Well, we blinked and it is December. It is hard to believe that we are just about finished with 2023. Personally, I have had a great year and am looking forward to 2024. Our club had had an incredible year and we are not done yet! Our successes continue to grow!
We are not a team because we work together. We are a team because we respect, trust and care for each other. âAuthor Unknown
We can celebrate our successes because we are a teamâŚwe support and work to make a difference for so many and we do it all together. I have personally had so much support over the last 4½ years by so many of you and I realize that I was able to accomplish so much because you were there with me. Thank you for that!
Our 30th Anniversary is here! 30 years of awesomeness, 30 years of making a difference in our community, 30 years of growth and moving with the times, 30 years of supporting so many organizations and 30 years of friendships made. When you think about it, it is really incredible. To celebrate our 30th Anniversary, we will be holding our December meeting at the Terra Nova Restaurant on the 12th to reminisce about all that has been accomplished and all of you who made the Womanâs Club of West Deptford so unique. We have a big night ahead of us with some very special guests. I am thrilled to say that our NJSFWC President Shirley Holly will be in attendance with our Garden District VP Marie DiMatties. We will also be joined by our West Deptford Mayor James Mahaffey who will be reading a Proclamation honoring our 30th Anniversary. There are many more surprises and recognitions that night and I think this is a perfect way to celebrate and end 2023.
With our meeting night being our 30th Anniversary Dinner, there will be no committee reports or board reports except for approving our November meeting minutes and the two treasurer reports. All information is included in this monthâs Tidbits. Please make sure you read it all so you know what is going on with each committee.
Committee Collections for December is Civic Engagement and Outreach. Please see their article on what they are doing for this month. As our January meeting will be on Zoom to start 2024, Committee Collections will need to be dropped off or saved until February. Family Promise, Civic Engagement and Outreach, and Advocates for Children are collecting in January. Please feel free to drop any requested items to the specific committee chairs, to my house or to any board memberâs home. We will make sure that the donations will be delivered to the correct committee. Thank you for your continued support of our committees.
Our State Project, Emmanual Cancer, is preparing to celebrate the holidays with the children within the next few days and several of our members donated wrapping paper and went to the Woodbury Heights Office to wrap gifts. As I understand it, there are plenty of gifts for all of the children attending their Christmas Party. These special children will have a wonderful Christmas and it is so nice to know that we were a small part of making their holiday so special.
Keeping with the Holiday theme, many members have asked about volunteering at Harbaugh Village again this year to bag gifts for needy families. I have reached out to the Volunteer Coordinator Melanie at the Village and she will be getting back to me after their opening weekend of December 2nd and 3rd. They have kicked off the season with the one and only Chevy Chase lighting the Village. I am sure it was an amazing event and the volunteers will begin sorting and bagging gifts now that the Village is officially open. I will let you know what dates we can go to volunteer.
With the new year comes report writing for the 2023 year. All report forms have been distributed to the Committee Chairs. I will need the reports back to me by January 15th. Please reach out if you have any questions as you fill out your reports. This information is very important as Headquarters needs this information for their own reports.
As we enter 2024, our Nominating Committee headed by Cheryl F. will be forming and preparing a new slate of officers for the 2024/26 Club years. Also, our Honor Roll/Order of the Lily Committee headed by Carol F. will also be forming and choosing our recipients for 2024. Look for more information next month.
Donât forget your Secret Pal gift to bring to the Anniversary Dinner. This is where you will find out who your special person was who made your year so special. Also, if you have not done so already, fill out the Secret Pal form for next year and get it to Cynthia. She will let you know who your member is that you get to spoil all year.
To all my club sisters, may you have a perfect holiday with your family and friends. Whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas, or Kwanzaa, may your day be as wonderful as you are. Enjoy every minute and make those memories!
Happy Holidays to each and every one of you!
April Â
Shout Out to Members
Another month and another successful chapter in the Womanâs Club of West Deptford. It takes all of us to complete the wonderful activities and projects that we undertake each year and each of you brings something extra special to everything that we complete. SoâŚthank you!
I love people that have no idea how wonderful they are and just wander around making the world a better place.  âAuthor Unknown
This quote stood out for me as so many of you donât realize what a difference you make, what generous hearts you have and what great friends you have become to each other. Our club is definitely phenomenal because of you!
I want to start out by recognizing our Advocates For Children Committee for staying on top of the needs of the students in our Elementary and Middle Schools. Karen H. was contacted by one of our Elementary Schools because the staff needed help with their Holiday Shop. Karen, Pixie O. and Barb O. stepped up and helped the students shop for those special gifts for their families. This committee is also collecting used clothing in good shape and new underwear for the Middle School nurse to help supply her dwindling shelves. Awesome job!
What a great November meeting, which started with a presentation on CPR by two members of the Gloucester County Emergency Services. I was so impressed by so many of our members working on the mannequins and learning this life saving technique. Chris T., who heads our Health and Wellness Committee, definitely had a winner with this program. I am looking into having a CPR class for any of our members who would like to be certified. More about this class in the new year.
Every month our Social Committee offers a variety of activities for our members to participate in. There is always something for everyone. The best thing is that you donât have to do every activity, just pick the ones you are interested inâŚthat is what I do. The research these ladies do to give us such unique experiences is amazing. Social Chair Jody H. just shared with the Board some really exciting plans for 2024âŚI am looking forward to attending quite a few. Thank you, Ladies!
The Arts Creative Committee held a fantastic wreath making evening and it was well attended. We went away that evening with some beautiful wreaths to hang in our homes. Great job to Ann Ca. and her committee for a fun night!
I want to also recognize our 2nd VP Cynthia H-B., who works so hard in the background reaching out to new potential members and for organizing our Secret Pals each year. There is a lot of work involved in keeping up with all of the inquiries our club gets. Of course that is what happens when you belong to a fantastic club. Cynthia is also already collecting Secret Pal forms from our ladies who want to be part of this fun activity for next year. My form is already submitted and I canât wait to meet my Secret Pal who made my 2023 so much fun. Thanks, Cynthia!
Finally, as we prepare for our December Anniversary Dinner, I want to say a heartfelt thank you to the 30th Anniversary Committee who has been working so hard to make our celebration so special. Janice M., Jan A., Linda J., Peg S. and Jody H. have been in constant contact to make sure every little detail has been addressed. Not only that but we have our NJSFWC President, our District VP, and the Mayor of West Deptford Township attending this special evening. I am looking forward to celebrating 30 years of the Womanâs Club of West Deptford with all of you!
âApril