'Small but mighty' club looking to beef up membership

FUN LOVING- Members of the Agoura Valley Woman's Club raise money for many good causes and have a lot of fun together in the process. The club is holding a membership meeting on May 19. The Agoura Valley Woman's Club has earned a reputation as "small but mighty." Now the group of volunteers wants to increase its numbers so it can tackle more charitable challenges and service projects in the Conejo Valley.

Lynne Fliegelman, co-chair of the local group with Theresa Hagan, said the club will hold a membership drive at 7 p.m. Mon., May 19 at the Hampton Inn in Agoura Hills.

The membership drive will be more than an informational meeting, Fliegelman said. The group loves to combine charitable efforts with a good time. Potential members will enjoy refreshments, play a few rounds of the game "Bonkers" and have the opportunity to win prizes in a white elephant giveaway.

The tightknit group of women has been busy all year helping raise funds for Las Virgenes and Oak Park schools. Members also flip pancakes for the Reyes Adobe Days breakfast, provide blankets for Paul Newman's Painted Turtle children's camps and bring lunch to the crews working for Habitat for Humanity.

Local schools have reaped the benefits of the group's fundraising activities for years. Hagan said they've supplied library books to local schools, paid for landscaping at A.E. Wright Middle School and purchased microscopes for science programs. The group has also supported local sports and performing arts programs through the schools and offers yearly college scholarships.

"We can jump in and respond quickly," Hagan said of the club's ability to help local groups with fundraising.

Although the main focus of the Agoura Valley Woman's Club is on small local nonprofits, the women also partner with larger charitable efforts when the need arises. This year the club is supporting a Rwandan woman through a partnership with Women for Women International, a nonprofit group working to improve the lives of women in war-torn countries like Democratic Republic of the Congo in Africa.

Many women are kidnapped, tortured and raped by soldiers of foreign militias and the Congolese army, Fliegelman said. The staggering numbers of women who are abused, mutilated and killed moved the club to take action.

"These women need job training and schooling," Fliegelman said. "We help one woman at a time." Last year, the club helped a woman suffering from the war raging in Kosovo.

Civic duty may top the list for the club's members, but they are equally adamant that they should have a good time together. "It's a way of meeting people whose paths you probably wouldn't cross otherwise," Hagan said. "(The women) have become a group of my best friends now."

The bonds of friendship are forged through regular social events, Hagan said. "We go to museums, go to teas and California Federation of Women's Club events."

The group meets on the fourth Monday of each month, Hagan said. In addition to all they accomplish during the year, she said they would like to reach out to other groups in need. It is hoped that new members will help the club identify organizations that could use a helping hand.

"We like to donate to local, small groups that really are in need," Fliegelman said. The club recently joined Project Linus, a nonprofit of local "blanketeers" who crochet blankets for babies and terminally ill patients. The Agoura Valley Woman's Club makes blankets for Northridge Hospital.

The Agoura Valley Woman's Club has been busy providing money and services to the community since 1970. The club is a nonprofit, nondenominational service and philanthropic organization. They are part of the California Federation of Women's Clubs and the General Federation of Women's Clubs, Fliegelman said.

"We're looking for new fundraisers . . . new ways to make money," Hagan said of the drive for new members. "We're a fun group."

The Hampton Inn is at 30255 Agoura Road in Agoura Hills. For more information or to RSVP, call Lynne Fliegelman at (818) 620-3343.