CRANBURY: Town honors women’s club

By Kaitlyn Kanzler, Special Writer
   CRANBURY — The Women’s Club of Cranbury was honored by the township council at the Oct. 22 meeting.
   The club, which was founded in 1898, is celebrating its 90-year anniversary as a member of the New Jersey State Federation of Women’s Clubs. According to the Women’s Club’s website, the club was federated in 1922.
   ”I want to say congratulations for not only your longevity, but also for such a wonderful and robust history you’ve had here in Cranbury,” Mayor David Cook said before reading a proclamation celebrating the anniversary.
   According to the proclamation read by Mayor Cook, the Women’s Club has served the community for more than 100 years by being involved with local, state, and national programs.
   ”Your organization represents a much bigger picture and I just want to let you know that all of us on the Township Committee are aware of it,” Mayor Cook said.
   The club meets monthly in the Fellowship Hall of the First Presbyterian Church located on Main Street and has seven specialized departments, which include conservation and garden, home life/social services, international affairs, and public affairs.
   In celebration of their 90th anniversary, the Women’s Club will be hosting an afternoon tea in the Fellowship Hall on Nov. 7 at 2:00 p.m.
   ”The Women’s Club is absolutely wonderful,” President Ruth Jost said. “We love it.”
   Ms. Jost encouraged all of the women in Cranbury to join.
   According to Mayor Cook, several community projects the Women’s Club works on are Candidate’s Night, which took place on Oct. 10, the community tree lighting in Memorial Park, and the community egg hunt in Village Park.
   The Women’s Club also maintains the flower barrels that line Main Street.
   Club member Sue Westerberg, who is a trustee and chair of the conservation and garden department, thinks that the club may ftry to raise money for the downtown beautification for hanging plants.
   The Women’s Club also encourages youth to achieve their educational goals by providing eighth grade graduation awards and scholarships for students entering their first year of college, according to members.
   ”We really do want to make a difference,” Ms. Jost said. “We’ve actually kicked it up a notch this year and we want to make even more of a difference.”
   Some of the current projects the Women’s Club will be sponsoring this holiday season include making blankets for Project Linus, providing food for Skeet’s Pantry, and filling Christmas stockings for troops overseas.
   ”The Township Council hereby congratulates the Women’s Club of Cranbury on its anniversary and thanks the Women’s Club for their very important contributions to Cranbury Township’s residents,” Mayor Cook said.
   The New Jersey State Federation of Women’s Clubs is the largest women’s service organization in the state and is part of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs.
   Its goal is “to enhance the quality of life within (its) respective communities and state by transforming public interests and concerns into meaningful projects and programs; to afford members an opportunity for the development of individual skills, talents and abilities; and to serve as a grass roots volunteer resource in New Jersey communities,” according to the organization’s website.
   For more information about the Women’s Club of Cranbury or for women interested injoining, visit the Women’s Club website at http://womansclubofcranbury.org or email them [email protected].