Staples HS Senior Scholarship Applications 2023

Please download this PDF and fill it in to be considered for the Westport Woman's Club Scholarship.

The Ruegg Grant Committee of the Westport Woman's Club invites local non-profit organizations to apply by Tuesday, February 28, 2023, for up to $10,000 in one-time funding for a 2023 project. Submitted proposals should be high-profile initiatives that make a meaningful difference in the Westport community.

 2023 Ruegg Grant Application.  This grant, established in 1995 by an endowment left to the club by former member Lea Ruegg, considers an annual grant to a deserving organization’s project that enhances social services, health, safety, the arts or education.  Recent Ruegg Grant beneficiaries include the Westport Astronomical Society, Project Return, Earthplace and Wakeman Town Farm.

 Community groups with impactful and meaningful projects for this year should submit their completed project proposals and relevant financial information by Tuesday, February 28, 2023 to the following address:  Westport Woman’s Club, c/o  Ruegg Grant Committee, 44 Imperial Avenue, Westport, CT 06880.  

Other forms of the Westport Woman’s Club “here and near” philanthropy include local community service grants, need-based college scholarships, Bedford Hall usage grants for nonprofits, and many hours of volunteer service.  Please visit the WWC Community Services Page to learn more.

Click here to download the application form.

Join us Saturday, November 19^th from 5-8 pm for Sip & Savor—wine tasting, hor's d ’oeuvres, and a silent auction—at the Westport Woman's Club. All net proceeds benefit Staples HS scholarships and grants to community organizations. A portion of wine orders will be donated to WWC. Plan ahead, bring your shopping list, and order needed wines for barbecues, hostess gifts, gift giving, and more.

Door prizes are donated by Castle Wine & Spirits and Gaetano’s Catering

WE NEED CLOTHING DONATIONS

Save the Date
Clothing Tag Sale Fundraiser

We are looking for: GENTLY USED (NOT TORN OR SOILED) WOMEN’S, MEN’S & CHILDREN'S CLOTHING & ACCESSORIES (SHOES, HANDBAGS, SCARVES, JEWELRY, ETC.)

** No personal items please (e.g. undergarments, lingerie or bathing suits) **

Please drop off your items at the coat room of the WWC Clubhouse at 44 Imperial Ave, Westport, CT.  Donations are accepted until October 10th.

Monday through Friday, 9am -12pm or 1pm- 4pm

Thank you,
Carol Brezovec, Mary Lee Clayton, Ann Doorly, Susan Loselle, Suzan Murphy, Donna Richardson
Clothing Tag Sale Steering Committee

The Westport Woman's Club is accepting grant proposals for 2022-2023 from Fairfield County non-profit organizations.  Proposals are being accepted until October 30, 2022.

Grant requests for projects that will make a continuing difference in the community may be in the form of funds, or a one-time use of the Westport Woman's Clubhouse for an event. Grants are considered each year to deserving organizations in education, health and safety-related programs and in the arts. This past spring, due to the unexpected arrival of Covid-19, the Westport Woman’s Club awarded community service grants to Fairfield County non-profit organizations that addressed this urgent health challenge within the community.

Community groups should submit their typed proposals by October 30, 2022 to the following address:  Westport Woman's Club, Attention: Community Service Grant, 44 Imperial Avenue, Westport, CT 06880.  Please note the application form should be typed this year. Grant recipients will be notified Spring 2023 by WWC Community Services. 

For additional information, contact the WWC Office at 203-227-4240.

The Westport Woman’s Club, organized in 1907, is a non-profit philanthropic organization dedicated to volunteerism and the raising of funds in support of the educational, charitable, cultural and public health services in Westport and surrounding towns.  You do not have to be a Westport Resident to join The Westport Woman’s Club.  To join, please call the WWC office at 203-227-4240.

