Pat Farmer MURRIETA
BY TAMMY MINN , Inland Empire Magazine | June 2010
 

PAT FARMER WAS so impressed with the holiday home tours hosted by the Temecula Valley Woman's Club CTVWC) that in 2001 she joined the non-profit organization. Now she's the president and has seen from the inside just how far the TVWC reaches into the community. "We have 21 committees and more than 150 members that range in age from 23 to 91. We've donated more than 875,000 volunteer hours and more than $1.5 million to local charities in the past 26 years," says Farmer. Her special project this year is Michelle's Place Breast Cancer Resource Center's "Back on Track" program that helps young women who have lost their jobs as a result of cancer. "It helps to re-educate, train, and get them situated in an apartment, with a car or with school," says Farmer. "Michelle's Place has seen so many women through such a difficult time," she adds, that it's an organization deserving of the club's fund raising efforts. Farmer's other "obsession" is the Murrieta Library. As a member of the Friends of the Murrieta Library, Farmer volunteers about 30 hours a week processing book donations and getting them online for people to buy as a fundraising tool for the library. "Education is so important and it's something the club is very supportive of. And of course, libraries are a wonderful educational resource, Farmer says.

Read a Book Ball benefits Oak Grove Center 
by Carol Malin

Temecula, CA (June 8, 2010) –  The Temecula Valley Woman’s Club hosted a Stay at Home and Read a Good Book Ball fundraiser to purchase library books for the Oak Grove Center for Education Treatment and The Arts in Murrieta.  At the TVWC’s May 27 meeting, Juanita Blankenship and Liz Gamble, Co-chairs of the TVWC Murrieta Library Committee, presented a $700 check to Oak Grove CEO, Tammy Wilson. Oak Grove serves at-risk and special-needs children.

L to R: Nancy Alcorn, First Vice President of the Temecula Valley Woman’s Club, looks on as Juanita Blankenship, Co-chair of the TVWC Murrieta Library Committee, presents a check to Tammy Wilson, CEO, Oak Grove Center. Co-chair, Liz Gamble joined in the presentation

The TVWC is a long time supporter of Oak Grove and has donated over $22,000 to the Center in recent years. TVWC members support Oak Grove in other ways as well, including conducting craft sessions for students, decorating dorm rooms, hosting parties and providing volunteers. The TVWC meets at 10 AM on the last Thursday of each month in the Temeku Hills ballroom. To learn more about the Temecula Valley Woman’s Club go online to www.tvwc.com or phone 951.302.1370.
 

Woman's Club creates a Warm Welcome for Children

TEMECULA — The Temecula Valley Woman's Club recently brought welcome boxes packed with love to children at the Rancho Damicitas treatment center. Club members filled the boxes with cozy pajamas, sox, a warm blanket, toiletries, puzzle books, a camera, photo album and journal.

Cliff Nunn, Rancho Damacitas’ director of development, said, “This donation will certainly make our new intakes feel special, loved, and welcomed.” The center serves children from 6 to 18 years old at its 12-acre facility east of Temecula. Rancho Damicitas was founded 28 years ago to work with the Riverside County Department of Public Social Services and Child Protective Services.

 “The boxes have a dual purpose,” explained Carol Rosingana, chairwoman of the TVWC’s Wishes for Children Committee. “First, the box is designed as a comforting welcome for the child, who has likely been removed from a traumatic situation and may have arrived at the center with no belongings. Second, the box is designed as a ‘memory box;’ a place where the child can store the journal and photos taken with the camera provided of their new home and their new friends at the center. Rancho Damicitas offers these kids a new beginning and we are honored to play a small part in that.”

The Temecula Valley Woman’s Club was formed in 1980 to support the growing needs of the Valley. Since inception the club has donated more than $1.5 million and 875,000 service hours to the community. The TVWC is a chapter of an international organization, the General Federation of Women’s Clubs, which is headquartered in Washington DC. The TVWC meets at 10 AM on the last Thursday of each month in the Temeku Hills ballroom. To learn more go to the TVWC website www.tvwc.com or phone 951.302.1370.
 

Canine Companion Attends TVWC Meeting

Fay, a one-year-old pup in Canine Companion training, came with speaker Peter Rothermel to the February meeting of the Temecula Valley Woman's Club. Rothermel explained to the group that Canine Companions for Independence provides highly-trained assistance dogs throughout the U.S. for children and adults with disabilities, free of charge. A quote from his non-profit website states: "The most advanced technology capable of transforming the lives of people with disabilities has a cold nose and a warm heart!"

Speakers, like this one, are often scheduled to give talks at TVWC monthly meetings. Please check the calendar on our web site for meeting date and time. The public is welcome to attend the meetings for only $4, or stay and join the Club for lunch in the Temeku Hills ballroom for $16.