JEWISH FEDERATION
Federation Star
December 2021
WOMEN’S CULTURAL ALLIANCE
13
www.wcanaples.org / 518.852.3440
WCA welcomes new members, expanding our community of friendship By Harriett Kleinman, WCA Membership Director
A
lthough the last 18 months have been rather challenging, WCA has been resilient. When COVID required that we cancel all our indoor activities, we felt very strongly that it was important to find a way to keep our members engaged and connected. WCA’s mantra is “creating a community of friendship,” and we strive to keep our members connected through both our programming and our weekly newsletter. Because we were not able to meet in person, we turned to Zoom. I was pleasantly surprised at how well Zoom worked for our speaker series as well as for some of our interest groups, but I wasn’t nearly as confident about how Zoom would be for a New Member Coffee. As Membership Director, I was concerned about how to replicate the warmth of being in someone’s home and the strong connection to WCA that women feel. Was I ever concerned needlessly! We have held four very successful New Member Coffees over Zoom, which allows us to see each other’s faces close up (and without masks!) and enables our members who are not in Southwest Florida to participate. Our most recent New Member Coffee was held at the end of September. Approximately 20 women joined us on Zoom. I am continually amazed at the backgrounds of the women who join WCA. We had quite a diverse group of women, including a lawyer, banker, writer, doctor, therapist and artist, just to name a few. And that only addresses the women’s professional careers! The warmth and interest in others that these women display is representative of the caring and high quality of the women who join WCA. Many shared how they learned about WCA and why they decided to come to the New Member Coffee. Some said a friend living in Naples told them about WCA, another read about WCA in the Federation Star, someone else learned about WCA from the Federation website, and yet another woman attended the coffee with her
cousin, who was also a new member and had encouraged her to join. Many of the women at the coffee said that they now have time to learn mah jongg and canasta, and they hope to take lessons so they can play with our groups. I was in this situation myself when we first moved to Naples. After learning to play mah jongg, my first experience with WCA was attending the Tuesday group at the Federation’s office. Imagine my anxiety walking into a room filled with strangers, unsure of both myself and my knowledge of the game. I had worried unnecessarily. The women were gracious and understanding, and they welcomed me with open arms. From a pre-COVID high of almost 1,600 women, WCA currently has approximately 1,200 members. Because many of our members are Canadians or snowbirds who didn’t feel safe coming to Florida last year, we anticipated this decrease. With the start of this season, however, we have had a surge of almost 100 new members as women realize the beauty of Southwest Florida and want to escape the possibility of being captive in their northern homes again. I am looking forward to meeting some of our new members at our next New Member Coffee on Wednesday, Dec. 15. And I anticipate that it will be held in person! It is not surprising that women want to be a part of an organization where they can meet others who share their interests as well as form friendships with women who have different experiences and talents. With our wide array of programming and interest groups (that include more than nine different book groups!) we strive to have something for everyone. WCA is just starting a “Younger Division” for women younger than 60 who prefer to attend evening events or Sunday afternoon programs.
WCA Has Planned An Exciting Year Don’t be left out! Join WCA today. VISIT WCANAPLES.ORG and click on MEMBERSHIP.
(Pay by credit card or check.) Membership is through Aug. 2022. QUESTIONS? Contact Membership Chair Harriett Kleinman at hmkleinman@gmail.com
Membership Director Harriett Kleinman (top row, left) welcomes women to the September New Member Coffee As a member of WCA’s Board of Directors, I look forward to meeting our new members and hearing their stories. We have always known that WCA is filled with talented, creative and fascinating women. Our new members certainly haven’t disappointed. Many of these women had very full lives before retirement, and some continue to work remotely. They are looking forward to experiencing WCA’s signature friendship
and fellowship. We encourage new members to share their talents and expertise with all of us. We are always looking for new program ideas! We are all hoping to start to meet in person again soon. We have already reserved rooms for several large in-person events. WCA continues to be a vibrant, resilient organization and, rest assured, we are ready for whatever lies ahead!
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