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Our Club

This year is the 75th Anniversary of The Carmel Valley Women's Club. The Club is a social, civic, and educational organization celebrating Friendship, Education, and Community. Through friendship, its members work to support the charitable and education purposes of the Carmel Valley Women's Club Foundation. Our monthly luncheons are the first Wednesday of the month from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm with the exception of our New Member Reception in September, our Holiday Extravaganza in December, and our spring fundraiser in April. We meet at various restaurants in the Carmel Valley area. We also hold other monthly events in the early evenings. Membership is open to all.
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Become a member. Join the CVWC!

Standard memberships are $65 per year. You may join online HERE. If you have questions or would like to pay via check, contact our Membership Director HERE

If you are an existing member looking to renew, you must login to renew. If you need your login and password, contact our Web Mistress at web@cvwomensclub.org

A Message from our President

Dear Fellow Members,

There is no safe way to thank all our members who made our Hoedown such a fun and successful event. Unintentionally, someone would be omitted. Here I want to thank ALL of you who worked tirelessly, and gave so much of yourselves. Many of you also donated many costly things. Everyone gave their hearts to the whole enterprise. I loved every minute of the final production, and I have personally heard only great things about it. Thank you!

Our year is not over, so check our website for the next fun happenings that will occur in May and June. In September we will have our usual reception for possible new members, with all of us there to mingle. Our new officers, who you will be voting for at our June luncheon, will be in place for our September event. We can all enjoy the beginning of their new positions at that time. In October, our monthly luncheons begin again, and continue until the following June. I have enjoyed every minute of my term as President, and I thank you for giving me this opportunity to work with our Club. I am excited by the slate of members who are offering to be officers and directors for next year. In fact, everything about this 75 year old club excites me, especially enjoying it with all of you.

Fondly,

Renée

Wednesday, June 5 Luncheon -
Celebrate our Scholars and Nonprofits

Our Wednesday, June 5 Luncheon is our final event of the year. We will celebrate the 8 outstanding women who have been selected to receive college tuition scholarships from our Foundation. We will also honor 6 regional nonprofits that serve local residents. This is always one of our best luncheons and you won't want to miss it. As always it will be outside in the lovely garden at Los Laureles Lodge.

As in the past, we are asking interested members to volunteer to sponsor lunch for one of the scholars and their accompanying parent/guardian or one of our nonprofit guests. If you are interested in sponsorship, please contact Cynthia Rivera by EMAIL or by calling at 831-624-3757.

Reservations may be made ONLINE or by calling Cynthia Rivera

In addition, at the meeting we will vote on our slate of candidates for Club Officers.

New Member "Meet 'n Greet" - May 23, 4:00 - 6:00 p.m.

Come thank all our newest members who joined the club this year. We'll raise a glass, nibble on a little cheese and enjoy each others company. Everyone is welcome and can drop by anytime during the event.

When: Thursday, May 23
Time: 4:00 - 6:00 p.m.
Where: Cynthia Hall's House
345 El Caminito Road
Carmel Valley, CA

RSVP to Brenda

Cynthia's house has plenty of parking along her big circular driveway. And you don't want to miss her incredible view of Carmel Valley.

75th Anniversary 'Diamond' Hoedown Party - An Amazing Celebration!

What a 75th Anniversary it was!! A Hoedown to beat all Hoedowns. There was music. There was incredibly delicious food. There was a Silent Auction that netted us over $9000. And there was DANCING! (we should have an amazing video soon). With 146 tickets sold (over our goal), we had over 130 attendees all dressed to the nines in cowboy and cowgirl attire - never seen so many hats and boots. Hidden Valley was turned into a Western Wonderland by our awesome Decorations Committee. We had lots of community members join our Club members for a truly wonderful Carmel Valley celebration of fun and philanthropy.

There are lots of people and companies to thank for helping to make this event so successful. Please take a little time to acknowledge all our Volunteers, Sponsors and Donors. Without their support we never could have pulled this off.

Volunteers

Donors

March 6 Luncheon -Who knew we lived in Hollywood's Playground?

Rio Grill provided an outstanding luncheon and venue as we gathered to hear Neal Hotelling, historian extraordinaire, tell us a fascinating account of the Monterey Peninsula's history through the eyes of the Hollywood celebrities who visited (and sometimes stayed).

