Community-minded individuals can join the Monroe Mother’s Club by attending the March 9 meeting held in Monroe Community Center at 7:15 p.m.
By: Stephanie Brown
The Mother’s Club of Monroe Township is looking to expand its membership of community-minded volunteers.
Any resident of Monroe and surrounding towns, male or female, over the age of 19 interested in joining the nonprofit, civic organization can attend a meeting on at 7:15 p.m. Thursday, March 9. Membership is not limited to Monroe residents. Even if people are merely curious about the club, members suggest stopping by the Monroe Community Center to learn more.
"A lot of people have no idea what we do or have the wrong ideas about what we do and who the members are," said Bernadette Yannacci, one of the club’s 25 members. "You hear the club’s name and think it’s just a bunch of mothers getting together to socialize."
In 1952, when the club was founded, the members were all mothers who felt a need to coordinate activities for their children and also to help burgeoning town organizations, said Marguerite Dafoe, who has been an active member for the past 14 years.
Today members come from a variety of backgrounds but said they still share one common goal: to help members of the community on a need-to-need basis.
Generally the club makes monetary donations to families who are experiencing financial straits, Ms. Yannacci said. For example, she said the club assists families who recently had a member die or is ill or whose home was ruined in a fire.
"The amount of money is determined case-by-case," Ms. Yannacci said. "Sometimes we get word of a family who is in really bad shape and we’ll allot more money to donate for that particular family."
The Mother’s Club has also donated clothing for disabled veterans through the Monroe VFW and helped pay for Thanksgiving food baskets arranged by the Department of Recreation.
"We have the best interest of Monroe Township in mind, and its children and the surrounding area," said Ms. Dafoe. "We’re an organization that works very hard to raise money and give it back to the community where needed."
Club members typically hear about a family or group in need through friends or other members of the community.
"Most people don’t come looking for us," said Ms. Yannacci.
Most often, the Mother’s Club works in conjunction with township organizations, such as the Department of Recreation and the Office on Aging. Last year, the club gave special attention to the needs of the Food Pantry, donating about $150 worth of various paper products each month.
"Most of the time when people give to the food pantry, they don’t think of those types of things, like toilet paper and paper towels," said Ms. Yannacci. "That was something we were proud to do and most people don’t realize is needed."
The club also co-sponsors community activities, like the Halloween Parade and Spring Easter Egg Hunt, with the Department of Recreation.
"They (the Department of Recreation) help with setup, cleanup, manpower and some supplies," said Ms. Yannacci. "They also are very helpful in allowing the use of their facilities."
The club also awards scholarships to two high school students each year.
"We look for things to do for all people," said Ms. Dafoe. "We don’t distinguish between old and young. We give to the elderly as well as children and others.
Fundraisers finance the donations and the club spends all of the money it raises, she added.
During the March 9 meeting members are hoping to enlist new recruits to help with its main fundraiser, the Country Fair, held in September. The event features a 50/50 raffle, in which half of the proceeds go to the winner of the raffle and the other half goes to the club to be spent on the community, contributions made by local vendors, and an entertainment book.
"The membership requirements are to attend two-thirds of our meetings and to volunteer at events whenever possible, but especially the Country Fair," said Ms. Yannacci, noting the large event takes a lot of hard work to pull off.
In addition to the civic services the club offers, members say it’s a good way to meet new people and learn about Monroe.
"When new people move into the township, they contact us because they want to make new friends," said Ms. Dafoe, who explained that the club has always been a means for the community to come together. "Their idea, I believe, was to start different activities for children because there were none really in the township, and it was also for the mothers themselves. The township is 44 square miles from one end to the other, and you hardly knew each other.
Ultimately, members find their participation in the club to be personally rewarding, and said others who join will discover the same.
"To me its very important personally," said Ms. Dafoe. "I guess I consider myself a giver and if there’s a way of helping the community I’m all for it."