News - GFWC Lutz-Land O'Lakes Woman's Club

Aniko Solomonson Honored by Tampa GEM Sertoma

June 4, 2016

GFWC LUTZ-LAND O’LAKES WOMAN’S CLUB longtime member, Aniko Solomonson, was recently honored by Tampa GEM Sertoma, with its Service to Mankind Award. Board Chairman of Tampa GEM Sertoma, Donna Silari, presented Ms. Solomonson with a beautiful commemorative plaque in recognition of her contributions on behalf the homeless. She has made it her mission over the past several years to involve the Woman’s Club, other clubs in the Florida Federation, churches and service groups in crocheting and distributing sleeping roll bed mats from recycled plastic grocery bags for the area’s homeless population. Ms. Solomonson has taught numerous groups this method and as a result, her good work has multiplied and extended far beyond the Tampa Bay area and even internationally.

2016 Memorial Day Weekend

May 30, 2016

GFWC Lutz-Land O’Lakes Woman’s Club members visited the Lutz Cemetery and another cemetery in Land O’Lakes over Memorial Day Weekend to pay their respects and to place fresh flags at the gravesites of veterans. This is a longstanding tradition of the Woman’s Club and while there, members quietly reflected and said a silent prayer in memory of their own deceased family members and friends who were veterans.

2016 Memorial Day — Photos submitted by Patricia Serio
Pictured: Members placing flags at veterans’ grave sites

Donation from the Lutz Civic Association to be applied toward the club’s Scholarship Fund for 2016

May 26, 2016

GFWC Lutz-Land O’Lakes Woman’s Club was honored to receive a donation of $2,000 from the Lutz Civic Association to be applied toward the club’s Scholarship Fund for 2016. The Civic Association was concerned when it learned of the Woman’s Club financial shortfall this year due to the cancellation of its large Arts & Craft Show at Lake Park.

The Scholarship Fund was very seriously impacted by this loss of funding and the Lutz Civic Association decided to step up and make a sizable contribution. As a result, more students will benefit from this generous gift. The Woman’s Club and the Lutz Civic Association have been working, side by side for decades, to support our local organizations and for the betterment of the community.

Civic Club donation for scholarships — Photos submitted by Patricia Serio:
(l-r) Barbara Nicholson, Scholarship Chair, Ardyth Bahr, Jay Muffly, Marion Smith, Lutz Civic Association Board Members & Cathy Mathes, Woman’s Club President

Photos submitted by Patricia Serio: : (l-r) Scholarship Chair Barbara Nicholson, Jay Muffly, LCA Board Member & Cathy Mathes, Woman’s Club President — Photos submitted by Patricia Serio:
: (l-r) Scholarship Chair Barbara Nicholson, Jay Muffly, LCA Board Member & Cathy Mathes, Woman’s Club President

Donation to Support the Troops

May 6, 2016

Photo submitted by Patricia Serio
Photo: (L-R): Public Affairs Chair Donna Losch and Mark Van Trees, Director of Support the Troops

GFWC Lutz-Land O’Lakes Woman’s Club has for many years strongly supported “Support the Troops”, (a non-profit) which collects, packs and ships tons of necessary items donated by corporations to our troops in remote overseas areas where there is little access to a PX or commissary. It consistently finds itself short of the hefty postage funds needed to mail these gift packages. Each month, Chair Donna Losch organizes a team of Woman’s Club members and some spouses who volunteer and pack these items at the Wesley Chapel warehouse. Recently Ms. Losch presented Support the Troops Director, Mark Van Trees, with a club donation check of $400 to be applied toward postage. Club member Lonna Vizzari very generously chose to forego her own birthday gifts and instead asked her family to donate to this worthy cause.

Gloria Dale Recognized for her Work with Support the Troops

May 6, 2016

Gloria Dale being presented with award by Mark Van Trees, Dir. of “Support the Troops”

GFWC Lutz-Land O’Lakes Woman’s Club longtime member, Gloria Dale, was recently honored by Mark Van Trees, Director of the Wesley Chapel-based “Support the Troops” organization for her work on behalf of our military men and women. Club and community members gathered recently for a surprise presentation to honor her work over the last decade.

Ms. Dale, 80, has personally prepared handwritten greetings and messages in over 20,000 Christmas and thank you cards sent to military serving overseas expressing appreciation for their service. The framed plaque which was presented contained a flag flown over the USAF Base in Bagram, Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom on February 14 in honor of her commitment to our troops. Ms. Dale is already working on this year’s batch of Christmas cards for our troops serving abroad.

Photos submitted by Patricia Serio

Feeding Tampa Bay 2016

April 25, 2016

2016 Feeding Tampa Bay — Photos submitted by Patricia Serio
Team Members & Staffers

GFWC LUTZ-LAND O’LAKES WOMAN’S CLUB members formed a work team of 13 to volunteer recently at the Tampa warehouse and distribution center of the “Feeding Tampa Bay” organization. The clubwomen worked hard filling orders and packing boxes of foods to be delivered to the food insecure within our communities in 10 counties of Central Florida. The volunteers learned that there are more than 700,000 hungry people, half of whom are children, living in these counties. Backpacks of food were also prepared to be provided to needy schoolchildren so their families will have food over the weekends, when school meals aren’t available.