From the silent film stars of the '20s (think Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, Pola Negri), through the beginning of the talkies (Fred Astaire, Ginger Rodgers, Joan Crawford) on through the heyday in the 40's and 50's (Cary Grant, Doris Day, Mickey Rooney) and onto today (Brad Pitt), the lure of our sun, sand, ranches and hills has made Monterey a movie destination. Movies were filmed here, award ceremonies were held, celebrities events and galas were attended. The Hotel Del Monte was a huge draw in the early days as was Pebble Beach. The photos of all the stars enjoying themselves were delightful to view.

Deb Langley created a gorgeous St. Patrick's Day basket which raised $350 dollars from the raffle for the Foundation. Melissa Gilbert had the luck of the Irish and got to take it home.

February 7 Luncheon - Soggy, but ever so "Film"tastic

Well, the weather may have been for the "ducks", but inside the Garden Room of Quail Lodge (Thanks Gale and Renée) we were cozy and lunched on delicious salad and sandwiches with chef's wonderful cookies for dessert. The real dessert, however, was listening to Paula Joy MacNab's talk on her work with the Monterey County Film Commission. As the liaison organization working with film production companies worldwide, she and MCFC are responsible for attracting film work to our county as well as making their work as easy as possible once they're here. From scouting for cool locations, to finding supporting businesses (think hair salons to coif actors and restaurants to feed film staff), to even helping recruit extras for the sets, she and her small staff are very busy. Follow the MCFC website page to find out just what's going on...and if Big Little Lies really will return to our coastal communities.

Thanks to Deb Langley for the beautiful raffle basket that Gale Paul won. And thanks to all members present who voted for the motion to raise dues to $65. Motion was made by Judy Tschirgi, seconded by Jan Praisner and carried by a count of hands.

Such a fun and informative Fireside Chat in January

Your intrepid editor and photographer was just too engrossed in the Fireside Chat to take photographs!!! We had a nice turnout of members, and also a few residents of White Oaks (and maybe potential new members), for our Fireside Chat with Melissa Sterling. Melissa, a certified Financial Advisor with the Edward Jones branch in Carmel, provided a thought-provoking session on how women in any stage of life need to be thinking and planning for financial independence. While it's not always comfortable to think about planning for either life changes or end-stages of life, we need to be pro-active in taking some money matters into our own hands. Melissa makes the point that a good relationship with a Financial Advisor can assist with more than just the investment side of money. There are many important decisions that a Financial Advisor can assist with, from budgeting to long-term-care planning to ensuring philanthropic desires are met. And Melissa also introduced us to the Sarah Cook of Cafe Carmel, who provided lovely appetizers and desserts. And lots of wine flowed too. So all in all, it was another successful Fireside Chat. Many thanks to Robin Ornellas who helped organize the event and introduced Melissa.

January 10 Luncheon 's topic was timely and important

With a brisk ocean breeze, a fabulous view of the harbor and sail boats, and a nautical theme inside, we commenced the year by dining at the Monterey Peninsula Yacht Club. We give a big thanks to Gale Paul for arranging lunch through her membership there.

Our speaker, Ashley Chesney, gave a heartfelt, and very informative talk on the issues of human sex trafficking in Monterey County. She covered how the nonprofit she founded, Set Free Monterey Bay, helps with both prevention (through education in concert with local school districts), and treatment (through a residential treatment program) of those women seeking to escape their coercive and traumatic situation. In particular, Ashley covered the detailed statistics of how internet ads are placed targeting visitors to Monterey during tourist events such as golf, Laguna Seca, music and other big draws. While trafficking is a problem in many places, it is a particular draw in our County because of the high tourism rate.

We had close to 45 members attend; a wonderful turnout to kick off the year. Deb Langley had created another beautiful raffle basket for us, and our lucky winner was Desiree Gillingham. And we raised $480 for the Foundation - truly a record for a raffle. Looking forward to seeing you in February.

Our December luncheon was a wonderful, festive event at Woody's Del Mesa. The venue was so beautifully decorated by Tim Wood's wife, the staff (shout-out to Henry) were so friendly and helpful in getting us set up just right, and the food was delicious.. Our three vendors, Lulu's Chocolates, Valley Flores flowers, and Quail & Olive set up delightful pop-up stores for us, and Michael, our pianist, provided lovely seasonal music. We give a big thanks to Gale and Renée who arranged the event.

