Monthly Reminder

YES!  November is here – no color, no sun, no snow. . . . but this month brings us one of the most wonderful holidays of all - Thanksgiving!  That is always something to look forward to.  In the meantime, as a club we are gearing up to make the Holidays a little brighter for the children in our community!

Note that upcoming MWC deadlines that are coming right up are noted in red.

DECEMBER MEETING is Mon Dec 2 at the M’boro Function Hall (formerly Lions Club) on Old Route 109.   Please arrive as close to 1:30 pm as possible to socialize & snack and drop off your donations.

Please Respond here for Dec 2 Meeting for yourself and guests- allowing our hostesses to provide enough refreshments and space for our time together. Please arrive at 1:30 pm

PROGRAM is a Holiday Performance by the students of the Moultonborough Academy Chorus, directed by Emma Forest to get us in a holiday mood!

CHARITIES OF THE MONTH:  Moultonborough Santa Fund, Gifts for Waypoint, & Hats and Mittens you have been knitting, crocheting, and shopping for to donate to Meredith Village Savings Bank in M’boro.  Bring your donations to the Dec 2 meeting, well-marked and UN-wrapped!  Thank you for your generous spirits to help make the holidays sparkle for others.  More details on what to bring below.

A Note from Ways and Means:  We are looking for a few NEW items for the December meeting’s raffles “Presents for Christmas”. We'll be raffling NEW items which could be used for one of your holiday gifts.  One less gift you have to go out and buy – so check your gift closet and see what you might have to donate.  Please reach out directly to Sharon Paton if you have an item to donate. 

There are 2 WAYS MWC MEMBERS CAN HELP MAKE THE HOLIDAYS BRIGHTER FOR FAMILIES – deadline is Dec 2 MWC Meeting.  You can choose to participate in one or both – it’s your choice:

MOULTONBOROUGH 2024 SANTA FUND right here in Moultonborough is looking for help with to make Christmas special for their children.  Look at the list, sign up for something you’d like to shop for and bring it to our DEC 2 MWC meeting OR deliver to the Library by Dec. 6, unwrapped and labeled with the gift Code – (for example Family A Male 6) that identifies the gift.  Click the link to see what’s on the Wish List for local children.  SANTA FUND list of gifts

WAYPOINT NH – Holiday Gifts for Children

As in years past, we are ALSO supporting Waypoint NH in Laconia. There are 37 children in the Lakes Region this year who need us – the need is greater than ever! A lot of the families are experiencing homelessness or recently have found housing so anything they receive is truly appreciated. 

If you want to donate, you can buy specific things based on suggestions from Family Support at Waypoint NH – Laconia or you can buy gift cards for the older kids or for the parents to use to buy gifts for their kids. Waypoint creates a Shopping Night for families to come and “shop” for gifts for their children, among the items donated by MWC members and other groups in the greater Laconia area.

We have divided up our membership so we can hopefully have gifts for all the children. Note that we rotate the target ages for members each year:

Ladies’ Last Name    Children Gender & Ages (9 or 10 children per age group)

A – E                     11 kids:   School Age:  Boys:   5,6,8,9,9,11              Girls:   6,6,7,9,10 

Boys: Trucks, Bluey, remote controls, games, dinosaurs, warm clothes, Hot Wheels ;    Girls: Dolls, Barbies, art kits,  warm clothes , Paw Patrol, Play Dough/kinetic sand, Legos,  games

F – O                     13 kids:  Babies – Toddlers:  Boys:   4mo.,5mo,1,3,3,4,4,4         Girls:  1,2,2,3,4

Dinosaurs, Blippi, Cocomelon, Mickey/Minnie Mouse, Winnie the Pooh, Bluey, Trucks/cars,  dolls, learning toys,  warm clothes, socks, hats, gloves, pajamas,  blocks

P – Z                     13 kids:  Teens:     Boys:  14,14,15,16,16,17     Girls: 13,14,15,15,16,17,17

Gift cards are easiest for this age: TJ Maxx, Walmart, Target, Dollar General, Family Dollar, Amazon, game cards, etc.  Toiletries, makeup/beauty kits, cologne kits, hats/gloves

Please bring your donations (unwrapped) to our December 2 meeting. Be sure to put them in the WAYPOINT area on the stage. We will have a bag for the gift cards. Donations of wrapping paper, bags, etc. are also gratefully appreciated. If you have questions about these programs, please reach out to Libby or Joanne.

