The word about Moms Rising is spreading fast.

The online movement's goal is bringing thousands of people together who are concerned about the need for a more family-friendly America. The Web site www.MomsRising.org launched one year ago today and already has more than 80,000 members.

Some of the members live in Helena and Jenny Kaleczyc is one of them.

Kaleczyc's first pregnancy was complicated and forced her to take time off to nurture her body while it created a new life. She returned to work a few weeks after Annie, now 3, was born because she didn't have any paid leave left.

Kaleczyc took four months off with her second child, Will, now 8 months old, but had to borrow money to do it, she said.

A local attorney who is not only good at her job, but enjoys her job, Kaleczyc knows first hand the turmoil a mother's heart goes through as she decides how to juggle a healthy and stable home life while pursuing a promising career.

Kaleczyc got a few e-mails about this new online mothers group, MomsRising.org, and was interested right away. The Web site suggests visitors host a party to show the movie "The Motherhood Manifesto" (which is also a book) with a group of friends. And that is just what Kaleczyc did.

People were really excited about it, she said, and soon the group began meeting to get involved with issues families face today.

The online movement is moving family issues to the forefront by providing grassroots support on key issues, and having the online component makes it accessible to most people.

There is no local affiliate of the organization, it is merely a group of moms who were energized by Moms Rising and are taking local action, Kaleczyc said.

About 20 Helena residents are involved in a local group who support the goals of Moms Rising such as paid family leave and at-home infant care. Erin Turner is one of those working mothers supporting the movement.

Turner has two daughters and is the executive editor for Globe Pequot Press. She learned about Moms Rising while editing a women's studies book.

She was reading The Motherhood Manifesto when Kaleczyc invited her over to watch the movie.

Turner says the movement is important for parents in this country, not just mothers, because both mothers and fathers are working more and more.

"We are stressed to the limit," she said.

Turner took three months off after both of her children were born, but the time was unpaid.

Currently, the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) of 1993 gives employees the right to take up to 12 weeks off to care for a new child or a sick family member. There are however, limitations. It applies only to workplaces of 50 or more employees, and provides only for unpaid leave.

For Turner, going back to work was essential financially, but her career is also important to her, she said.

"Parents need better options so they can make better choices for themselves," she said.

One of the group's big concerns is paid leave. A new law will go into effect in 2009 that gives mothers and fathers paid time off for up to five weeks at $250 a week.

Being involved in the group has given Kaleczyc a place to channel her energy, she said.

"I used to just be mad about the system in this country," she said.

She says the movement is taking baby steps, but reform is on the horizon.

Members of the Helena group testified during the 2007 Legislature to get a breastfeeding bill passed. The new law applies to state and local governments as well as the school district. It requires such employers to give mothers unpaid break time to pump breast milk and place to do it other than a bathroom stall, Kaleczyc said.

Kaleczyc believes the organization appeals to all kinds of people.

"Over 80 percent of women will become mothers, so it appeals to a pretty diverse group," said Kaleczyc said. "Locally, there are members who work outside the home, stay at home moms, grandmas and even people who don't have kids that just think it is important issues for our whole community."

Watch 'The Motherhood Manifesto' today

'The Motherhood Manifesto,' the Moms Rising DVD, is scheduled to air today at 4 p.m. on PBS. The film is narrated by Academy Award-winning actress Mary Steenburgen and shows how far behind the United States is to all other industrial countries. It details how much more could be done in the U.S. to support families by giving them more options. The Motherhood Manifesto and Moms Rising are stirring a call for action nationwide.

A group of involved citizens who support Moms Rising are meeting the third Monday of every month at 7 p.m. at the Staggering Ox. Anyone interested is welcome to attend.