ENGLEWOOD, N.J.—On May 22, The Woman’s Club of Englewood (WCE) held an elegant Spring Fashion Show fundraiser to celebrate its 124th Anniversary.
Founded in 1895, the club is dedicated to enriching the community through philanthropy and culture. Each year, the club donates to 35 local charities and awards scholarships to local students for college. In the 2018-2019 academic year, the club gave out 12 named scholarships, including the Woman’s Club of Englewood Centennial Scholarship, whose total value was $31,000.
Several dozen members and guests gathered at the historic club house on Brinkerhoff Road for the event. Dignitaries included Englewood Mayor Michael Wildes and his wife Amy Wildes, former Englewood Councilman Scott Reddin and Judge Sandra Robinson. There were also many board and staff members, including event chair Bea Barbieri, Club Vice President Beverly Rhinehart, Mary Ann Washington-Diaz, Aleta Frezzell, Elizabeth Whitney and Nancy Ferer.
As people arrived, they enjoyed hors d’oeuvres, signed up for prizes in the silent auction and bought tickets for the 50/50 and auction.
Jewelry designer Camille delighted people with her latest collection that was on display. Many people gathered to admire and purchase Camille’s one of a kind pieces, including Michael and Amy Wildes, who bought a birthday present for their 19-year-old daughter, Jaclyn.
When everyone was seated, President Susan Eastham extended a warm welcome.
“The WCE’s Fashion Show Fundraiser will benefit our Capital Campaign to continue to make necessary repairs and updates to our clubhouse,” Eastham said.
She then thanked Barbieri, Rhinehart and Washington-Diaz for all their hard work on making this Fashion Show fun and successful.
After her remarks, a trio of club members—Whitney, Genevieve Stanislaus and Yvonne Crichton—modeled fashions by CABI. Yvonne Pappas-Grey, the CABI stylist, showed versatile and attractive pieces that were for sale.
Throughout the evening, guitarist Joe Sharone entertained with mood music and popular melodies, and at 7:30, there was a buffet dinner, catered by Pomodoro in Fort Lee followed by delicious desserts.
A highlight of the evening was the eloquent speech made by Mayor Wildes.
“The Woman’s Club of Englewood [clubhouse] is a landmark in the city of Englewood, having been the carriage house for the first mayor of the city. It’s important for us to remind ourselves of the grandeur that was once enjoyed and to pay this legacy forward to the next generation. I would love to work with the leadership to procure much needed funds not just to fix the holes in the roof, but to ensure that we use it as a museum and house some of our old uniforms and memorabilia reminding us of our heritage. But I need help and I need funding. I hope that in the coming years, we will put together a group, so the burden is not shouldered individually. I tip my hat to the leadership for making the Woman’s Club relevant in the world of fashion and for their good citizenship.”
