By Bonnie Adams, Managing Editor
Photo/submitted
Westborough – Each month, with the exception of the summer months, the nearly 100 members of the Westborough Women’s Club meet for fellowship, to hear from an inspirational guest speaker and to share news of what they have done over the past month. Although that news may be personal such as a milestone birthday or new grandchild, quite often it is an update about a major community service project they have been working on.
Normally the ladies meet at the Knights of Columbus Hall alternating each month between a lunch meeting and then a dinner. But with the pandemic halting all gatherings, the club instead kicked off this year’s season on Sept. 8 with a Zoom meeting. Approximately half of the members signed on that night, quickly adapting to the quite different format. And although it was not their normal type of meeting, one thing was for certain – these ladies are not letting the pandemic slow them down when it comes to serving in their community.
As the meeting started, the club’s President Reene Hatherley welcomed the women with a quote from Byron Pulsifer.
“No ship ventures out of port if there is an expectation of the potential of sailing into harm’s way,” she read. “As such, you shouldn’t venture down a new path until you have a series of supportive people alongside of you. These supportive people will provide on-going motivation when you hit those hurdles.”
“That just seems more relevant than ever now,” she added.
Over the summer months, several of the women volunteered at the Community Harvest Project in N. Grafton where they helped to harvest over 300 lbs. of vegetables for those in need. Other members participated in projects with the local nonprofit Westborough Connects, while others are currently setting up fundraisers to benefit the Westborough Food Pantry, collect clothing items for In Your Shoes, and establishing a pen pal project for senior citizens.
In May the club presented three high school seniors with scholarships of $1,500 each and over the summer sponsored the 10U Girls Softball Team Little League champions.
The meeting’s guest speaker was Kimberley Bell, a Westborough resident who is a life coach and motivational speaker who offered tips on dealing with stress during the pandemic.
The club also inducted its new officers and directors for 2020-2021. They include President – Reene Hatherley, Vice President – Terry Gavin, Recording Secretary – Terry Petrucelli, Corresponding Secretary – Liz Murray, Treasurer – Diana Michel, Assistant Treasurer – Betsy Krentzman, Directors – Karen Lindsay, Mary Wood, and Marianne O’Connor.
For more information visit westboroughwomensclub.org.
