Chapter: Contemporaries work for stronger Westwood

FROM PAGE 1 local philanthropy to serve the greater Westwood community.

Installation was conducted by Claire Hill, Ninth District vice president, and 1st Vice President and Membership Chairman Lynda Bager.

Each new member received a white carnation — the clubʼs flower — and a bookmark with The Collect, a prayer said by all womenʼs clubs at their meetings.

Deen Meloro, past state president of the New Jersey State Federation of Womenʼs Clubs and secretary for The Womanʼs Club of Westwood, spoke about the history of the Federation: Founded in 1890, the Federation of Womenʼs Clubsʼroots are traced to 1868, when Jane Cunningham Croly formed a womanʼs club — Sorosis. (Weʼre told sorosis might have been intended as a term related to sorority.)

In celebration of Sorosisʼ21st anniversary, in 1889, Croly invited womenʼs clubs throughout the United States to pursue the cause of federation by attending a convention in New York City. On April 24, 1890, 63 clubs formed the General Federation of Womenʼs Club by ratifying the GFWC constitution.

At the induction ceremony, Susan Chambers, 1st vice president of The New Jersey State Federation of Womenʼs Clubs, headquartered in New Brunswick, spoke about the Federation and the opportunities it provides for education, leadership training, and community service through participation in local clubs.

Chris Sienkielewski, 2nd vice president of NJSFWC, spoke about the General Federation of Womenʼs Clubs, headquartered in Washington, D.C.

The club notes, “Community service programs span the lives of our members, their families, and communities: arts and culture, civic engagement and outreach, education and libraries, environment, and health and wellness. GFWC has earned a reputation as a powerful force in the fight againstdomestic violence.”

(And members have fun: See related story “Women host author of ʻcozyʼKnit & Nibble myster- ies,”on page 28.)

The Contemporaries are on the go

The induction is the formal start to whatʼs already begun: The Contemporaries of the Womanʼs Club of Westwood co-hosted, with Celebrate Westwood, the Memorial Day Bike Brigade, represented at Westwood Baseball Association opening day fun, April 29, at Westvale Park, and worked on town cleanup on April 22.

The chapter hosted 30 guests at its first progressive dinner on Friday, March 24 — raising more than $500 to support Meals on Wheels of North Jersey

The night began with a high- energy happy hour at Cafe Anello, where Contemporaries and their guests enjoyed specialty cocktails and conversation before being randomly divided into three groups to enjoy multi-course pre-fixe dinners at Granita Grille, Mezza, and Hanami.

Committee chair Nicole Dragona thanked those restaurants for partnering to craft special menus for this event. “The fundraising efforts could not have been as successful without their generosity.”

Guests were invited to continue their revelry at Five Dimes Brewery, where the resounding questions seemed to be, Whenʼs the next event? (Dragona said a similar event is in the works.)

The Contemporaries of the Womanʼs Club of Westwood and friends sweated through a 45minute power workout combining boxing, HIIT, and strength training, courtesy of Rumble Montvale on Tuesday, March 21 at the Womanʼs Clubhouse.

The Club said it looks forward to offering more fitnessfocused events free to its members in the coming months.

For information write westwoodcontemporaries@gmail.com or call (201) 916-1580. For more events and opportunities, visit instagram.com/westwoodcontemporaries

—Staff report