2 Jun 2022

JUNE

posted in: Monthly News |

Women of Woodside Charitable Foundation

The Women of Woodside Charitable Foundation has made their first significant donation since it’s inception just six months ago.  By unanimous agreement by the Foundation’s Executive Board, a donation of $20,000 was made to Senior Life Services’ capital campaign and naming rights for their new facility.  The entry lobby to the new Community Room will carry the name “Women of Woodside Charitable Foundation”.

W.O.W. Book Clubs Host Local Author Tea

The W.O.W. Book Clubs held their first Local Author Tea on May 19, 2022 at the Aiken County Historical Museum.  Virginia Rafferty was the featured author.  Ms. Rafferty’s talk “Coming to America: Eastern European Migration 1882-1914” reflected the themes of her three books: Family Secrets…Hidden in the Shadows of Time (2015), The Road to Lattimer (2019), and The House on Peace Street (2022).  Ms. Rafferty captivated her audience by weaving the story of her family’s immigration from Hungary/ Slovakia to the United States (along with photographs of her family) in her talk.

The thirty participants had time to socialize and enjoy light refreshments provided by the Chairs of the W.O.W. Book Clubs before and after Ms. Rafferty’s talk.  They also could purchase her books and have Ms. Rafferty autograph those books.

The intent of this event was not only to provide W.O.W. Book Club members with an opportunity to meet and hear from a local author but also to give the members from the sixteen W.O.W. Book Clubs a chance to mingle.  Based on the success of this event, plans for next year’s Local Author Tea (June 2023), as well as the Annual W.O.W. Book Club Member Lunch (January 2023), will be underway in September 2022.

If you are interested in participating in a W.O.W. Book Club, there will be a chance to sign up at the Annual W.O.W. Kickoff Meeting in September.  Also, check out the Book Clubs tab on W.O.W. Website to see the books that are being read by the W.O.W Book Clubs, as well as their favorite books from the past few years.

Garden Club News

On Friday, May 27th, eighteen of the W.O.W. Garden Club ladies enjoyed a wonderful Field Trip to a Funky Little Flower Farm in Beech Island, SC, a short 20 minute drive from Aiken.  Augustus Jenkins Farmer (Jenks) and his Farm Crew, and Intern greeted us with cupcakes made by Jenk’s mother, Gloria Farmer, welcoming us like family.  A few early morning clouds passed quickly and, after being welcomed again by the braying of Buck, the Farm’s donkey, we experienced another beautiful South Carolina Day celebrating the  beauty of Jenks Family Farm’s magnificent Crinum fields and Rare Plants nursery. Jenks took us on a tour of  his mother’s cottage garden behind the family home, the renovated 1890’s barn now used as an office and classrooms and the old chicken house now renovated  and used to clean, pack and ship the lily bulbs.  After the tour we enjoyed a wonderful, healthy lunch with cool, refreshing well water, surrounded by the beauty of Jenk’s farm and an occasional braying from Buck.  Needless to say we could not leave without ‘shopping’ and many of us found the perfect rare plant from the nursery or several saucer sized lily bulbs or, my favorite purchase, Jenk’s latest book, Funky Little Flower Farm.  This book is a most delightful read, full of Jenk’s personal stories and adventures.  Written and submitted by Elaine McGowan.

Enrichment Event – Aiken Library: Introduction to Digital Services

June 8th from 2:00pm to 3:30pm:  Come join us at the newly remodeled Aiken County Library meeting room as Amanda Baldowski, Reference Librarian, will teach us the basics on how to stream books & music using  Cloud Library & Hoopla apps.  You will need to bring a compatible device (cell phone, smart tablets or laptop) as well as have a current library card and PIN number.  If you need a library card, bring a photo ID to main desk ASAP before the event date to get it set up. This event will be limited to 25 people so if interested please email Jane Buege @ JaneUnit55@gmail.com at your earliest convenience.  First come, first served.  You will be notified via email with confirmation that you made the deadline.

Spring Luncheon & Fashion Show “Shop Aiken”

W.O.W. hosted their annual Spring Luncheon at The Reserve Club on May 20th.  Supporting the theme of “Shop Aiken”,  three Aiken stores dressed 19 models:

          •  Affordable Apparel, manager Kelly Kimble, provided outfits for: Tappy Swarner, Lois Gregory, Maria Sullivan, Mary Pettigrew, Cathy Mayer, Linda Walters and Elaine McGowan.
          • Kraig Holdman, of Lionel Smith, Ltd., stole the show with his male models: Bill Hart, Danny Brozowski, Jim Bennett, Glenn Mayer and Richard Snouffer.
          • White Rose Eclectics, owner Martha Wise, offered outfits for: Lark Snouffer, Julie Brozowski, Pam Stearne, Mildred Judd, Gloria Supansic, Carol Fraser and Gwen Schwallie.

The following stores provided raffle and door prizes: Floyd and Green, Folly, 3 Monkeys, Plum Pudding, Affordables Apparel and Lionel Smith – congratulations to the winners!  The sold out event was enjoyed by all.

Spelling Bee

The Women of Woodside Spelling Bee raised over $22,000!!!!   A huge THANK YOU for all your generous donations!  Congratulations to Queen Bee Molly French!

City of Aiken’s Proclamation of Appreciation

 

On April 27th, Kathleen Bennett, president of W.O.W., received on behalf of W.O.W., The City of Aiken’s Proclamation of Appreciation for the organization’s fundraising efforts around Aiken.  The proclamation can be read here.

Join the W.O.W. Board

We are very lucky to have so many new Women of Woodside members this club year.  At this time of the year, the Nominations Committee begins the task of recruiting new board members for the 2022-23 fiscal year which runs from July through June of the subsequent year.  We have several openings for leadership positions on the Executive Board, General Board as well as various Committee Chairs.

You may think that because you are new to W.O.W., you may not be eligible for these open positions.  However, new members bring a wealth of knowledge from their careers and life experiences, which prove to be very beneficial to our organization.  In addition, it’s a great way to meet new people, while getting involved in both W.O.W. charitable and social activities.

We encourage you to consider volunteering to serve on the W.O.W. Board.  Job descriptions for board members and committee chairs can be viewed in the “Members Only” section of the website.  If you have questions or need additional information, you can contact Chris Jakubec, Past President, at cjakubec@aol.com or by phone at (847) 212-8252 or Kathleen Bennett, President, at jkbenn1150@aol.com or by phone at (803) 226-9877.