans to attend a vocational or trade school.
Buckert also said Women of Argyle won’t be limited to just women within the town’s limits. Anyone is welcome to join.
“This is a women’s group,” said Buckert. “As long as you understand we’re raising funds for graduating seniors from Argyle and Liberty Christian, we don’t care where you live. If you want to be a part of this group, it’s going to be amazing for anybody in our area.”
Another way the group plans to give back to the community is through a grant program that aims to help young, local entrepreneurs grow their business.
Women of Argyle will look for young entrepreneurs in the community and offer them financial support to grow their small business.
“There are some really amazing kids that have started their own businesses and we really want to find a way to help support and encourage them,” said Buckert.
The funding will be given to an entrepreneur between the ages of 12 and 17 that has started a business or has plans to start one.
Buckert said winners will be chosen based on interviews to give applicants the best opportunity to explain how the funding would help them.
For more information about Women of Argyle, visit the group’s Facebook Page, the website or contact them via email at [email protected].
