Our 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. We hold luncheons most first Wednesdays of the month from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm, a New Member Reception in September, a apecial Holiday Luncheon in December, and our spring fundraiser in April. We meet at various restaurants in the Carmel Valley area. We also hold other monthly events at varous times. Membership is open to all and not restricted to Carmel Valley residents.
View our privacy policy HERE

Become a member. Join the CVWC!

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

The club had a very busy month, and there’s much more to come!

Our focus on Health and Friendship will wrap up on 2/24 with a Zoom presentation by Dr. Peter Hueblein, who will speak on Healthy Living for Our Brains and Bodies.

Cynthia and Emily Alexis hosted a fabulous Valentine’s party at their home in Carmel Valley. The food, decor and camaraderie were wonderful. A huge ‘thank you’ ladies!

Continued...

Save the date - April 6 - 2nd Annual Hoedown

Join us for our 2nd ANNUAL HOEDOWN
benefiting the CVWC Foundation
(Scholarship Grants,
Grants to local nonprofits and
Grants for CV Emergencies)

April 6,
5:30 - 8:00
Hidden Valley Music Seminars

Tickets and more info HERE

3/5 - March Lunchen - Bruce Forman at Hacienda Carmel

Join us for a wonderful session with
Jazz guitarist extraordinaire
Bruce Forman
Wednesday, March 5
11:30 - 1:30
Hacienda Carmel
1000 Hacienda Carmel
Casa Fiesta Room
Carmel CA

We encourage you to bring guests
to this fun event

Reservations may be made online HERE

or can be made by contacting Cynthia Rivera at 831-624-3757 or EMAIL.

Reservations must be made by WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 26...and remember, a reservation made is a reservation paid.

Valentines Celebration - a Heart-felt Club Party

It was a spectacular Valentines Day Party hosted on February 12 by Cynthia and Emily Alexis at their beautiful home in Carmel Valley. They had decorated inside and outside with flowers, balloons, ornaments and handicrafts. Their table was already overflowing with baked goodies before members started showing up with appetizers and desserts to add to the bounty. A lovely bar was set with local rosé, champagne, sauvignon blanc, sparkling cider and sparkling waters. Our members relaxed, chatted, imbibed and nibbled away while the rain held off. It was such a special evening and we thank the Alexises so much for hosting. We also thank Conne Sutherland for helping to organize such a crowd-pleaser. Hearts off to everyone!

Understanding Alzheimer's and 10 Warning Signs - 1/27 and 2/10 Events

Our first two sessions on Alzheimers dementia have been very informative. Barbara Rhoades, an RN with the Alzheimer's Association, spoke with us over Zoom on January 27. She gave us a general overview of the disease, and we learned that it is also referred to as Diabetes Type 3, as aside from age, diabetes is the single biggest risk factor for Alzheimers. We also learned that with our country's demographics we can expect a big surge in those experiencing the disease. The Alzheimers Association has a wealth of resources for families dealing with this devastating disease.

On February 10, Dr. Peter Heublein met with us in person to discuss the 10 Warning Signs of Alzheimers. He was careful to distinguish ordinary signs of aging from the persistent and frequent symptoms of Alzheimers. These signs can include memory loss (inability to find words), loss of executive functioning (inability to solve a problem like finding your keys when you lose them), loss of financial or numeracy ability, loss of spatial awareness, and inability to follow a sequence of steps. Interestingly, Dr. Heublein said that it only takes exhibiting 2 of these symptoms to determine a high probability of onset of Alzheimers.

The good news is that while there is no cure for Alzheimers disease, there are many life style changes that people can take to delay its onset by years. And that will be the topic of our next zoom session on 2/24.

Jan. 18 - We Joined Joe at the Gym - What fun!

Saturday morning, January 18, members Brenda Davis, June Dawson, Pat. Gray, Linda Smutz, Jan Praisner, Conne Sutherland, Jean Hurd, Judy Tschirgi, and Judy's husband Steve bravely stepped onto the giant mat at Ragnarak Athletics. Joe immediately made us comfortable with his affable manner and assurances that all movements can be done at an appropriate level by someone of any ability. And then we were off: warming up, learning the "Turkish Get-up" to get up off the ground, squatting to get our quads engaged and even learning to sit and walk better. The hour flew by and we hardly had time to practice all our new found skills. We'll see how our muscles feel tomorrow....

