BRICK – If you are a woman who would like to serve the community, become more active locally and meet other women with similar interests, the Woman’s Club of Brick is looking for new members.
“We want to make Brick a better community to live in,” said the president of the Brick chapter of the New Jersey State Federation of Women’s Clubs (NJSFWC), Janice Mishkin.
The organization is the largest volunteer women’s service organization in the state and is a member of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs.
“We’re getting concerned because we are losing members because of age, and with the young people today, most of them go to work, but we need more young, active women to join us,” she said.
Mishkin said the state president picks a slogan for the organization. For 2020-2021 the slogan is “Let Our Voices Soar.”
The Brick chapter dates back to 1936, and at one time it had so many members they switched from daytime meetings to nighttime meetings, which were held at the Lobster Shanty.
“Through the years, we have been an extremely active club,” Mishkin said. “They decorated Town Hall, they ran raffles and affairs, and gave away substantial amounts of money to veterans groups and to people in need.”
Locally, the organization has given thousands of dollars in scholarships to graduating high school seniors and to vocational students in Brick, has donated to nursing homes, the library and many other organizations.
“Most of our members are in their 70s, and with 13 members it’s difficult to be very active with so few people,” she said.
This year the Brick chapter donated hats and gloves to township preschool children, donated to local food banks and to families in need.
Most recently, during Easter, the group made gift baskets and gave money to families at Dottie’s House, a local facility that houses women and children who have survived domestic violence.
“Right now we’re trying to figure out what kind of fundraiser to run that doesn’t require a license – like running a raffle and those kinds of things,” Mishkin said.
“A lot of members feel that we’ve been there and done that, so that’s why we want to increase our membership and get some younger women in the club.”
Membership is open to residents of Brick or from the surrounding communities who are interested in becoming involved in an organization that helps others.
At the state level, current NJSFWC projects include Operation Chillout and Operation Yellow Ribbon, both of which help those in need and help veterans at home and abroad.
Founded in 1894 and headquartered in New Brunswick, the organization provides opportunities for education and leadership training, and even founded the New Jersey College for Women (now Douglass Residential College) in 1918.
In New Jersey, there are some 8,000 members in 200 clubs.
The Brick Woman’s Club holds its meetings at noon on the first Tuesday of every month at PJ Sweeney’s at 447 Brick Blvd. where the women also enjoy lunch.
For more information call Janice Mishkin at 973-713-1024, or just show up at PJ Sweeney’s for their next meeting on June 1 at noon.