A little bit about Waypoint NH: An agency designed to give support to families in need:

Waypoint NH is the largest independent human service organization in the state of New Hampshire. Formerly known as Child and Family Services, it includes the merger of several prior organizations started around the state, dating back to 1850. Its mission is to empower people of all ages through an array of human services and advocacy. Currently, Waypoint serves annually about 9,000 children and their families, statewide.

Waypoint’s Regional Office in Laconia is a Family Resource Center providing services such as Early Childhood & Family Support and Family Preservation & Strengthening services. Some examples include prenatal support, parent education/family empowerment, services for children with developmental concerns or chronic health conditions, childcare, family preservation, and supervised visitations.

The Christmas gifts that Moultonborough Women’s Club members donate allow Waypoint to set up a ‘shop’ for parents to pick out gifts for their children and wrap the presents at the Waypoint office, taking them home to surprise their children.  Thank you to ALL our members for giving these families a memorable holiday!

************************************************************************************************

**A WORD ABOUT MEETING ARRIVAL TIME:  

Please arrive as close to 1:30 pm as possible …. Here’s why:   Our Hostesses and Board Members are busy at work setting up the room, making coffee, and making space for our Speaker and for the Donations our members will be bringing – all this while working around Meals on Wheels clean-up.  So, we are encouraging members to arrive close to 1:30 so that we are ready to greet you with the smiles and hugs you all deserve and enjoy chatting with each of you as you arrive. At that time, you can sign in, get snacks, chat with friends and visit the Activities Corner and check out the Raffle Table.

*************************************************************************************

CLUB NEWS:

A BIG THANK YOU ON ANOTHER RECORD-BREAKING BAKE SALE that was organized by our Bake Sale Team:  Deb Deberardinis, Nancy Slaney and Mary Ann Sopelak.  The community really showed up on Election Day and loved the beautiful array of MWC baked goods baked with love by all of you.  We brought in over $5600 – yes, you read that right.  The people of  Moultonborough is so generous in support of our Bake Sales and our MWC Scholarship Fund.  Well done, MWC!

TELL US YOUR STORIES!  This is the 75th Anniversary year for Moultonborough Women’s Club and we will be celebrating at our May Meeting!  In the meantime, we are collecting YOUR stories of years gone by . . . what were meetings like – did we have speakers and monthly charities?  How did members get the word out before e-mails like this?  Where were the meetings held? Fundraiser Memories?  What were popular bake sale items?  And more . . . we know you have some.  Email [email protected] with your favorites!

We are forming 3 new Committees in the coming weeks – if one of these interests you, contact Libby or Joanne.

·        Fundraising Committee to create a 3-5  year plan for future fundraising and ideas for the Club to implement and work on together as in the past.

·        75th Anniversary Committee to plan a festive celebration in May for this special milestone.

·        Investment Committee to keep an eye on funds currently invested in CDs to being us the highest yield.

MOULTONBOROUGH PUBLIC LIBRARY BRICK:  MWC members approved monies to purchase a large engraved brick as part of the Library’s Brick Walkway Fundraiser.  We are looking for a small group of creative minds to suggest a message or two for MWC’s brick that will communicate the mission of MWC to our community in a permanent way! (More than baking?  75 years serving the town of Moultonborough?  Dedicated to the education of our community?   Yes, we need help!)  Click on the link to learn more about the Library’s project   BRICK:  Paving the way to the Library Memorial Garden   and contact Joanne or Libby if this is up your alley!  We’d love to announce our Library Brick message in early 2025!

ACTIVITIES planned by the Activities Committee co-chaired by Mary Bishop and Jan Flanagan –  and stay in the know about upcoming activities in real time!  Feedback from members tells us you liked receiving a separate note with a listing of upcoming activities last month, so we will continue to do that.  In the meantime, here are the links Activities Calendar and Upcoming Events

Poke around while you are there, it is full of useful info, photos and more!

A WARM WELCOME TO OUR NEW MEMBERS: 

Nijole Blackburn, Melanie “Laney” Fifield, Ellen Griffin and Robin Lamprey

SEE YOU ON DECEMBER 2 . . . here is the RSVP link again: RSVP here for Dec 2 Meeting, unless we see you at one of the many  upcoming Activities – check out  what is coming up! Activities Calendar and Upcoming Events

In Friendship & Service,

Joanne Wilhelm & Libby Reichlen, MWC Co-Presidents