The Evening Division's Note to our "Wonderful Women"!
What a year!!! Never in our lifetimes did we ever imagine this Kafka nightmare we are living. The Evening Division of the Woman’s Club of Spring Lake remained loyal to its commitment to service, self-improvement, and socialization.
For the 2019-20 year, the Evening Division made a decision to add a service project to our monthly meetings. The pandemic may have slowed us down, but it didn’t stop us.
In March, each of our 22 members were asked to write Thank You notes to local essential workers including supermarkets, doctors’ offices, food delivery, restaurants, and health care workers. Approximately 200 thank you’s were sent to our Spring Lake community.
In April we donated clothing to The Family Resource Association.
In May, we held a timely Zoom Webinar on “How to Look Your Best on Zoom,” by Co-chair Kathy Reddick. In addition to insights to our new world of communication, it turned out to be a much-needed social time together.
Taking a look back, we started the new season dining out at St. Stephen’s Green, where we assembled 30 personal hygiene tote bags, which were donated to The Jersey Shore Mission.
In October, we were mesmerized by “Ask Granny,” presented by Jane Makesy, Past President, of the Hudson County Genealogical Society. In addition to empathizing the importance of our generation talking to our younger relatives about our ancestors, Jane presented her research on Mrs. Joseph Height, the first President of the Spring Lake Woman’s Club. Members wrote notes on 250 Christmas cards to be sent to US Troops deployed throughout the world, by the Red Cross.
November was our favorite annual fresh flower arrangement workshop, led by member Marie Harley. Twenty-five floral arrangements, were delivered to Sunrise and the Arbors Assisted Living Residences. We also collected a carload of blankets and towels for local animal shelters.
Our Christmas party was held at Sunrise. We laughed through a gift exchange game; and our service project was to write Holiday cards for the Sunrise residents and Veterans at the VA hospital.
In January, we relaxed to chair yoga, led by a Licensed Yogi. We focused on breathing, stretching, and flexibility. We enjoyed a healthy snack to start New Year’s resolutions. Our service project was to cut slings for the First Aid Squad.
Game day at Sunrise is an annual February favorite. In addition, to fun, friends, and food, we collected 4 SUVs full of food for the Manasquan Food Pantry.
Sadly, then our social wings were clipped. We stayed connected by calling each other and Zoom, and supported each other through some lonely times.
We have a rollicking agenda set for 2020-21. (Check it out in the Yearbook.) God willing, we will get enjoy each other’s company in the fall. All members are welcome. Stay well and safe.
Mabel & Kathy
Dear Members: As we move along into the Summer of 2020, just celebrated two weeks ago, we can look to our leaders to “open up” our local, county, state, and national worlds. We can begin to go out into our local world: our towns, beaches, pools and then further to a friend’s backyard or porch, even an outdoor restaurant, while still maintaining a social distance. We will be taking baby steps as we make decisions about moving forward. Several of our members have returned to NJ after shuttering in place in other states. Masks continue to be made by Mary Skibola. She is amazing in her ability to sew many masks so quickly. Most were stored at President Nancy Pugliese’s home. Mary S. brought some masks over to Maryanne Mulvihill’s home during a Ways & Means meeting. Maryanne’s grandchildren took them to the boardwalk and sold them for a total of $200. They even shared some marketing tips with their grandmother, e.g., use more red, white, and blue fabric and/or use sports teams, if possible. Masks are available for a donation of $5. Stop by Nancy’s side porch to purchase. Speaking of Ways and Means, Chairs Maryanne Mulvihill and Mary O’Shea had a meeting for their members in June. Since we are unsure if our usual events will take place, they led a brainstorming session to try and come up with new ideas for fundraising. One of the outstanding ideas is to have a Dog Costume Parade and Contest. A committee, headed by Lucille Jarman, has already presented their concept to the Mayor and Council, and it has been APPROVED! The date is October 17, 2020. Encourage all of your friends to bring their dogs and participate. This is open to the public! Headed by Pat Marold, there will be a McLaughlin Sip and Shop Day on July 23. Come shop during the day, and our club will get a percentage of the proceeds. Food donations and/or monetary donations to Fulfill are still being encouraged. For recordkeeping purpose, please let Val Maltzman know when you donate. The WCSL Book Club had a meeting in June on Nancy’s porch. We gathered, but socially distanced, as we discussed Not My Father’s Son, a Memoir