(Photo courtesy of the Women’s Club of Farmingdale)
As an integral part of the local community, the Women’s Club of Farmingdale (WCoF) has continued to cleave to its mantra of “Philanthropic Endeavors, Education and Community Improvement” in the face of the current pandemic. While club meetings in April and May were canceled to comply with social distancing mandates and sheltering at home requirements, the WCoF still arranged to donate a check for $2,750 to St. Joseph’s Hospital for PPE materials and/or any other equipment needed by healthcare workers to combat COVID-19.
At 50 members strong with around 40 being active participants, the WCoF hasn’t missed a beat, even electing a new slate of officers for the 2020-22 club years. Navigating the restrictions posed by the coronavirus has been quite a challenge according to publicity chair Maria Ortolani.
“The [WCoF] does a lot of wonderful work, but it’s also a social club, so not seeing each other has been the hardest part of it all,” she said. “Really for all of us, we enjoy getting together. Besides all the wonderful things we do, we have crafts, go into the city to see plays and do a lot of extracurricular things like our book club and craft club. And while we miss the camaraderie of seeing each other monthly, we actually were getting together more than that because we have so many different committees that meet during that same time.”
With the majority of members being retired seniors, phone trees are the method of communication versus using Zoom or emailing. The WCoF’s most recent gathering was an informal outdoor gathering at Allen Park in Farmingdale, where members wore masks and observed social distancing. The club approved its philanthropic budget, which runs between $5,000 to $6,000.
It was a timely vote given how the club gives out annual scholarships to Farmingdale High School seniors every June. Among the awards handed out are the Abigail E. Leonard Memorial Award (named for the organization’s founder) and the Women’s Club of Farmingdale Award, both worth $1,000. There are also several other $300 honorariums handed out.
Other charitable donations were earmarked for St. Kilian’s Outreach, United Methodist Church Soup Kitchen, St. Thomas Episcopal Church Soup Kitchen and Farmingdale Adult Day Care. One notable charitable project is Speak Up for the Poor, which sponsors girls in poverty in Bangladesh to stay in school and away from sex traffickers.
The $1,372 donation will make it possible to add a Learning Center wing and supply two bicycles for the girls to use as transportation. A member since 2006 and president from 2012-14, Ortolani doesn’t anticipate the pace slowing down for the WCoF going into the summer despite the fact that the club usually takes those warmer months off.
“Technically we have the summer off, but honestly, we’re still involved in doing things,” she said. “We have about 15 different committees and have members sign up to be chairs or be part of them. In August, we do what we call a Backpack Program where members buy a backpack and fill it with school supplies for Farmingdale students. So we still manage to do quite a few things.”