December Holiday Luncheon - A Joyful Occasion

Our annual Holiday Luncheon, this year once again at Woody's at Del Mesa, was a feast for the senses. Fifty-nine members and guests attended, and dined on vegetable hors d'oeurvres, squash soup, salad with fish or chicken and a baked apple dessert. Lovely holiday music accompanied the meal. As usual Woody's was decorated beautifully. We had three select (and very popular) vendors for a little light shopping: Quail & Olive, Old World Linens and JSM Organics (the lovely wreaths).

Our lucky raffle winners were Jane Consani, Mary George and Diana Morrow.

Many thanks to Conne Sutherland for arranging such a fabulous event, Deb Langley for our raffle gifts, and Cynthia Rivera and Sally King for registration.

November 6 - A "Genius" Lunch

A spectacular outdoor setting and a spectacular fall day awaited the 45 members and guests at Earthbound Farmstand Pavilion for our November luncheon. We had a lovely buffet luncheon set amidst pumpkins, flowers and greenery. Patricia Qualls, local artist, gallery owner, former psychologist and wall street financier and even a farm-hand, was our guest speaker. Patricia spoke on "Honoring our Genius" whatever that might be, and wherever one might find a creative outlet. She urged us all to be curious and open to new experiences, and even to look to our past to find activities we may have "given up" (piano in your youth???) to find a creative outlet that allows our genius to flow. She related this to her own creative journey and how she came to artistic expression relatively late in life after a very analytic approach. She noted it's never too late to start, and gently pushed us all to start our own exploration.

Thanks to Deb Langley for the two lovely baskets. We raised $195 for the Foundation with ticket purchases. Thank you members!!!

Aging Well - Part 2 - November 18 12:00 noon Zoom Call

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Our second zoom presentation in our Aging Well series will be with Christine Dawson, Senior Vice President of Philanthropic Giving at the Community Foundation for Monterey County. CFMC is well known for supporting nonprofits like us, but they also provide customized support to individuals, families and businesses in bequest, legacy and estate planning. Christine will cover their unique approach through personalized plans for giving with a focus on creating the greatest good for Monterey County.

To join the zoom call or find out how to participate in person, please contact Judy Tschirgi by EMAIL

Two Fun and Informative October Events

First "Aging Well" Zoom Presentation - 10/17
Alliance on Aging with John McPherson

Pumpkin Decor Event - 10/19

Our first of four sessions on Aging Well was a fun and informative event. We had 15 paricipants, mostly on Zoom and all went smoothly. John McPherson was an excellent speaker and the Alliance is a very impressive organization. They offer a myriad of free services for seniors in Monterey County. We encourage you to visit their site and learn how they might be able to help you, your loved ones or senior friends with taxes, Medicare choices, legal services and so much more. They also partner with numerous organizations who can help with transportation services and other important senior services.

Stay tuned for details about our next session!

What do 6 people and 12 pumpkins add up to on a gorgeous autumn morning? A fun-filled Pumpkin Decor "Instructional Event", of course. It was held at Conne Sutherland’s house on her beautiful patio. Six of us enjoyed coffee and pumpkin bread, (of course), while we created some beautiful, fall floral arrangements. A delightful morning for all involved.

October 2 Luncheon was a Musical Delight

Our first luncheon of the year was a delightful, and well-attended, affair. Nicola Reilly, President and CEO of the Monterey Symphony not only regaled us with stories of her fascinating life, but played several pieces on the violin with her long time piano accompanist. Nicola started life in a musical family and while thinking she wanted to play bass violin, realized at age 6 that violin was perhaps more appropriate for her petite size. With a vision of conquering the world in short order she became an accomplished musician, helped reorganize some government services, worked at a start-up, worked at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, founded two women's musical groups and then began the long arduous climb up the ladder of Arts Administration through numerous musical organizations including the Seattle Chamber Music Society and the Carmel Bach Festival, ultimately landing at the Monterey Symphony where she's been since 2016. They are lucky, indeed to have found this energetic, creative, resourceful leader who emphasizes partnership with other arts leaders in the region. Be sure to check out the schedule of events at MontereySymphony.org

Thanks to Helayne Williams for arranging for Nicola to speak and perform.

