Celebrating Donation Day with The Woman’s Club of Vista were representatives from 27 non-profit organizations which received a total of $31,500 in donations to support their work in the community.
President Nancy B Jones reminded everyone that last year the Club celebrated its 100 years of service. The Vista Library was started and housed in a Woman’s Club member’s home in 1916.
The Vista School District also started in 1916 and was supported by Club members. President-elect and Donations Committee Chairman Judy Pantazo shared the history of the Club’s sale of the Clubhouse in 2005, which funds the annual donations as well as scholarships given to graduating seniors at 6 schools.
Community organizations including Operation HOPE – Vista, North County Lifeline, Meals with Love, New Haven Youth & Family Services, Assistance League North Coast, Brother Benno’s, Bread of Life, and Women’s Resource Center received donations.
Their representatives shared about their work in the community with families, youth, homeless, and women. The Club also supports Gently Hugged, which provides a bag of first-year clothing and a handmade quilt for needy new moms.
Garden of Innocence conducts dignified burials for abandoned babies and a member of the Club makes blankets for the tiny caskets used in the burials.
The Angel Faces summer retreats for girls with disfiguring burns are supported as well. An assistance dog with Canine Companions for Independence rested quietly through the speakers, then basked in all the attention and posed for photos.
The Club has received several partner awards from Canine Companions at the national GFWC Convention for their continued support of the program. The Club’s donation to Family Readiness for HMLA-369 helps support the squadron before their various deployments.
Members have helped by providing cakes for the Marines birthday and with food for Thanksgiving in the barracks for single Marines.
The Rancho Buena Vista Adobe and the Vista Art Foundation representatives added their thanks; they provide field trips and promote the Alley Art Festival coming to Vista again in September.
The donation to the Children’s Garden at Alta Vista Botanical Gardens supports a quiz box on the nature discovery trail, which should be completed by early summer.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of San Marcos and Vista provide enriching after-school programs to promote education, self-confidence, and leadership.
Donations to Route 78 Civitan Club and Pride of Vista Lions will support developmentally disabled individuals and provide vision screening.
The Miss Pride of Vista Pageant helps young women become more confident and provide community service. V
ista Teen Outreach collects and provides food for pantries at elementary schools; families receive food to supplement their meals, including weekends and school holidays.
The Vista Historical Society will be celebrating their 50th anniversary in August.
The Woman’s Club of Vista will continue its tradition of supporting the non-profit organizations that improve lives. As one representative closed her presentation, she summed up the Donation Day event and the strong feelings that impacted all of the participants with her thanks: “Too many to name, but not too many to love.”
The public is welcome at all meetings of The Woman’s Club of Vista GFWC at the Shadowridge Golf Club. New members will be initiated at the June 14 meeting; the program will feature the graduating seniors who are receiving scholarships.
Reserve for lunch by calling (760) 822-6824 by Friday June 9th. www.womansclubofvista.org
Submitted by Fran Jensen, Publicity Chairperson 760-414-1423
