May Luncheon Program - Art Show

How fun to see all the wonderful art and craft displays at our luncheon as well as so many of our members! Thank you An Marshal for putting this all together and also arranging for our presenter Nancy Hamlin- Vogler.

Nancy Hamlin-Vogler is an award winning contemporary mixed media local atist with rich background in world-wide back-packing travel. She completed graduate school with an MA in French literature at the University of Maine and went onto develop an infatuation with silkscreen process and designed a line of colorful greeting cards. Today she approaches her work through observation and intuition and has been featured in juried art shows, regional invitational exhibitions and in both public and private collections throughout the US.

Congratulations to Anne Farnell, the recipient of this year’s MCWA Lifetime Giving Award and Mary Ann Meyer who received MCWA Big Heart Award

Both Ladies have given so much of their time and energy to our non-profits for the past several years and we are happy to show our appreciation to them.

There are some beautiful exhibits for the Annual Art & Craft Show

April Luncheon Program ~ St Augustine High Performers

Our April Luncheon was a success!! It was wonderful to see so many members and we all enjoyed the performances from the talented students from St Augustine High School.

March Luncheon Program

Our March Luncheon program was well attended. It was wonderful to see so many faces! Our President, Christine Matthaei welcomed all our new and old members.

Hilde Berdine shared the great news that we met our goal last month to raise the funds needed to complete the refurbishing of the playground at the Emergency Services and Homeless Coalition. We are thankful for the generosity of our members.

The Giving Circle Focus for March is Food 4 Kids. The cost of providing food for weekends over a twelve week period is roughly $8,000. If you would like to support the children of South Woods Elementary School, you can donate through our website or write a check directly to Food 4 Kids. If you prefer to write a check, please contact Adrienne Lyons, Liaison to Food 4 Kids.

The 21st Annual Marsh Creek Art & Craft Show is on May 5th & 6th at Marsh Creek Country Club. Any Marsh Creek Country Club Member, Marsh Creek Residents, including High School Students, and Marsh Creek Employees are invited to submit 2 entries. Click here to fill out a form online, or you can pick up a paper form at the front desk at the club. Contact An Marshall with any questions or if you would like to be a hostess at the Art Show.

Our Annual Fundraiser is scheduled for May 17th and will take place at Marsh Creek Country Club. A Silent Auction and Wine Pull will be featured at this event. Tickets will be available in April.

Our program was a presentation from RETHREADED.

Rethreaded is a Jacksonville based company whose mission is to reignite dreams and potential for survivors of human trafficking both locally and globally. 

Rethreaded is a conscious gift company that uses business to benefit our community and our world. They do this by providing opportunities for long term employment coupled with life and career development for survivors of human trafficking. This business teaches survivors how to create beautiful jewelry and stunning leather items like purses, wallets, key fobs and journals, in addition to many other beautiful items.

Many ladies went home with beautiful back packs, totes, computer bags, even coffee toffee and gifts for pets.

Learn more at https://www.rethreaded.com/

February Luncheon Program - Pearls

Wednesday, February 17th, 60 MCWA women enjoyed a wonderful lunch of Herbed Grilled Salmon, Wild Mushroom Pilaf, Mixed Vegetables, Lemon Caper Buerre Blanc with Chocolate Mousse Parfait with Chocolate Dipped Strawberry for dessert. After cancelling the January luncheon in light of the increased, Covid outbreaks, we were so grateful to continue with our luncheon program.

The LaMesita room was aglow with pearl creations of all kinds, original designs, exotic pearls from the South Sea, and something for everyone. All in attendance went home with pearl stud earrings a few lucky ladies had the winning tickets for surprise pearl gifts.

Our President, Christine Matthaei, welcomed everyone with her dazzling smile. Maryann Cetti invited all to enjoy the happy and yappy hours with music on the club patio.

Cheri Keirstead was happy to report on behalf of the Community Outreach committee that because of the amazing generosity of our membership and the leverage of The Giving Circle, we have raised closed to $20,000 since August for our selected non-profits, and the funds have been distributed.

Please read the “newsworthy’ blog about the playground project for the Homeless Coalition and Emergency Services. The children have been enjoying the new safe playground equipment. Thank you to Cynthia Coombs who wrote a check at the luncheon for $300 so that the newest additions to the playground could be added to the $450 already donated for the playground project.

December Luncheon Program

A Couple Sings Opera

Georgi and Ashley are a husband and wife singing team. They recently moved to St. Augustine from Western Europe, where they excelled in old-fashioned, warm and uplifting cabaret style entertainment, singing all styles of music.  

Georgi grew up behind the Iron Curtain in the Old Soviet Union, and at the age of 20 he escaped and was able to move New York City, where he studied singing at the Juilliard School of Music. He then returned to Europe and enjoyed a career singing opera as a bass, winning international competitions and singing major roles.

Ashley was born and raised in nearby Savannah, and has earned an advanced music degree from the University of Georgia. She loves to sing and teach, and is very glad to be back in America.

Ashley and Georgi have both traveled and performed extensively around the world. They like to regale their audiences with their unusual experiences, and to also share their deep appreciation for the USA and the American people that their travels have afforded them. 

