It was 1949, post-World War II, and a very rural Carmel Valley was a pretty sleepy locale for young families who were just settling down. A small group of women decided to start meeting at each other’s homes to socialize and see how they could support their community. They decided to form a Club, with Mrs. C. E. Borchers as their first President. Other members included later presidents Mrs. R. B. Stoney and Ceil Varga; Ceil and her husband Tom later took on the planning and construction of the Community Center. From the start these women had multiple aims of creating a fun social life, providing educational forums and raising funds to help individuals (via college scholarships) and organizations that benefited the community.
The Club formally incorporated in May, 1964, as a nonprofit corporation under the laws of the State of California. This formalized their stated goals and transitioned the group to a more structured format. Activities evolved to include a monthly luncheon at a local restaurant with a guest speaker focused on topics of interest to Valley residents. By 1980 the group had published a popular cookbook, “The Valley Cooks” (see photo), with recipes contributed by members and highly representative of the times (lots of recipes with cream of celery soup!)
There was an active book club, a group that went to the movies, and a monthly newsletter from the President. As one of the longest term members of the club, Harriet Busick says, what she liked best about the club was “meeting new people and being involved with all the activities.” Everything was coordinated by phone-trees and copied print-outs mailed through the Post Office. It’s remarkable to think how much more effort it took to keep all those activities going than with today’s texting and email.
Philanthropic activities grew from local personalized fund-raising to become larger community events. The Club became known for holding an annual Fashion Show featuring local celebrity models showing off wardrobes from local retailers. In 1999, for the Club’s Fiftieth Anniversary, the Fashion Show Luncheon was held at Holman Ranch, donated for the day by owner and member Dorothy McEwen. Models included Judi Pennycook, County Supervisor, and Sissi Maleki, columnist for The Carmel Pinecone. Retailers included Gerry’s Boutique in Carmel and Bruhn’s new Monterey Store. In keeping with its long tradition, funds raised were used for college scholarships for Carmel Valley women and grants to local organizations serving residents such as the Library and the Boys and Girls Club. Fashion show fundraisers were held annually through 2019 stopping only with the advent of the pandemic.
By 2013, to keep up with tax laws, the Club re-incorporated under Federal tax laws into two separate entities: The Carmel Valley Women’s Club, a 501(c)(7) tax exempt social club and the Carmel Valley Women’s Club Foundation, a 501(c)(3) tax exempt public charity. This further formalization allowed for the Club to continue its social functions and the Foundation to pursue the charitable goals of the Club. In 2017, the Foundation partnered with the Community Foundation of Monterey County to use their infrastructure and scholarship fund options to create an efficient single online system for application and administration of our Scholarship program. This would ensure compliance, improve the ability to determine financial need, and allow the Foundation to focus on selecting the best candidates to meet scholarship criteria.
Similar to many nonprofits the main challenge facing the group is attracting new members. In an era of more women working outside the home, and with many competing activities and distractions, recruiting new members is a never-ending focus. The COVID-19 pandemic, also, was a challenge, as it shut down all social activities, disrupted the rhythm of board meetings, and forever changed the ease with which some members want to congregate in group settings. The Club has responded by offering smaller venue events, more in the evenings not just luncheons, and working hard to host guests (i.e., potential members) at events.
Despite its challenges, today’s Club and Foundation are still thriving as important Carmel Valley institutions. “With monthly luncheon and speaker series, other monthly social events, and our annual fundraiser, there is never a dearth of things to do and friends to meet,” says Renée Wagner, past Club and Foundation President. An annual fundraiser returns the group to its rural roots with a Hoedown held in April at Hidden Valley Music Seminars. A grand celebration of barbeque, live music, dancing, a silent auction and tons of fun ensues. Of course, that is what we are known for: combining great socializing with philanthropy, all focused on our wonderful Valley community.
As Harriet reminds us, “Empower a woman, empower a community, together we rise by lifting others”.
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