Woman’s Club

Our History and What We Do

The Woman’s Club of Washington Grove was founded in 1926, back in the camp meeting days, before we even were a Town.  The Club’s purpose was to “promote greater sociability and work along practical and constructive lines, toward a general betterment of civic and cultural conditions in Washington Grove”. In those early days, we provided the necessities and niceties that the Camp Meeting Association could not. We paid to bring electricity to McCathran Hall, to keep fresh gravel on the paths and to establish many of the traditions that continue today.  Today, the co-ed Woman’s Club engages in service to Washington Grove and to nearby communities. In the Grove, we:

• donate funds to help support the Summer in the Parks program, the Acorn Library and the Holiday Show;
• host annual events like a January White Elephant Sale, February Chili Dinner, Spring Egg Hunt, May Flower Show, and other special events; and
• produce a Town Directory every three years.

We support the following projects in our neighboring communities:

• Gude Men’s Shelter. Winter is hard enough for the homeless without going without socks! We are continuing to collect new white socks for the men at the Shelter.

• Interfaith Works. While the less fortunate children of our County need essentials, they also need occasional treats in their lives, and we help provide these by collecting birthday presents and small Treasure Chest items to be distributed through Interfaith Works. We also conduct drives to supply new underwear for boys and girls from toddlers to teens. Last year our Town provided over 250 pair. We have developed sources for purchasing the underwear, so the easiest way to help with this need is through money donations.

• Linus Project. For those who like to work with fabric, this year we’re supporting the Linus Project, which makes fleece blankets for children in need of comfort when they are in the hospital or foster care.

• Teachers’ Closet at Washington Grove Elementary School. We collect school supplies all year for the Teachers Closet. We hope to keep it filled with things like glue sticks, pencils and sharpeners, paper, hand sanitizers and tissues, and other supplies. Without our help, teachers will all too often end up buying these things out of their own pockets.

Joining the Woman’s Club

• A modest, annual individual membership fee supports our many events and projects, and entitles members to a significant discount on renting our Clubhouse.
• To join the Club, please contact Cynthia Werts at [email protected] or 301-926-1668.
• We encourage men to join!

Renting the Clubhouse

Our lovely Clubhouse is available for rental to residents of the Town from mid-March through late November. Contact Cynthia Werts at [email protected] or 301-926-1668 for more information. The application form to rent the Clubhouse, and the rules and regulations for renting, are available in the Related Resources part of this page.