We had over 60 members attend, and over 10 guests included. We also solicited members to sign-up to volunteer for the April 28 Hoedown Fundraiser -- and the response was great. Finally, Deb Langley had created two beautiful raffle baskets for us. Our lucky winners were Rebecca Fuller and Stephanie Byrne. And we raised $330 for the Foundation - maybe a record for a raffle. Happy Holidays to everyone and see you next year.

Nov. 1 Luncheon - Local Government at its finest - it's all in the planning

Thirty three members attended lunch at the lovely Corral De Tierra Country. Club (thanks to Frankie Appling for sponsoring us and arranging the event!) to hear local government maven, Kate Daniels, speak on issues concerning Monterey County. Kate has been active civically since she was 14, following in the footsteps of her civically-engaged parents. She spoke knowledgeably about land use, water planning, transportation, homelessness and the state of housing development. She could impressively cite the long names of seemingly every agency in the County and the number of every legislative bill that's been passed that affects us. Her enthusiasm and optimism for our County, and particularly our District 5, was infectious. We all learned a lot.
Sherie Dodsworth won the raffle and a beautiful basket donated by Star Market (thanks to Renée for getting the donation). Our raffle this month raised $210 for the Foundation. Way to go members!!

October 27 Shopping and Wine Tasting in Carmel Valley - So much Fun

A lovely autumn afternoon spent sipping wine from three Carmel Valley wineries and shopping three Carmel Valley stores - what could be finer? Club members and the public invitees spent two hours on Friday enjoying the fine wines of Pelio Estates, I. Brand & Family, and Corral Wine Company, three of the newer wineries in the area. Each winery was paired with a shop on Center Street to entice shoppers to spend a little extra to benefit the Carmel Valley Women's Club Foundation. Olivia & Daisy Books hosted Pelio amidst their books and charming gifts. Avant Garden and Home hosted I. Brand at their little bar at the front of their store chock full of jewelry, clothing, homegoods and gifts. And Nick Leonoff, glass blower extraordinaire, hosted Corral Wine Co. outside of his studio and show-room full of beautiful glass objets d'art. CVWCF provided cheese and crackers to accompany the wine. Everyone attending thought it was a great event: we recruited some new members, got good exposure for our Club and Foundation, and raised some money too (amount to be reported soon). So a big Cheers! to all who participated.

October 4 Luncheon with Megan Mayer -We are so grateful!

Do you remember to thank your family, friends and colleagues for their kindnesses? Do you get a warm glow when someone thanks you for something? Well, that "Gratitude Bump" that increases your physical and mental well-being was the subject of Megan Mayer's presentation at our October luncheon. Members dined on a buffet of lovely organic food from Earthbound Farms in their beautifully decorated outdoor pavillion while listening to a captivating talk by Megan. We learned about the science behind gratitude, the 4 points of a good "thank-you" (Say "thank-you", use the person's name, say what the thanks are for, and say why it meant something to you), and the importance of training the next generations to systematically be grateful. Needless to say, we were very grateful to Megan for her talk, and to all the members who arranged this lovely event.

And we also thank our members for supporting the Foundation through purchasing raffle tickets. We made $205 through ticket sales this month. Gale Paul and Peggy Dickson walked away with lovely baskets (one donated by Deb Langley and one by Megan Mayer who also deserve big thanks).

September 28 Fireside Chat with Chef Wendy Brodie - What a delight!

11 Members joined host Brenda Davis at the White Oaks Community Center for an intimate gathering with Wendy Brodie as she reminisced about her amazing history a chef in the Carmel Area. We heard about her early time at Gardiner Tennis Club and The Preserve; about the many lessons she learned arranging huge events for Stonepine estates or a local winery; and about her later challenges in her business. The Q&A session ranged widely from thoughts on recent kitchen technology to why you should always eat wasabi with your sushi. And the gold-flecked chocolate fudge bars she brought were not to be missed. We thank Wendy for her generosity in spending time with us - and welcome her as the newest member in our Club.

Sept 2023 New Member Reception -75th Anniversary Kickoff

Our New Member Reception on September 6 at Morgan Winery at the Crossroads was a huge success. The lovely venue, a glorious day, terrific wine and excellent goodies from Reba's made for a special kickoff for our 75th anniversary. Approximately 30 members and 8 guests attended, and we hope to see some guests come back as members soon. Incoming President Renée Wagner welcomed all and highlighted some of the special luncheons and events, including a new "fun"draiser in April, that our members can expect this year. We thank outgoing President Kathy Kaminski for organizing and sponsoring this very special event for us.