By KATIE V. JONES
Courtesy of Lorraine Kelly
The Woman’s Club of Laurel was founded in 1910 with the purpose of serving the community. It is not a social club, a book club or sewing club, its president, Lorraine Kelly, is quick to point out, and that is what attracted her to the club in the first place.
“We come in and do stuff,” Kelly said. “Our mission is to promote self-improvement and service in the community.”
In June, Kelly was elected the club’s first Black president in its 113-year-old history. She has many goals for the club, and sees keeping the club busy helping the community and growing its membership as key.
“We’ve been here too long for people to not know what we do,” Kelly said. She discovered the club five years ago while she was walking along Main Street during a festival and stopping at the club’s table.
“The Laurel Library was here,” Kelly said, standing in the club house’s kitchen on a warm summer evening. “We were fortunate. This building was willed to the club.”
The club house is small — just a meeting hall, kitchen and bath — but it belongs to the club, and it is where members meet to plan their numerous projects and welcome speakers. They also allow other clubs, including the amateur radio club and Bernadette’s House, to use the space for a fee.
“The Woman’s Club is awesome,” said Theresa Pfister, director of the club. “We do a ton of good things for the community.”
During the school year, the club gives a free book to each student at Laurel Elementary School on their birthday and helps with the school’s Brighter Bites program; members also make bagged lunches for students to have on weekends at Scotch Hill Elementary. They make holiday cards for seniors, make blankets for Project Linus, put together Thanksgiving baskets for different groups, purchase Christmas presents for families in need and give out candy during Trick or Treat on Main Street. In February, they gave 55 cards and 55 boxes of chocolates to Sara’s House, a nonprofit that offers emergency shelter for families experiencing homelessness.
One of their biggest projects is Milk and Cookies with Santa. Children are invited to enjoy cookies, join in activities and have photos taken with Santa.
“I feel like we are changing with the community,” Pfister said. “We’re doing a good job keeping relevant yet still staying true to our goals. We are a service organization.”
Kelly would like to do even more, including offering student scholarships in STEM and nursing, and getting members more involved and visible in the community through new projects.
“Come in and pitch in different ideas,” Kelly said. “What difference can I make in my community and club?”
Funding for the club’s projects comes from annual dues ($40) donations, grants and fundraisers, including the popular yard sale the club hosts.
The club has 54 members, and while the majority of its members are white, it is slowly becoming more diverse by “making baby steps,” Kelly said.
“When it started, women of color were not accepted,” Kelly said, noting the club’s beginnings. “People think it is an all-inclusive white club. Come in and ask. I joined and started doing stuff. I’m not going anywhere.”
And while she joined to do community service, Kelly also met “a nice group of women.”
“She is going to be great,” Pfister said, of Kelly. “I am happy to support her. She makes sure things get done. She will be wonderful.”