Once again on Father’s Day Weekend, “kids of all ages” will gather at the Westport Woman’s Club (44 Imperial Avenue, Westport, CT) to enjoy one of the town’s oldest and best-loved family events, The Westport Woman’s Club’s YANKEE DOODLE FAIR.  This year’s family Fair opens Thursday, June 16 (6pm – 10pm) and continues Friday, June 17 (6pm – 10pm), Saturday, June 18 (1pm – 10pm) and Sunday, June 19 (1pm – 5pm).      (Download Flyer)               

The Yankee Doodle Fair will once again feature carnival rides and games from Stewart Amusements.  Returning are the ever-popular Carousel, Flying Dumbo, Dizzy Dragon, Frog Hopper, Scrambler, Cliff Hanger, Zero Gravity, Expo Wheel, among others.  Pay one price unlimited ride wristbands will be available all days of the Fair, including Friday and Saturday nights!  Our youngest visitors will be excited to know that Sand Art is available at the Fair again this year.  Inside air-conditioned Bedford Hall, our Gourmet Group will hold their highly-anticipated Bake Sale featuring home-made baked goods sure to please every sweet tooth. 

Entertainment this year at the Yankee Doodle Fair includes:   SWEETCAKE MOUNTAIN, an all acoustic country/bluegrass band performing Saturday (4pm - 6pm);  HAWKNS, a Connecticut Classic Rock Pop band performing Friday (7:45pm - 9:45pm) and Saturday (7pm -9pm).  In addition, WESTPORT VOLUNTER EMS will have one of their ambulances at the Fair on Saturday, 3-6pm, to share with fairgoers; this spring the Westport Woman’s Club granted $300,000 to WVEMS to purchase a new ambulance to service the community.  

Throughout the Fair, you will have an opportunity to buy tickets for Yankee Doodle Fair Raffle Prizes.  The Raffle First Prize is $1000, Second Prize is $500, and Third Prize is a rose gold and diamond necklace, donated by RENATO’S and valued at $650.  In addition, our Yankee Doodle Fair’s “Take a Chance” tent is returning this year with a wide variety of prizes, many donated by Westport’s generous merchants and restaurants. “Take a Chance” prizes will be available for viewing throughout the Fair under a tent on the fair’s upper level, where you can buy tickets to win “Take a Chance” prizes.  All winning Raffle and “Take a Chance” tickets will be drawn at the end of the Fair on Sunday, Father’s Day.  It is not necessary for winners to be present to claim their prizes. 

At the Yankee Doodle Food Court, fellow nonprofit WESTPORT EXCHANGE CLUB will feature a selection of hamburgers, hot dogs, etc, as well as wine and beer to customers of legal age.  A new food vendor for Yankee Doodle, GRECIAN DELIGHTS will offer greek favorites, Gyros, Souvlaki and shish kabob.  Skip’s vintage GOOD HUMOR Truck will be back with ice cream treats for every taste, and THE ULTIMATE WAFFLE will be selling their ice cream waffle treats throughout the fair.  In addition, members of the Westport Woman’s Club will be selling cold beverages and bottled water, with proceeds benefitting WWC community service grants and need-based scholarships for Staples High School seniors.

Says WWC Past President and Yankee Doodle Chair, Christina McVaney, “We’re so excited to bring the YANKEE DOODLE FAIR, a fun end-of-school year tradition, to Westport and our neighboring towns again this June.  The last one we had was in September, which was an unusual time of year for us.  We greatly appreciated the community support we received back then and hope that we will see the same support in June.  We try to bring new events and activities; this year we’re excited about our addition of a couple of bands that will be playing on Friday and Saturday evenings.  Net profits from the fair will support many charities in Fairfield County, need-based college scholarships to Staples High School students, and our WWC Food Closet that works in tandem with Westport’s Department of Human Services.  So please save the dates of June 16-19 to bring your friends and family to make great memories at this year’s YANKEE DOODLE FAIR 2022.”

The Westport Woman’s Club is grateful for their generous community sponsors:  Law Offices of Robert E. Grant, Westport National Bank, Bank of America, Paraco Gas, Ellen Hooker, Janette Duchnicki, Toyota of Westport, The Vanderblue Team at the Higgins Group & Aquarion.  No dogs are permitted on the grounds during the Fair.

