VERNON TOWNSHIP WOMAN’S CLUB
2023-24 Committees and Departments
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 programs as well as operational club activities.
Education & Libraries
- Girls’ Career Institute – sponsor a Vernon high school junior to attend the 4-day “college experience” event at Douglass Residential College and invite her to speak at our September meeting.
- Scholarships – award college scholarships to seniors at several local high schools or homeschool students.
- Achievement Awards – present financial awards to eight middle school students who have shown the most 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 to Santa.
- Library Books – donate funds to the Dorothy Henry Library to purchase children’s books.
Domestic Violence Awareness & Prevention
- Domestic Abuse & Sexual Assault Intervention Services (DASI) – donate monthly food and supplies for DASI’s food pantry providing as many items as possible when requested by DASI for shelter and transitional housing (often urgent requests for families that arrive with nothing).
- Holiday gifts – shop, wrap, and deliver Christmas gifts and Easter baskets for all children and parents living in the shelter.
- Just for You Bags – provide bundles of personal and housing necessities for women venturing out of the shelter into transitional housing.
Health & Wellness
- Blankets with Care – knit/crochet lap blankets for chemotherapy and dialysis patients, and sew comfort pillows for breast cancer and post-surgical patients.
- Operation Smile – provides fleece blankets, toiletries, and toys for children undergoing cleft palate surgery in more than 30 countries.
Advocates for Children
- Jude’s Ranch for Children – send the fronts of greeting cards to be recycled into new cards and sold as a fundraiser for abused and neglected children.
- Birth Haven – provides supplies for homeless expectant mothers and their babies.
- Dulce Esperanza – supports children of migrant farm workers through summer enrichment programs sponsored by the Warwick Area Farmworker Organization.
- Ginnie’s House – donate knotted fleece blankets.
- Hat Not Hate – knit blue hats to support the anti-bullying program.
- Pinwheels for Prevention – “plant” pinwheel gardens in Vernon at the Municipal Building, PAL, and Dog Park during Child Abuse Prevention Month in April to raise awareness.
Civic Engagement & Outreach
Veterans & Military Support
- Operation Christmas Stocking or Operation Yellow Ribbon – sew and stuff Christmas stockings for servicemen and women serving abroad; this is a statewide project coordinated by the NJSFWC.
- Warmth for Warriors – knit skull caps for soldiers to wear under their helmets.
- Cell Phones for Soldiers – collect and mail used cell phones to this organization which provides telephone calling cards to servicemen and women.
- Crossword Puzzles – provide individual puzzles with answer keys to the veterans’ home.
- Wreaths Across America – sponsor wreaths to be laid on local veterans’ graves to honor their service.
Homestead Nursing Home
- Birthday bags – prepare and deliver gift bags full of small items for residents celebrating their birthdays each month.
- Cookie Bags – deliver homemade cookies to residents of the local nursing home.
Family Promise
- Holiday gifts – shop, wrap and deliver Christmas gifts and Easter baskets to children at the homeless shelter.
- Men’s Hygiene Bags – donate toiletries for homeless men.
International Affairs
- Heifer International – donates funds to purchase animals that 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 or to support other philanthropic organizations. Past efforts have collected bras for Free the Girls, sewing machines for Sewing Peace, and children’s shoes for Soles4Souls.
Community Outreach
- Project Self-Sufficiency – donate gift cards for the agency’s holiday gift drive.
- Earth Angels – put together packets of greeting cards for housebound senior citizens.
- Community Help – provide funding or supplies to members of the local community as
- Our Friend Margaret Conti – sends gifts, notes, cards, etc., to our adopted friend living in a woman’s developmental center.
Environment and Conservation
- Wands for Wildlife – collect mascara wands to be used for cleaning animals after oil spills.
- Vernon Clean Communities Project – perform roadway cleanup.
- Beautification – maintain a flower garden at the Vernon Senior Center.
- Trex Challenge – collect plastic bottle caps for recycling.
- Ronald McDonald House – collect aluminum pop tabs for a fundraising program that supports families dealing with childhood illness.
Arts and Culture
- Coordinate submission of members’ entries in the Achievement Day contests sponsored by the New Jersey State Federation of Women’s Clubs.
Membership
- Recruitment – invite and greet potential members, update and distribute membership brochures, and respond to inquiries about the club’s activities. Order members’
- Fairs/Events – coordinate New Member Tea and the VTWC information booth at local events to raise awareness of the club and meet potential members.
- NJSFWC Honor Roll and Order of the Lily – nominate members to be recognized at the state
Communications
- Media Relations – send announcements, articles, and photos about club meetings, activities, and fundraisers to local newspapers.
- Newsletter – prepare and distribute a monthly newsletter to members.
- Flyers – develop and distribute flyers for fundraisers and other events.
- Social Media – keep the Facebook page updated with timely, relevant information and photos.
- Website – maintain and update the VTWC website with stories, photos, etc.
- Yearbook – publish an annual booklet of member contact info, board & committee members, yearly budget, and other helpful information.
Fundraising
- Heaven Hill Farm – volunteer at the Guest Services booth and entrance gate during the farm’s extremely popular Great Pumpkin Festival and the Easter Eggstravaganza. All members participate in the fall event, our largest fundraiser.
- Taste of Vernon – coordinate member participation at this annual Chamber of Commerce event featuring local restaurants. A portion of the proceeds are donated to VTWC.
- Dine-to-Donate Event – coordinate an event at The George Inn (a local eatery) that donates a portion of the income during a specified time period to our club.
- Gift Cards – coordinate the sale of gift cards for profit through the RaiseRight program.
Special State Project
Every two years, the New Jersey State Federation of Women’s Clubs selects a non-profit organization as the Special State Project. All clubs in the state conduct activities and/or fundraisers to support that organization’s mission. The 2022-24 recipient is The Emmanuel Cancer Foundation which provides comfort and professional assistance to New Jersey families facing childhood cancer.
Updated 8-18-2023