Welcome May and the wonders that comes with it. Warmer weather, flowers blooming, pools opening, BBQs getting some Spring Cleaning and finalizing plans for summer trips. I think this year is even more exciting as we begin to do more after the very long year we have had due to Covid-19.
âIf people are doubting how far you can go, go so far that you canât hear them anymoreâ âMichele Ruiz, President and CEO, Ruiz Strategies
âWell behaved women rarely make historyâ âLaurel Thatcher Ulrich, Pulitzer Prize Winning Historian
I was reading the different quotes I found that may relate to all of us and had to share the two quotes above. When we think about all the things we have done, how we have reached new milestones and how far we have traveled from our comfort zone, you will agree, these quotes do fit.
Just recapping this past month will remind you of how much of a difference we are continually making. So many of our committees, so many of our Club Sisters have made such a difference in such a monumental way with helping so many that we are making history. Not that you are all not well behaved (chuckle) but sometimes we have to challenge the phrase, âNo, you canât do that,â and say âYes, we can do that and this is how we will do it.â Never be content to be just status quoâŚdo the different thing, dare to try something new.
As of this writing, I am sure most of you have had a chance to view the most incredible video made by absolutely phenomenal women. Our Womenâs Suffrage Project went from a 35-minute assembly to a 35+-minute video celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Womenâs Suffrage Movement. We recognized the General Federation of Womenâs Clubs, NJSFWC, and the Womanâs Club of West Deptford, and the details on how to register to vote. I cannot say enough about the dedication and hard work that Chris T. put into the history of the Womenâs Suffrage Movement. The slides, narration and research to put an idea into reality is staggering. The slides and time it took to put together the information on how to register to vote was monumental but Nancy B. did it. Kudos to the ladies from the League of Women Voters who took the time to be part of this amazing project. A big thank you goes out to Dr. Brian Gismondi, Principal of WDHS and Ray Kirshner, IT Teacher of WDHS. They made to production of this video painless. A big thanks to the Alice Paul Institute for allowing us to have their traveling history banners. They are not open yet but were happy to help us with the last phase of our project. This was definitely a team effort, which is so evident to anyone who sees it. It has been sent to our DVP Jill M. who also shared it with our State President, Jan H. We have been asked to share it with other school districts, which we will definitely look into. I am just bursting with pride and it is because of all of your support of this project and our Club Sisters that this became a reality.
Another committee that has been making a different is our Advocates for Children Committee. Lisa H. and Robin E. are continually looking for ways to support the children who are in need of so much. Their recent collection of socks was amazing and they are now getting donations together to support the moms who are at the Ronald McDonald House who are caring for their children. Thank you ladies for your dedication to making a difference.
Have you seen the rainbow afghans made by some of our very talented ladies? I am just blown away by the beautiful blankets that have been made for the Rainbow Baby Program at Virtua Hospital. Kudos to Denise P., Joann Kf., Karen D. and Margie M. for creating such gorgeous baby blankets. What talent we have in the club! Thanks to Nancy B. for sharing this project with the club. I also want to recognize Debbie H. who has been making pillow cases for those in need. Never underestimate the dedication and caring of our Club Sisters.
Wow! What a successful fundraiser organized by Linda J.! Our hoagie sale netted us quite a bit of money for our Operating Account. Who knew that hoagies would be so popular. Look for totals in Linda J.âs report. To finish our club year, we will be selling hanging basketsâŚdonât forget to order yours! I already have my order sheet filled out.
The One Hundred Twenty Seventh Annual Convention of the New Jersey State Federation of Womenâs Club of GFWC is now in the books. We had six members attend this convention by Zoom this year and it was really fantastic. There was so much information shared including workshops and award presentations. Please read Isabella C.âs article in Federation News where she will share all that we have learned. I do have to brag again thoughâŚthe WCWD was given 4 awards this year. Our newsletter won 1st place, our Womenâs Suffrage Project won first place for the concept that we put together for last year and reported under Legislation/Resolutions, our report on the Special State Project: Operation Chillout won 2nd place and finally our Womenâs Suffrage Project won Best All Around Project for the State and has been sent to the GFWC for consideration.
Congratulations to all of our committees for their excellent reporting and for continually supporting our new ideas. We are all winners as there is no âIâ in teamwork!!
As we wind up our club year, our last two meetings will be in person, outside at St. Paulâs Methodist Church. We will start our meeting at 6:30 and move quickly through our reports. Please send your reports and donation requests to me ahead of time so I can share everything with our club ladies so they all have time to participate in what they choose. I will put the committee requests at the end of our agenda so you will know what each committee is collecting and to whom they are donating to. I will share what reports I receive ahead of time so the Committee Chairs can just recap quickly and answer any questions. As we will be keeping our Zoom accountâŚshould it rain, we will still hold our meeting via Zoom starting at 7:00. An email will be sent out ahead of time so you will be informed should our meeting change because of the weather.
Happy Motherâs Day to all. I hope all of our Club Moms have a wonderful day (And Pet Moms count!!!) Have a fantastic week, stay safe and enjoy the season as each month brings something special!
Warmly,
April   Â