And Many Thanks to Conne Sutherland for obtaining the Hacienda Carmel venue with piano and for arranging for the lovely buffet luncheon.

Sept. 11 - Aloha Meet 'n Greet - some serious mana

The "Aloha" spirit was flowing at Conne
Sutherland's amidst the lei's and colorful
outfits as our members enjoyed pupus,
wine, and each other.

A little over 30 members gathered to
kick off our 76th year as a club and
start a fun-filled year of luncheons,
educational events, social gatherings,
and our second annual Hoedown
in April. We look forward to seeing
you all over the next 9 months.

Carmel Valley Fiesta 2024

The CVWClub and Foundation were well represented at the Kiwanis 2024 Carmel Valley Fiesta in the Community Park. We got our name out to the community, recruited some new members, and even sold one of our cool aprons we were wearing!!! (They were from the BBQ Cook-off from several years ago).

Deb Langley's Silent Auction she ran to benefit our organization was a big success. And Deb donated 2/3 of her proceeds which amounted to $2000 to the Foundation. So AWESOME!!! Thank you Deb.

Wednesday, June 5 Luncheon -We celebrated our
Scholars and Non-Profit Grantees

Our June luncheon is always a delight. Held in the lovely garden of Los Laureles Lodge, with delicious food and umbrellas to (barely) protect us from an unusually hot day, we celebrated the scholars and nonprofits who were recipients of our 2024 grants. The Foundation was able to grant $16,000 in tuition scholarships to 7 Carmel Valley area scholars and $9,500 in unrestricted grants to local nonprofits that serve Carmel Valley residents. We are thrilled to be able to provide this much support and thank all of our members and the community at large who supported our fund-raising efforts.

The Community Allocations Committee (June Dawson, Chair, plus members Linda Davey, Marilyn Kajs-Wyllie and Judi Zaches) selected the following nonprofits to receive grants: Rotacare Monterey Clinic ($2,000), Alliance on Aging ($1,500), CASA Monterey ($1,500), Friends of Cachagua Children's Center ($1,500), CV Community Youth Center ($1,500) and the CV Historical Society ($1,500).

The Scholarship Committee (Nancy Endriz, Chair, plus members Megan Mayer, Susan McFarland and Judy Tschirgi) selected 7 recipients for tuition scholarships: Adrienne Ranansky (Cal Poly - SLO), Azucena Martinez (Caly Poly - SLO), Maggie Short (Verto Education through University of New Haven), Lilyana Marciano (OSU), Lesslie de la Rosa (applying to graduate programs), and two awardees from last year who completed their first year at UCSB, Sophia Bone and Cassidy Bullas.

In addition to the celebration, our membership voted in new Club Officers for the 2024-2025 fiscal year and thanked outgoing President, Renée Wagner for her service. Incoming Officers are: Brenda Davis, President; Helayne Williams, 1st VP Programs; Conne Sutherland, 2nd VP Venues; Deb Langley, 3rd VP Membership; Melissa Sterling, Secretary; and Sherie Dodsworth, Treasurer. Peggy Dickson, Chair of the Nominating Committee presented the slate, Marti Myszak made the motion to approve, Gale Paul seconded the motion, and the motion was carried.

New Member "Meet 'n Greet" - A Lovely Time

On May 23 the club hosted a 'Meet and Greet' for current and new members. The event was held at the home of Cynthia Hall, who very graciously welcomed 27 women to her spectacular hilltop residence. Thanks Cynthia!

Gale Paul brought Linda Coyne, who joined right away. Jani Quirinale brought Corrina Barrus, and Corrina Barrus brought Stacy Sonik, who had both joined the previous week. Hooray for new members, all.

The new members from this past year had a chance to introduce themselves, and we all enjoyed getting to know one another. Sweet and savory treats from Jerome's, donated wine from Bernardus and Hahn along with lemonade from Cynthia were appreciated by all.

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.