The Westport Woman’s Club, organized in 1907, is a non-profit philanthropic organization dedicated to volunteerism and the raising of funds in support of the educational, charitable, cultural and public health services in Westport and surrounding towns.  You do not have to be a Westport Resident to join The Westport Woman’s Club.  For more information or to join this historic philanthropic organization, visit www.westportwomansclub.org or call the WWC office at 203-227-4240.

Community Service has been the trademark of the Westport  Woman’s Club since its inception in 1907. Each year club members volunteer many hours to find the right balance between current needs within the local community, available funds, and the WWC mission. This year’s 29 Community Service Grant recipients serve a variety of social needs including homelessness, family crises, and food insecurity.

WWC 2022 Community Service Grants, totaling $39,000, were awarded to the following Fairfield County nonprofit organizations:  Bridgeport Caribe Youth Leaders; Bridgeport Rescue Mission; Burroughs Community Center; Caroline House, Inc;  Center for Family Justice; Child Advocates of SW CT; Circle of Care for Families of Children with Cancer, Inc; Circle of Friends; Clasp Homes, Inc.; Domestic Violence Crisis Center;  ElderHouse, Inc; Family & Children’s Agency, Inc; Food Rescue US; Help for Kids; Homes with Hope, Inc; Human Services Council / Children’s Connection; Malta House, Inc; Person-to-Person, Inc; Positive Directions; REACH Youth Program at Bridgeport Hospital; Regional Hospice of Western CT, Inc; St. Catherine Center for Special Needs; Sweet P Bakery; The Rowan Center; Town of Westport, Department of Human Services – Family Programs; Town of Westport, Department of Human Services – Elderly; Westport Community Theatre; Women’s Mentoring Network, Inc; VFW. 

The Westport Woman’s Club, organized in 1907, is a non-profit philanthropic organization dedicated to volunteerism and the raising funds in support of the educational, charitable, cultural and public health services in Westport and surrounding towns.  You do not have to be a Westport Resident to join The Westport Woman’s Club.  To join, call the WWC office at 203-227-4240.

Please download this PDF and fill it in to be considered for the Westport Womans Club Scholarship.

All are invited to join us for a clothing tag sale on November 5-7.

Enjoy Great Prices on Women’s, Men’s and Children’s Clothes and more!!!

Cash and Checks Only — ACCEPTING DONATIONS NOW

Event times:

Friday November 5^th            10am – 3pm
Saturday, November 6^th        10am – 3pm
Sunday, November 7^th          12pm – 3pm

Sponsored By….

The Westport Woman’s Club
44 Imperial Avenue
Westport

The oldest and the best loved fundraiser of the Westport Woman’s Club returns September 23-26, 2021.  Grandparents, parents, and children from Westport and beyond are all welcomed to this fun event at the Westport Woman’s Club (44 Imperial Ave Westport, CT) on Thursday Friday, 6-10PM, Saturday 1-10PM and Sunday 1-5PM.

In addition to food court, carnival rides, raffle prizes, and carnival games, there will be entertainment on Thursday night 5-7PM by Sweetcake Mountain Band and on Sunday night 3-5PM by the School of Rock

The Yankee Doodle Fair is a major source of funding for the Westport Woman’s Club philanthropic programs. Proceeds from this annual event provide most of the monies for the WWC grants to local community service organizations and the need-based scholarships for Staples High School seniors.

We thank our sponsors for their support of this fun event:

Tier 1 Sponsors
Bank of America
Westport National Bank

Tier 2 Sponsors
Jeannette & Michael Tewey

Sponsors in Kind
AJ Penna Excavators
Tarala  Electric
Conroy Irrigation
Hutchinson Tree Care