Angel Tree

In the month of November the Angel Tree project brought in approximately $2300 in gifts for children and families at the Homeless Coalition and almost $2500 for Food 4 Kids. Our Angel Tree was such a success this year because we offered virtual ornaments to our membership through our website. Members who were not comfortable attending events in person were still afforded an opportunity to participate in this holiday project. We also received additional monetary gifts of $5000 for the Homeless Coalition and another $5000 for Food 4 Kids. Even during the pandemic our members have been generous recognizing the needs of others.

November Luncheon Program

We enjoyed being back at the club! Lots of activity taking place - sign up table for social events, printed directories were handed out to those who did not receive them at Sunday’s Welcome Back Cocktail Party, and the Angel Tree had only 7 angels left at the end of the lunch. Camille Kay and Paula Hutson did a fantastic job simplifying the process. Our members were able to select angels from the website so everyone was able to participate not just those who could come out and play. If you did not get your directory yet, it will be arriving on your doorstep next week.

Lunch was delicious!

Buttermilk Fried Chicken Breast with Local Honey Drizzle, Mashed Potatoes, Fall Squash Medley with Pumpkin Cheesecake for Dessert

Our Program Presenter, The Honey Truck Company ‘s founder, Danielle Brooks was fantastic. She had all of us ladies engaged, asking questions and laughing! How great it was to laugh. We also learned so much about BEES and how bees and humans have so much in common!

On the serious side, Hilde Berdine updated us all on Community Outreach happenings. We are so grateful to our generous membership. Since August we have collected over $3000 and have given it to our charities so they can use as needed. We are a community of generous and strong women!

October Luncheon at Embassy Suites

We had our first luncheon at the Embassy Suites on Monday, October 12th. We were all so happy to see familiar faces as well as several new members and guests. Embassy Suites did an amazing job following the CDC guidelines. The food was great, but seeing each other was the best part. St. Augustine Distillery generously donated a basket for us to raffle and Debbie Coates, Past President & Advisor was the lucky winner! Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. 

We will be hosting our welcome back cocktail party on Sunday, Nov. 8th at Marsh Creek Country Club from 4:30pm-6:30pm.  The event will be poolside as well as in the dining room. We are excited to welcome everyone back and hand out the printed membership directories.

The menu included: Medley of Young Seasonal Lettuces,Tomatoes, Cucumbers, and Balsamic Dressing + Cavatappi pasta with Grilled Chicken Breast in a Roasted Garlic Cream Sauce + Bread and Butter + Coffee, Tea and Dessert.

After dessert, Cheri Keirstead, co-chair of the Outreach Committee presented on behalf of the Outreach Committee.

Giving Circle - Thank you

MCWA has always been a social and charitable organization. Last year, the Outreach Committee introduced a new idea of  "The Giving Circle" giving all members an opportunity to connect with our selected charities throughout the year by way of monetary donations, volunteer service, donating tangible items and/or attending charity fundraisers.

Last season and throughout the summer, we have many examples of the Giving Circle in action make a difference in our community.  You can learn more by visiting our website.

This year we've added another opportunity to allow members to be involved even through these difficult times.  We added donation buttons to each of our charity pages.

We want to thank all of our members for their generosity in the first months of this season!

Donations In Previous Months

The 3 charities that we are supporting this year are: The Emergency Services and Homeless Coalition, Food 4 Kids and the Betty Griffin Rape Care Unity.  You can learn more about these wonderful organizations and how they are supporting and helping members of our community.

In August our generous members donated $2, 648. 84 to ESHC Included in this amount are 44 pairs of shoes to Emergency Services Homeless Coalitions.

In September, our charity focus was Food 4 Kids.  We are pleased to announce that once again, our generous members donated $1, 343. 69 that will help feed underprivileged students and their siblings at South Woods Elementary School in Elkton, FL. $25 feeds once child for a month.  $35 includes milk and bread.  Thank you to Barbara Allford, an MCWA member and the Director of Food 4 Kids and to Adrienne Lyons,  our liaison to this wonderful organization.

Focus Charity for October -Betty Griffin Rape Care Unit

This month our charity focus is Betty Griffin Rape Care Unit. Funding from the Marsh Creek Women’s Association will be utilized to assist with Betty Griffin Center’s Rape Care Unit and Sexual Assault Recovery Program. As a dual center, Betty Griffin Center serves both survivors and secondary victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. The Rape Care Unit is a significant component of their emergency services that provides critical, quality and life-saving services.

Donations will be used for critical medical supplies.  If you are interested in donating, you can either write a check directly to Betty Griffin Rape Care Unit. or use our secure website to make a donation using your credit card. 

Angel Tree

We are happy to announce that during this challenging time for all of us, we will be continuing our tradition of the Christmas Angel Tree as our way of spreading holiday cheer to the children and families of our selected charities. 

In November our ladies have always picked a paper angel ornament from the tree with a gift suggestion to purchase.  These gifts are brought to the December luncheon, and members of the Outreach Committee deliver them to our charities.  Of course this year with our Covid concerns and the heightened need of our charities, our approach to the Angel Tree needs to change a bit.  We will still have our tree at the November luncheon, but we will also have a way for MCWA members to select an angel on our website.

Be on the lookout for an email on November 1st with all the details.