Founded in April 1954, club members past and present celebrated the long history of our club that has served our community, fostered new experiences and friendships, and fundraised to make charitable donations for 70 years! Welcomed by President, Alex Asteris, members celebrated on April 7th with a tea at Harmony Tea Room in Westwood. Three past presidents were in attendance as well as new members, longstanding members, and many of those who have been in the club for over 40 years. Photos and memorabilia from our 70 years were displayed, and many took a stroll down memory lane. We feasted on tea time goodies and cut the most delicious anniversary cake! Members played a trivia game based on our club history created by past president, Nona Maher. Ten members answered enough of the 20 questions correctly to earn a prize. It really brought out the competitors and tested memories, but also made members more aware of the accomplishments of our club over 70 years. A lucky member won the door prize of a baseball cap with our club logo. We look forward to our next “70th Anniversary” in six years when we commemorate joining the New Jersey State Federation of Woman’s Clubs and the General Federation of Woman’s Clubs! Many thanks to the team of club members who coordinated this special day.

On our Health and Wellness quest this year, members are getting into new sports! Pickleball and Bowling have been added to the calendar and the leagues at Montvale Lanes better watch out! Members of all proficiency levels had a blast together learning (or perfecting) skills and laughing together! Many thanks to Joan Clifford who arranged the evening.

Club members meet monthly every third Thursday morning at The Mindful Cafe in Ramsey to connect over coffee or tea and breakfast treats. Long-standing and new members enjoy getting to know each other better in a casual setting outside of meetings and events. Tips and stories on all sorts of topics are exchanged! The group varies each month as members find time to stop in. Just Coffee has been very successful since we began it in September.

Members attended the NJSFWC Ramapo District Performing Arts Day on March 19th. Two of our members are stars! Anne Guadango read her hilarious short story titled Oh My God! Oh My God! Oh My God! and Claudia O’Bosky sang an operatic rendition of Carmen’s La Habanera that blew everyone away! Congratulations to both ladies! Anne was voted to represent the District at the State Convention in April. Many thanks to Ginnie Huresky and Kathy Sullivan who organized the day and to our District VP, Tina Ree, who emceed the morning and to all the participants from other clubs. Ramapo’s got talent!

Club members celebrated Women’s History Month by attending a screening of the newly released movie, Cabrini, in mid-March. It was the incredible story of the tenacity and strength of a woman who traveled from Italy to New York by ship in 1889, and began a mission to help poor Italian immigrants in lower Manhattan. A champion, not only of Italians but of all orphaned immigrant children, Francesca Cabrini stood up to the strong and powerful men she encountered in her quest to help the poor––the Pope, the Mayor and Archbishop of New York and other city officials. Undaunted by the work “NO”, nothing stood in her way as she founded orphanages and hospitals and taught the illiterate so they could make a new life for themselves in their new country. Known as Mother Cabrini, and now St. Frances Cabrini, she was the embodiment of a strong woman with a vision that we celebrate this month!

We celebrated the leap year bonus day of February 29th with a Charcuterie Board Fundraiser held at our town Firehouse. Many community members joined us. We all made scrumptious boards of meats, cheeses, dried fruit, chocolate, grapes, kiwis, pickles, jars of honey and jam and edible flowers. We learned to make roses out of salami and ribbons of prosciutto. Many thanks to Perfect Parings-Graze from Warwick, NY for their clear instructions, and for furnishing the ingredients to make our boards-complete with boxes to transport them home! Thanks also to the businesses who sponsored our Silent Auction––Salt of The Earth, Mindful Cafe, The Breslow Center, Injexcellence Med Spa, The Parlour, Delpinos’s, Stumpy’s Hatchet House, Deka Lash, The Corredor Crew, Pinstripes, Pauline Ann, and to members who donated auction items––Jane Bodnar, Jeanine Matthews, Nancy Tarbutton, Elizabeth Pittman, Christine Lagana, Ali Smith, Diana Nash, Ann Guadango, Brigitte Marten, Lucille Fallon, Linda Miko, Joan Clifford, and Claudia O’Bosky. Many attendees went home with great gifts and helped us to fund our scholarships, donations to first responders, and other charitable causes. Kudos to our Fundraising Team who organized this wonderful event! The evening was lots of fun and a great success!

Members enjoyed dinner together and Dena Blizzard’s “I Love You, Get Away From Me!” comedy show at the Mayo Performing Arts Theater in Morristown last week. Thanks to our Arts Chairs––Kristen, Christine, and Brigitte––for organizing an enjoyable evening of comaraderie and laughs.

February may be a short month (a day longer this year), but it’s a great time to think of others!

Our members, as well as community members, contributed soups and other shelf-stable foods to help stock the pantry at The Center For Food Action in Mahwah. Our collection box in the Library had to be emptied often before the day when we packed up two carloads of donations. Our annual “Souper Bowl” drive in town was a big success!

We also received an incredible donation from a former member who was moving. A life-long knitter and quilter, she donated all newly crafted items––15 baby hats and 8 small quilts to keep little ones warm in their car seats, a quited play mat, pillow, bibs, 2 sets of infant knitted hat and glove sets, and a teddy bear. She trusted that we would find a good “home” for them. We took the baby items to The Lighthouse Pregnancy Reseource Center in Hawthorne that we support year round. They were most grateful for the donations for their newborns.

We’ve planned a wonderful social evening/fundraiser to celebrate Leap Year!

We’ve kicked off our annual “Souper Bowl” Food Drive! Our club members and others in the community are asked to drop off supplies in a donation box in the Lobby of our Library. We aim to fill the pantry of The Center for Food Action! Hearty soups and other essential winter shelf-stable staples as well as supermarket gift cards are welcome. Dropoff is until February 11th when we will drive the donations to the Center for Food Action in Mahwah. Help us to help others! Together we can make a difference!