Dr. Judith Hamer, a Westporter for 37 years, was the guest speaker for the club’s February luncheon.  Judith, an educator with degrees from Cornell, Smith and Columbia, has taught at City College of New York, Columbia University, and New York University.  As part of her Club Day presentation, Judith shared a talk on “Two-Ness”, her perspective on society’s judgements based on skin color, gender, etc.  Pictures of Judith’s ancestors, some now featured at the Smithsonian Institution, provided a personal face to their past struggles: as freed slaves in Virginia, her grandparent’s challenge of owning Brooklyn property, her parents’ determined efforts to receive advanced educations, and prejudice encountered finding jobs and housing from her own firsthand experience.  Strong family values, dating from slavery to the present day, have sustained these generations of Judith’s family.

Members arriving for December Club Day were treated to a festive clubhouse, decorated for the holiday season, thanks to many dedicated members of the WWC Garden Department (chaired by Garden Chair Vivian Rosenberg).  From the handmade wreath gracing the WWC foyer door, decorated trees from the Dining Room to the Bedford Hall Stage, handmade centerpieces of seasonal greenery from our clubhouse gardens, to a boutique for member holiday shopping, Garden Department members provided all attending with a beautiful holiday setting. Continue Reading

Arantxa Mateo, a weight management mentor, was the guest speaker at November Club Day.  Ms. Arantxa’s personal struggles with weight in her teen years, propelled her to study biology and nutrition as an educational path.  Arantxa has developed the 32 Mondays Weight Management Program (32mondays.com), which is not a diet but rather an educational program to teach people how to manage their weight for the rest of their lives.  Her club day program featured 25 Tips, Recommendations and Best-Kept-Secrets to avoid gaining weight over the Holiday Season, as well as her three “S” for weight management success.

October Club Day’s program featured Deby Goldenberg, a certified yoga therapist and a Tai Chi/Qi Gong instructor, who has also achieved a 3^rd degree black belt.  Deby began her post-luncheon program by demonstrating the saber form, followed by introducing WWC members to Qi Gong in a guided meditation, including both standing and seated positions within Bedford Hall.   Qi (“subtle breath” or “vital energy“) and Gong (“skill cultivated through steady practice“) is a mind-body-spirit practice that improves one’s mental and physical health by integrating posture, movement, breathing technique, self-massage, sound, and focused intent. Continue Reading

The Guest Speaker at the September Club Day was CT State Senator, Will Haskell.  This non-partisan talk featured Senator Haskell’s life, growing up in Westport, and how he came to be the youngest Connecticut State Senator in the history of the CT General Assembly.   Senator Haskell represents the 26th District, which includes the towns of Bethel, New Canaan, Redding, Ridgefield, Weston, Westport and Wilton. Continue Reading

Bedford Hall was fittingly decorated in a red/white/blue patriotic theme for the club’s June luncheon, as the membership prepares for their largest WWC fundraiser of the year ~ the YANKEE DOODLE FAIR (June 13 – 16).  

Following lunch, our featured speaker was our own WWC Board member, Donna Pellittieri, who was trained as a Fashion Designer at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology.  Donna initially worked in the fashion industry, but decided to return to school to become an O.R. nurse to support  her “art habit”.  Donna described seeing an ad in the back of a woman’s magazine, ordering a kit, making dolls with her artistic flair, entering her creations in competitions, and ultimately finding her passion in “Art Dolls”.  Donna has now been making dolls for over 30 years. Continue Reading