DENVER — As a kid, it seemed so easy to make friends everywhere you went, but nobody talks about how difficult it is to make friends as an adult.
Add a pandemic and it's easy to lose hope.
This Women's Month, we're highlighting a new club that formed completely by accident.
Maiya Mindoro was just trying to make some new friends.
"One of my intentions for 2022 was to put myself out there, meet new connections and all those things just because it's been really difficult," Mindoro said. "A lot of people moved to Colorado and to Denver during the pandemic. There wasn't as much socialization, there was a lot of work from home. So, that kind of altered how I feel like a lot of people were able to traditionally meet girlfriends."
There are plenty of girl groups in Denver, but nothing fit exactly what Mindoro was looking for.
So, she took to social media and created it herself — the Denver Girl's Club. She made a TikTok asking if anyone wanted to make a friend and set a date to meet up. The idea was to create a safe space to meet strangers, but it was also a much needed reason to socialize.
"I arrived an hour before I told everyone else to come. And I just was sitting in the corner, like hoping that people, at least one person, would show up," Mindoro said. "Then, when 20 women that I did not know showed up and just wanted to kind of put themselves out there just like me, make connections, you know, share stories, tips — all those types of things — is really when I realized, 'OK, this could be something.'"
Since then, the club has helped ladies in Denver make new friends, growing to over 700 members.
"This was really not necessarily the intention when I started, but it has grown legs. There's going to be an amazing, continuous amount of growth happening, and I really hope we continue to meet and have new faces join."
The group does everything from yoga coffee to happy hour, and they plan on doing so much more.
"I had RSVPed for this event — it was to go to Viewhouse to watch the Packers game. I'm not even a football person. And I almost even like decided to not go, but it ended up being such a fun night. None of us really watched the game," Sydnie Qasawa said. "We were all super awkward and timid at first, and by the end of the night, we were sharing personal stories like we've known each other for like 10 years."
The Denver Girl's Club partners with local businesses for their events. To learn more, visit Mindoro's linkpop page.