Each year the Westport Woman’s Club evaluates grant applications from Fairfield County nonprofit organizations.  WWC members spend countless volunteer hours each fall through spring on due diligence to find the right balance between current needs within the community, raised funds, and the WWC mission statement. This past March, COVID-19 arrived as a surprise participant late in the grant evaluation process.
Current WWC President, Christina McVaney shares, “As we go through the current crisis, it has never been more important for philanthropic organizations such as the Westport Woman's Club to use our resources to make the most impact in our community. For that reason, we have identified 5 local organizations that we believe will make an important contribution in Fairfield County in the coming months.”
With the physical and mental well-being of our neighbors taking precedence, the Westport Woman’s Club announces their Spring 2020 Community Service Grants, totaling $50,000, to the following Fairfield County nonprofits: Bridgeport Rescue Mission (www.bridgeportrescuemission.org), Filling in the Blanks (www.fillingintheblanks.org), Domestic Violence Crisis Center (www.dvccct.org), Homes with Hope, Inc. (www.hwhct.org), and Westport Families in Need (coordinated by Westport’s Department of Human Service’s COVID-19 Fund ~ www.westportct.gov). Please visit these five organizations/websites to support the COVID-19 services each are providing within our Fairfield County community.
The Westport Woman’s Club (www.westportwomansclub.org), organized in 1907, is a non-profit philanthropic organization dedicated to volunteerism and the raising of funds in support of the educational, charitable, cultural and public health services in Westport and surrounding towns. You do not have to be a Westport Resident to join The Westport Woman’s Club. To join, call the WWC office at 203-227-4240. Link to 06880 post:

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. (more…)

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. (more…)

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. (more…)

Westport Woman’s Club members made memories marching in the 2019 Westport Memorial Day Parade.  Thanks to our WWC First VP, Kim Reichert, for organizing all the logistics of the morning maneuvers to get this group to our starting line ~ no easy feat!  What a beautiful day and meaningful tradition. (more…)

Westport Woman’s Club members gathered in early May for a Girls Night Out FUNdraiser at “Painting with a Twist” (1460 Post Road East, Westport).   Music rocked, wine flowed, and members channeled their inner Van Gogh while painting  “Sunflowers in Tin”.  The evening raised over $500 for WWC charitable causes.  Thanks to member Susan Fox for chairing and coordinating this memorable event, and gratitude (more…)

The Westport Woman’s Club welcomed Matt Storch, celebrity chef and restaurant owner of Match Burger Lobster in Westport, Match in Norwalk and Nom-eez in Bridgeport, as their speaker for February Club Day.  Matt grew up in Westport, but his travels around the world as a child, as well as his close relationship with his grandmother, inspired him to follow food as a passion and become a chef.    (more…)

The Staples High School Orphenians Choral group directed by Luke Rosenberg performed holiday songs to the delight of the Westport Woman’s Club Members. (more…)

Flamenco, a derivative of the spanish word for “fire” or “flame”, was the program focus for October’s luncheon.  Thanks to a past WWC Member, Penny Pearlman, members embarked on a historical journey from 1774 when flamenco was “voiced”, to the Golden Age of Flamenco (1850-1910) when spanish cafes and restaurants pulsated with Moorish influences and staccato sounds of dance.  (more…)

Women interested in joining The Westport Woman’s Club were invited to a New Member Reception in the WWC’s historic clubhouse.  New and prospective members learned about the WWC and its many opportunities for community service, fundraisers, special interest groups and monthly membership meetings with catered lunches and speakers. (more…)

The Westport Woman’s Club welcomes Christina McVaney as its new President as the Club enters its 112^th year of service, fundraising and philanthropy.  A Westport resident since 2007, Christina places great importance on giving back to her community.  She has served the WWC as co-chair of several fundraisers, including the club’s largest fundraiser, The Yankee Doodle Fair, for the past five years.   

While balancing her career as a residential realtor, Christina has consistently carved personal time for her commitment to volunteerism.  Christina is a current board member for “Neighbors and Newcomers of Westport” and was an active PTA parent while her three children attended Westport Public Schools.   As WWC president, Christina’s schedule will include overseeing Westport Woman’s Club operating budgets, annual grant awards, need-based scholarship awards, food closet collaboration with the town’s Human Services Department, board meetings, social gatherings, holiday giving, and club fundraisers throughout the year. (more…)

Westport Woman’s Club members and their families enjoy an annual summer tradition, a lobster dinner at the Ned Dimes Marina at Compo Beach on Sunday, August 19, 2018.  Click here to view  DanWoog06880 article. (more…)

All proceeds will go to charitable, educational and public health services in Westport and surrounding towns.

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