Fall is officially here and with it is the realization that holidays are quickly coming. For myself, my Christmas List has been written and the shopping has begun. However, as I love the Autumn season, I will be taking time to enjoy this wonderful time of year. My decorations are up and my beautiful mums that I purchased for our Club Mum Sale are in the ground and looking beautiful.
“Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time.” –Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Since our last meeting, we lost an amazing woman who supported each and every one of us on the Supreme Court and beyond. That being said, what Justice Ginsburg has achieved will continue to affect us daily as we move forward. I researched so many of her quotes and have jotted most of them down as they are such powerful words. The quote above struck me as timely as we continue to navigate the challenges of this worldwide Pandemic, Covid 19, and still make a difference for ourselves, our families and those around us. Yes…we have had to make adjustments; yes…we were not able to accomplish so many of our plans; but look at what we have accomplished. We do and will continue to make a difference to all in our families and our community to the best of our ability. Sure…we have contributed to so many food pantries, clothing donations, mask making, surgical cap making, Christmas stockings for our Military, collecting plastic bags for our enterprising ladies who are making sleeping mats, collecting school supplies for children in need, made cards for our veterans, teachers and survivors of Domestic Violence, and more. Yet all of you are still coming up with great ideas for the betterment of others. We definitely embody the term “Service Organization” as that is what we are. We have some great social activities and still do so much for those in need. For that I want to recognize all of you who in some small way made a difference…as Justice Ginsburg says…one step at a time.
Speaking of helping others, our Health and Wellness Committee has already met and is hard at work finding a way to help families for Thanksgiving and Christmas. More on this at our October General Meeting. Our Education and Libraries Chair Carol M. has reported that she has received some book donations already for the Elementary Classrooms. Contact her if you need more information on this excellent project. Our Operation Christmas Stocking project has been completed as Denise H. picked up all the stockings and delivered them to the official drop off point. Thank you, Denise, for delivering the stockings, and to the ladies who donated money toward the cost of shipping the stockings or found a sponsor who donated money. This activity did not cost the club a penny and the stockings are bulging with wonderful items donated by you for our service men and women. Thanks, Ladies!
Our Garden District September Council Meeting was held on September 17th and was both informative and enlightening. When I think of all we have done since March, I am amazed and impressed at what the majority of the other clubs are doing. Many have done as much as us and many have done even more. Amazing!!!!! Several of the clubs also held outdoor meetings as we have and were able to accomplish so much. I also want to recognize our DVP Jill M. who runs these Zoom meetings efficiently and timely. She has given me great ideas on how to run our October Zoom General Meeting that I will highlight at the end of my article.
Report Writing has been a big topic this year and our report writing forms will be coming out soon. I will get these forms to you as soon as I have them. It is important for each Committee to note that there must be a summary for each committee report. Each chair will fill out the form with times, estimated monies, etc., but a summary must be included with each report. There are webinars set up for anyone who wishes to watch them. We had a very informative report from Barbara McCloskey, NJSFWC Second VP, who presented a report writing briefing.
The NJSFWC Fall Conference is coming on October 19th. We have 6 members who will be attending this virtual conference and I look forward to learning all that is happening in our State. We are an organization that is moving forward and striving to reach new heights. We are definitely not staying stagnant, that is for sure. This is an exciting time to be part of the NJSFWC and the GFWC!
The 150th Anniversary of West Deptford Township is next year. One of the activities that the township plans is putting a time capsule together. I am hoping that we can be part of this time capsule, and I will be looking for suggestions of things to include. One item will be our yearbook…what else should be included? Let me know your ideas.
Our Club Zoom account will be handled by Janice M. She will be sending out all links for our meetings and activities. Look for the link for our October 13th meeting. I will be sending out an email as a reminder. Also, any committees that have a report, please send me a summary of your notes. I will include your notes at the end of our agenda so the ladies will have it ahead of time and you will then be able to field questions.
Finally…thanks to our Domestic Violence committee Linda M. and Janice M. who asked us to add a temporary purple frame to our Facebook picture to honor survivors of Domestic Violence. It is also Breast Cancer Awareness month. Pink is the new October color. So…in honor of both groups, please wear either pink or purple while on Zoom for our October meeting. This recognition goes a long way.
It has been hard to get our secret pals their surprises each month. Please let one of the board members know if you would like a secret pal gift delivered. We would be happy to help you. There is nothing nicer than receiving a surprise from your Secret Pal.
Have a wonderful month, and the board and I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at our October Zoom meeting!!!
Warmly,
April