San Diego, CA

San Diego Woman’s club helping people for more than 100 years

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SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — The charity work of a little-known ladies’s membership goes principally unsung, however its roots go deep into the historical past of ladies in San Diego.

Karen Reed, present president of the San Diego Girl’s Membership, says, “The spouse of the editor of the Union paper on the time began the membership.”

Her title was Mary Berry.

“She known as a bunch of girls and mentioned we have to have a membership, we should be concerned in the neighborhood,” says Karen, and that is how the San Diego Girl’s Membership was born in 1892.

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On a cool morning in Might, I met Karen and First Vice President Judy Mantle outdoors Ronald McDonald Home Charities for an excellent purpose.

“It has been an extended affiliation and we have loved it,” Karen says in regards to the membership’s work with the charity.

It’s simply one of many numerous teams the membership has helped. They’ve created reward baggage for the children, renovated the good room and kitchens, and given tens of hundreds of {dollars} in monetary donations.

“We mainly attempt to concentrate on our neighborhood — the place the cash’s wanted, what it is wanted for, what can we do to assist them?” says Karen.

The record is lengthy: from the Boys and Ladies Golf equipment to Operation Smile to Shelter to Soldier. The membership just lately sponsored shelter canine Haru, a German Shepherd now skilled to assist a service member with PTSD.

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“They are saying we’re saving two lives at a time,” says Judy, “to know simply how a lot that’s going to vary that individual’s life in such a major means.”

They bear in mind everybody they’ve helped. Even at this time, Karen is overwhelmed desirous about the ladies displaced a number of years in the past after a fireplace in one of many Large Sister League houses in Bankers Hill.

“These ladies, they’ve had a tough life,” says Karen as she wipes away tears, “It is touching plenty of lives personally.”

A number of years in the past they bought their clubhouse on Third Avenue in Bankers Hill. That cash now helps generate extra money to present. The remainder comes from fundraisers.

“We have had dinners and bingo and bunco and tea events and all types of fascinating issues,” says Karen.

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The membership donated greater than $300,000 within the final yr alone. The members usually level out who wants assist, however the variety of members is not what it as soon as was, partly as a result of not many San Diegans learn about it.

“It is type of one of many issues that I discovered straight away is, wow, that is the perfect saved secret right here in San Diego,” says Judy.

Throughout their peak years, they’d 890 members. Then, after World Battle II, extra ladies began working. Now they’ve about 40 members.

“The key sauce actually is in its membership,” says Judy, “how can we turn into related to plenty of youthful inhabitants that actually I feel wish to do issues and isn’t fairly certain the place to plug in.”

In order the San Diego Girl’s Membership celebrates its one hundred and thirtieth birthday this yr — 130 years of historical past and repair — the reward they actually need is to increase their sisterhood.

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“That is actually what a company like that is about. It is actually staying related with one another but additionally with the neighborhood,” says Judy.

In case you’re questioning, it’s “Girl’s” membership, not “Girls’s” membership.

When requested why, Karen jokes, “That could be a query for the ages.” You will get extra data on membership and what they do right here: https://sandiegowomansclub.org/.





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