Woman’s Club Looks Back at 10 Years of Philanthropy and Fashion Shows

The Wilton Woman’s Club is throwing its 10th Annual Fashion Show Fundraiser a week from today, on Thursday, March 30. The beneficiary this of this year’s fashion show and luncheon is a year-long initiative with the Wilton Youth Council to educate youth and adults in Wilton about how to prevent substance abuse. The club hopes to raise significant funding to benefit the effort, just as its event last year raised $35,000 for the 2016 beneficiary, the Wilton Loop of the Norwalk River Valley Trail.

The 10th anniversary allows club members to look back at the achievements of the last decade of the club’s 50-year history, including significant financial contributions as well as awareness-raising and community action.

Lorraine Winsor and Jen Toll, the Wilton Woman’s Club’s current co-presidents say it’s breathtaking to realize just how much the hundreds of women involved over the years have done for the wider Wilton community.

“We are so proud of the support we have been able to provide to so many worthy organizations. Our talented and dedicated members have helped us grow over the past 10 years, and looking forward, we are inspired to continue giving back to our community in meaningful and relevant ways,” they tell GOOD Morning Wilton.

In addition to last year’s $35,000 that was raised for the Wilton Loop of the Norwalk River Valley Trail, the club has donated over $200,000 over the past 10 years to dozens of community non-profit organizations:

• A Better Chance of Wilton
• ABC Female Scholars Program
• Americares Free Clinic of Norwalk
• Christian Community Action
• Circle of Care
• Domestic Violence Crisis Center
• Female Soldiers/ Forgotten Heroes
• George Washington Carver Center
• Hurlbutt Street Schoolhouse
• Inspirica
• Mercy Learning Center
• Mid Fairfield Child Guidance Center
• Norwalk Emergency Shelter
• Person to Person
• Positive Directions
• Sandy Hook School Support Fund
• Trackside Teen Center
• Wilton Commons
• Wilton Community Assistance Fund
• Wilton Interfaith Council
• Wilton Library Association
• Wilton School Financial Aid Committee
• Wilton Senior Center
• Wilton Social Services
• Wilton Volunteer Ambulance Corps
• Woodcock Nature Center
• Wilton Playshop

In addition, there have been several specific projects where the Woman’s Club has dedicated volunteer time and attention on a continual basis over the years. The club has:

• Funded scholarships for female Wilton High School seniors in the areas of community service and art. The WWC scholarship in the arts remembers Julia Robb, the club’s past president, and her love of the arts. The WWC scholarship in community service in named for Betty Sternad, the founder and first president.
• Sponsored an Unused Medicine Drive to collect unused and expired medicine from medicine cabinets in Wilton.
• Ongoing work at Wilton’s Food Pantry at Comstock Community Center, and making runs to the Connecticut Food Bank in Stamford.
• Ongoing, dedicated work at Person to Person’s food pantry and clothing donation center.
• Cooking for seniors at Ogden House, and serving lunch.
• Making meals for Thanksgiving and winter holidays, for Wilton Social Services to distribute to homebound residents.
• Collecting food for Thanksgiving baskets to donate to Wilton Social Services for client families.
• Keeping and maintaining Adopt a Spot in Wilton.
• Started Junior Leadership Program for younger women interested in investing in community service.

Of course, looking at just 10 years of philanthropy to go along with the 10th anniversary of the WWC Fashion Show demarcates just one-fifth of the contributions and community involvement Woman’s Club members have generously given in the club’s history. To learn more about how the WWC was started and found its focus, please enjoy a look at the club’s 50-year history, which we published in March of 2016.

And to help the Wilton Woman’s Club continue to be a vibrant, supportive part of the community for decades to come, consider both joining the club as a member and purchasing a ticket to this year’s Fashion Show and luncheon. Tickets are still available on the Wilton Woman’s Club website. The afternoon will include a silent auction, a prize drawing from JetBlue, a delicious luncheon, and a fun fashion show with spring styles from Lord & Taylor and modeled by WWC members. The event is from 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at Rolling Hills Country Club.