by Alan Cumming and planned the books we will read in 2020 and 2021. Our next meeting will be August 5 at Kathleen Bagley’s; the book is Beartown. In April, the Evening Division sent out about 200 thank you notes to local front-line workers. Last week, Kathy Reddick held a ZOOM “Tips and Tricks to Look Your Best on a ZOOM meeting.” Several of us attended the Shore District ZOOM meeting last week. We were brought up-to-date about news of the Shore District, to which we belong, and the NJ State Federation of Woman’s Clubs. I am so proud of our membership for new forays into technology. Think about how many members have learned to use Skype, ZOOM, and Facetime on their computers and phones with their family and friends, or to use other social media they may never had considered using before. Our plans for fundraising may be limited now, but please do not forget to contribute to the 50/50 raffle tickets we sell each year prior to our Fall Luncheon. Even if our Fall Luncheon does not take place, if we sell all the tickets, we will have sufficient funds for scholarships in the Spring of 2021. Our Spring Luncheon will take place at The Breakers on May 19, 2021. We may not be reading this together, but how about singing a Fleetwood Mac song, written by Christine McVie, together: Come on and sing with me! “Don't stop thinking about tomorrow. Don't stop, it'll soon be here It'll be better than before. Yesterday's gone, yeah, yesterday's gone. All I want is to see you smile. If it takes just a little while I know you don't believe that it's true, I never meant any harm to you Don't stop thinking about tomorrow Don't stop, it'll soon be here It'll be better than before, yesterday’s gone, yesterday’s gone.” Come on and sing with me! Another chorus!
Nancy encouraged me to use stories that are inspiring and uplifting. Well, there is one wonderful story that continues to remain prominent in the news: the story is of her wonderful husband, Gene Pugliese. Thirty-seven years ago, Gene, an FDNY firefighter, was working in Soho, NYC, when a man ran over to him and reported a fire. Gene went to investigate, went up the stairs to the sixth floor and found a woman in a room filled with smoke and flames. “I pulled the woman into a room and she’s yelling ‘my baby, my baby.’” He crawled into a nearby room engulfed in flames to rescue 4-year Dierdre, who was unconscious… “I got her out, cleared her throat and gave her two quick breaths, and she started crying, which is a good sign.” She was transported to St. Vincent’s Hospital, and he never saw her again. Dierdre had tried unsuccessfully to find Gene; she brought the original New York Post front-page article from the day he rescued her to NYC. She has been in the military as a pilot and became a nurse. During the Coronavirus Pandemic, Dierdre left her family in Virginia for an eight-week assignment at NYU Langone Hospital in Brooklyn. One day at work, some firefighters came in with pizzas for the healthcare workers. She asked them if they knew Gene. One of the firefighters gave her the Ladder 20 number, and she called it. The chief knows Gene and gave her his number. The chief called him and 40 minutes later, Dierdre spoke to Gene. They are both veterans, front-line workers, lifetime Yankee fans, and, yes, they are both heroes! “What he did was really, really brave and if it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be here,” Dierdre said. Gene said the reunion has been emotional for him but has also brought joy to his life during a difficult time. “It’s a wonderful feeling to be recognized again for something I did 37 years ago…At 75 years old, it’s nice to have good things happen in your life like that.” He hopes “she will be in our lives for the rest of our lives.” They still have not been reunited in person but have appeared on several television programs. Gene received a phone call from Randy Levine, President of the New York Yankees. Perhaps they will reunite during a game at Yankee Stadium. Look at the interview on NBC Nightly News: https://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/video/powerful-reunion-between-covid-19-nurse-and-the-firefighter-who-saved-her-life-86163525700 As a group, we have each other; what an abundant blessing! How lucky are we, the Wonderful Women of the Woman’s Club of Spring Lake. Remember my dear sisters: Baby steps always move forward and so will the WCSL. We will always look forward and move forward together. Kathleen Bagley (201) 403.7704 [email protected]
I am calling this the Pandemic Presidency! What a way to start off by being apart because one of one of the best things about the Woman’s Club is being together. So, I have been thinking of ways to keep us connected during the time we have to distance. Many of use social media but a good old-fashioned phone call is still the best way to communicate. We have many members that are staying in so consider a call to a member over the summer.
