PRESIDENT’S REPORT
Thank you for the privilege and honor of serving as your Woman’s Club President this past year.
Changes and happenings this past year were:
- The Woman’s Club By-Laws were revised to give the 2nd Vice Presidents the right to vote; to add Inc. to the Woman’s Club name in accordance with the State of Colorado requirements; and the ability to have “Action by Consent” where any action required may be taken without a meeting, if a consent in writing or by email is signed by a majority vote of the persons entitled to vote.
- Establishing a Fund Development and Evaluation Committee where all requests for donations would be reviewed and/or screened by the Committee. The Committee would then make a recommendation to the Board and/or Membership. The Committee would also study possible fund raising projects.
- After a plea to fill the Historian and Archive Position this past year, no one accepted the job. Shirley Neely-Turpin and I felt perhaps it was time for a change. Scrapbooks to show the activities of that particular club year are cumbersome and do not get the attention they deserve for all the time and effort put into creating them. Coming into the computer age with having a Facebook page and current website are more appropriate and accessible. However, Shirley and I are going to try to create a mini-scrapbook in the new yearbook. We both belong to clubs that do this now and it is very successful. We’ll see how it goes…
- The reservation format by Pat Pickering was a huge success and over-haul to the old telephone call notification. Thank you taking us into the 21st century!
Donations were made to the following organizations:
- Estes Park High School for the purchase of one bicycle kit for construction to be donated to an Elementary School child.
- The Estes Valley Community Garden for the purchase of materials and construction of three raised garden beds for handicapped gardeners.
- The Literacy Fund for the Estes Valley Elementary and Middle School to pay for the guest author program.
- The Estes Valley Library to fund the materials and construction of a new fireplace for the second floor remodeling project.
- Helping the Elizabeth Guild with the Holiday House at the Rocky Mountain Inn by having our “traditional” bake sale – making money for us and for Elizabeth Guild.
Our year was not just all work and no play. We enjoyed helping Rocky Mountain National Park celebrate its 100th Birthday in September by hosting and serving the guests to the celebration.
We had fun playing BINGO at the American Legion in March with lots of prizes and money!
And last but not least, we had superb programs with wonderful guest speakers as well as a wonderful Christmas Luncheon at the Stanley Hotel with the Mountainaires
entertaining the club.
It was probably a “quiet’ year but we still achieved a lot!
BINGO (and other updates)
March 4, the Club had our second annual Bingo fundraiser at the American Legion Hall. Approximately $1,800.00 was raised for the Club. A chili supper started the event. Almost 100 people enjoyed the silent auction, drawing, and bingo. 60 prizes were awarded.
On February 5, several members hosted the Community Cafe at the Shepherd of the Mountains Church. The Community Church is a local event offering free dining on Friday evenings. The members greeted, helped prep, plated, served and helped clean up. This was a fun way to serve our local community in a social atmosphere.
In January, 2016 the Club sold the last of the pecans with sales of approximately $2,379.00.
As of March 2016, the Club made $370.00 in Rocky Cards sales.
It is with great pride to report the annual Bright Christmas project collected $1,171.00 to purchase Christmas Gifts for a local needy family.
November, 2015 – The Holiday House bake sale made $1,199.00 ($599.00 was donated to the Elizabeth Guild).
2016 PRESIDENT’S DAY LUNCHEON
This is a picture taken at our February luncheon. It is an annual event to honor past presidents at the February luncheon, but this is the first year that we were models in a fashion show, wearing clothes found at Lizzie’s Boutique, our local up scale thrift shop.
THE ESTES PARK WOMAN’S CLUB RE-ENACTS HISTORIC EVENT
On Friday, September 4, 2015 members of The Estes Park Woman’s Club served as hostesses for the Centennial Celebration of the dedication of Rocky Mountain National Park. Dressed in vintage clothing of circa 1915, they greeted arriving guests and served cookies, birthday cake and lemonade to the large crowd that had gathered at Glacier Basin Campground. The women were playing the same role that Woman’s Club members played when the Park was dedicated in 1915.
The Estes Park Woman’s Club, founded in 1912, had worked diligently for the establishment of a national park in these beautiful mountains. They had raised money for roads and trails and supported Enos Mills’ efforts to make the park a reality. They raised the money and built Deer Mountain trail, the first hiking trail in the new park. Mary Belle King Sherman, a charter member of the Estes Park Woman’s Club, gave one of the two keynote addresses at the dedication. She became known as the” National Park Lady, because of her dedication to the preservation of scenic beauty.” At the dedication the women served coffee to the adults and ice cream cones to the children.
Today the Estes Park Woman’s Club is proud to continue the work of these resourceful women.
Mary Belle King Sherman, Estes Park Woman’s Club member and National Park activist is pictured with, from left,
Robert Sterling Yard, Enos mills, F.O. Stanley, U.S. Congressman Edward T. Taylor, and Colorado Governor, George D. Carlson.
