SALT LAKE CITY — Ever feel like making friends just isn't as easy as it used to be?
For women across here in the Beehive state, a group called "Utah Go Go Girlies" is helping make it a little easier.
"Something that's very important to me is helping people feel like they're not alone," Jacky Heredia, creator of the group, told FOX 13 News during a Christmas brunch on Sunday.
Heredia says what started as small parties at her home grew into something bigger after her friendships began to change.
"As you grow older, some friends just kind of drift apart," she said. "You grow out of friendships, which is OK."
That's what inspired her to start posting events in women's social groups over the years. Then, she officially launched Utah Go Go Girlies last year. Heredia says the group has continued to grow since.
AMFM Healthcare surveyed more than 3,000 U.S. adults and paired the results with census data on people living alone to estimate how many expect to spend Christmas Day alone this year. The data ranks Utah as the eighth loneliest state this Christmas.
On Sunday, the Utah Go Go Girlies gathered for a Christmas brunch and gift exchange in Kearns. Angela Castro, 35, who's a mother of three kids, was one of the women who attended.
"I feel like I'm too scared to open myself up to meet new people," Castro said during the brunch. "But being here, a lot of the girls have made me feel welcome and not ashamed or shy in any sort of way. It's a good feeling."