For my communication project, I am going to start a page on our website called “Wonderful Women”. This is my toast to you…. the wonderful women of the Spring Lake Woman’s Club. During this difficult time, we need stories to uplift and inspire us. I would like to write about good news, and I hope you will send me stories to share with the membership. It doesn’t have to be club related, you can announce a new grandchild, share a great recipe, movie, or book, maybe a joke… anything to make us smile.
When I moved here from New York, I was complaining to my Mother than I was lonely. My Mother told me to join something because no one was going to knock on my door. As usual, she was right, and I accepted the invitation of my neighbor to join the evening group. So, it is appropriate that I found this clipping in a box of letters when I was cleaning closets and drawers. How many closets did you clean in the last months?
This is the clipping: Women Who Change the World There are women who make things better simply by showing up. There are women who make things happen. There are women who make their way. There are women who make us smile. There are women who do not make excuses. There are women who cannot be replaced. There are women who of wit and wisdom, who – with strength and courage – make it through. There are women who change the world every day: Women like you.
Our Mothers were so wise and wonderful, and we are too. Let me list some of the things that have happened since we last met. This will make you smile.
We could not have our lovely spring scholarship luncheon and installation of officers in May, but we found a way to celebrate. Anne Butler and the Scholarship Committee organized a presentation of the scholarships at the Community House. There were balloons and smiles and $10,000 in awards. Please look at our website under Scholarship for pictures and the names of the recipients. These award-winning women will change the world someday.
We could not have an official installation, but we will have an introduction to our new officers in September. I want to thank the women who answered the call and stepped up to lead our club. These are the women who change the world every day.
The call came for food for the Bradley Beach Food Pantry and within days Jackie Zurla had organized a food drive. Members donated almost $1,800 and twenty bags of food. Val Maltzman will continue the drive over the summer. These are the women that make things happen.
The pandemic has created a new fashion trend, the mask. Gloria Donahue, Mary Skibola, Sue Luterzo and Helen Mahoney were sewing masks for adults and children. Mary Rottino and I hand delivered to masks to members. A donation of twenty-five masks was given to Down Syndrome Adults with Alzheimer’s. We still have masks available for a suggested donation of $5. I am sorry to say you cannot see our smiles under our masks. These are the women who make us smile.
We were able to send our charitable checks in April to Mary’s Place by the Sea, Mercy Center, Kaleidoscope of Hope, St. Vincent DePaul of St. Rose, and Lunch Break of Red Bank. This is what we have done to help others make their way.
The Evening Division chaired by Mabel Levine and Kathy Reddick, collected food at Game Night for the Manasquan Food Pantry. Mary Ellen Goodman spearheaded a drive of clothing, shoes, and pocketbooks for Family Resource Associates. They wrote thank you notes to local merchants, grocery stores and mail carriers to thank them for their service during the pandemic. Many Evening Members still work but at the end of the day they show up and make things better.
We have many challenges in the next months, but we are women who of wit and wisdom, who – with strength and courage – make it through. We will buy raffle tickets, we will donate gifts for a virtual auction or a jewelry sale, we will learn how to zoom and listen to speakers, we will donate food and care for our communities. We will find some way to be together again soon. I toast you for all that you have done and will do for our club and community. I am inspired by Women like you.
Have the best summer you can under these conditions, we will send you a notice when the next “Wonderful Women” letter is published on the website. I hope you will make it your summer project to offer raffle tickets to friends and family. Have a backyard social distance evening and collect $5 from 10 people for a raffle ticket. If we sell all 200 tickets, we will have sufficient funds for scholarships next year.
P.S. I know I said a letter of good news but unfortunately there is always sad news. This past year, we lost our dear member Gia Beyer. Please take a moment to think of her and look at the video below. here are women who cannot be replaced.