Lakewood Ranch woman promotes friendship

By the time Lakewood Ranch’s Lisa Cushman left the lobby of Even Hotel on Feb. 7, she was convinced she might have met her two new best friends.

There, the Summerfield resident sat around a high-top table with a dozen other Lakewood Ranch women born in the 1960s. She quickly exchanged information with the women next to her — Michele Campbell, of Country Club at Lakewood Ranch, and Jacqueline Wezeman, of Country Club East.

She was grateful to Lakewood Ranch’s Régine Tatem for coming up with the idea. It was the first get-together for Tatem’s

new “Ladies born in the ’60s group in Lakewood Ranch.”

“It’s such a fun thing to do,” Cushman said. “It’s refreshing to go to a place and meet women the same age. I just made two awesome new friends.”

Tatem, who lives in Riverwalk, said her husband, Richard, is a retired U.S. Air Force colonel, and the couple has moved frequently. Tatem said she became accustomed to new beginnings.

“We had to make new friends every time we moved,” she said. “I organized groups in the past as a way to make friends.”

After the couple moved to Lakewood Ranch one month ago from Fort Walton Beach, creating a get-together seemed like a logical step. Tatem posted the idea on a neighborhood website and had 300 RSVPs within five days. About 40 women attended the inaugural event, but Tatem said that turnout was to be expected based on her prior experiences.

She said the group is “local” and is intended to help women meet and create genuine, long-lasting friendships.

“We live in a world where people don’t really connect,” Tatem said. “They use social media. It’s nice to connect together in real life.”

Tatem said women who were not born in the 1960s also are welcome if they enjoy the company of younger or older ladies. Lakewood Ranch women wishing to sign up for the next get-together can email her at [email protected].

Tatem said she expects the group will meet once monthly.