DEPARTMENTS & COMMITTEES
The Vernon Township Woman’s Club is dedicated to improving the lives of others and impacting the community in positive ways.  Working in small groups, we engage in life-changing philanthropic and operational activities throughout the year.  Here’s an overview of the projects undertaken by our departments and committees.

Education & Libraries
Our very active Education Committee presents scholarships and awards, recognizes scouting achievements, sponsors a participant at Girls’ Career Institute, and responds to children’s letters to Santa.

  •  Girls’ Career Institute – sponsor a high school junior to attend the four-day “college experience” event at Douglass Residential College.
  • Scholarships – award college scholarships to local high school seniors, and a Continuing Education Scholarship to a woman over age 35 who is returning to school to earn a degree or certificate.
  •  “Most Improved” Awards – present financial awards to middle school students who have shown effort and improvement in their schoolwork.
  • Scouting Awards – present financial awards to Vernon Boy Scouts who earn the Eagle Scout designation and Girl Scouts who achieve the Gold Award.
  • Santa Letters – place a “mailbox” in local post offices and respond to letters written by children to Santa.

Domestic Violence Awareness
Working closely with DASI (Domestic Abuse Services), our club provides holiday gifts, basic necessities and other supplies for abuse victims living in the emergency shelter and transitional housing.

  • Clothing & supplies – provide as many items as possible for the emergency shelter and transitional housing when requested by DASI; these are often urgent requests for families that arrive with nothing.
  • Holiday gifts – shop, wrap and deliver Easter baskets and Christmas gifts for all children living in the emergency shelter or transitional housing.
  • Just for You Bags – provide a bundle of personal and housing necessities for women venturing out of the emergency shelter.

Health & Wellness
Under the far-reaching umbrella of this department, our members make pillows and blankets for hospital patients, provide holiday gifts and necessities to the homeless, deliver birthday gifts to nursing home residents, and so much more!

  • Family Promise – shop, wrap and distribute Easter baskets and Christmas gifts to children at the homeless shelter.  Provide hygiene bags containing toiletries for homeless men.
  • Putting Prayers to Action – purchase new school clothing and Easter outfits, and knit hats/scarves/mittens, for poverty-stricken children.
  • Birthday Bags – prepare and deliver gift bags full of small items for the Homestead Nursing Home residents celebrating their birthdays each month.
  • Newton Memorial Hospital – knit/crochet/sew comfort pillows for breast cancer patients and lap blankets for chemotherapy patients.
  • Cookie Bags – deliver hundreds of homemade cookies to residents of the Homestead Nursing Home.
  • Community Help – provide funding or supplies to other organizations (i.e., Project Self-Sufficiency, Birth Haven) and members of the local community as needed.
  • Dulce Esperanza – support children of migrant farm workers through programs sponsored by the Warwick Area Migrant Committee.
  • Our Friend Margaret – send gifts, notes, cards, etc., to our adopted friend living in a woman’s developmental center.
  • Recycled Card Program – send the fronts of greeting cards to St Jude’s Ranch for Children where they are recycled into new cards and sold as a fundraiser for neglected and abused children.

Civic Engagement & Outreach
This department conducts activities that benefit U.S. military members serving at home and abroad, and initiates international projects to assist individuals and families in underdeveloped countries around the world.

Military Support

  • Operation Yellow Ribbon – sew and stuff Christmas stockings for soldiers serving in the Middle East; this is a statewide NJSFWC project in which many clubs participate.
  • Warmth for Warriors – knit skull caps for soldiers.
  • Cell Phones for Soldiers – collect and mail used cell phones to this organization which in turn loads them with minutes and sends them to servicemen and women.
  • Crossword Puzzles – provide individual puzzles with answer key to residents of the veterans’ home.
  • Wreaths Across America – sponsor wreaths to be laid on local veterans’ graves to honor their service.

International Relations

  • Operation Smile – provide fleece blankets, toiletries and toys for children undergoing cleft palate surgery in more than 30 countries.
  • Days for Girls – sew reusable sanitary kits for young women in impoverished countries to enable them to attend school during their menstrual cycle.
  • Heifer International – donate funds to purchase animals to enable families to earn a productive income.
  • Community collections – sponsor drives to collect items that enable women in third world countries to become financially self-sufficient.  Past efforts have collected bras for Free the Girls, sewing machines for Sewing Peace, and children’s shoes for Soles4Souls.

Communications

The Communications Department keeps the community and our members informed about the amazing work that we do. 

  • Media Relations – send announcements, articles and photos about our meetings, activities and fundraisers to local newspapers.
  • Newsletter – prepare and distribute monthly newsletter to members.
  • Flyers – develop and distribute flyers for fundraisers and other events.
  • Social Media – keep Facebook page updated with timely, relevant information and photos.
  • Website – maintain and update VTWC website with news, photos, etc.
  • Yearbook – publish annual booklet of member contact info, board & committee members, yearly budget, and other helpful information.

Membership

Our Membership Committee connects with new and prospective members, and coordinates the club’s information booth at local fairs and events.

  • Recruitment – invite and greet potential members, distribute membership brochures, respond to inquiries about the club’s activities, and order nametags.
  • Fairs/Events – coordinate New Member Socials and the VTWC information booth at local events to raise awareness of club and meet potential members.
  • NJSFWC Honor Roll – nominate club members to be recognized at the state level.

Fundraising

Fundraising is an essential function in our club, and this committee coordinates events and programs to raise money in support of our philanthropic activities.

  • Heaven Hill Fall Festival – volunteer at the ticket booth and gate on weekends during the farm’s extremely popular event.  All members participate in this, our largest fundraiser.
  • Dine-to-Donate Events – coordinate events with local eateries that will donate a portion of the income during a specified time period to our club. 
  • Farm to Fork Fondo – staff the comfort station at a bicycling event to distribute water, snacks, etc.
  • Gift Cards – coordinate the sale of gift cards for profit through the Shop with Scrip program.
  • A Taste of Vernon – coordinate member participation at this annual Chamber of Commerce event highlighting local restaurants.  A portion of the event’s proceeds are donated to VTWC.

Special State Project

Every two years, the New Jersey State Federation of Women’s Clubs selects a non-profit organization as its “Special State Project.”  All clubs in the state conduct activities and/or fundraisers to support that organization’s mission. The 2020-22 recipient is Operation Chillout, an all-volunteer outreach dedicated to ending the crisis of homelessness among veterans.

  • Contact the organization to determine opportunities for our club to help, i.e., collecting items, participating in events, etc.
  • Schedule a representative to make a presentation to our members.

Arts & Culture

Our members enter many submissions into the Achievement Day contests sponsored by the New Jersey State Federation of Women’s Clubs.