Depts. & Programs
Membership, Children’s Arts & Recreation Enrichment Program (C.A.R.E.), Arts Department, Conservation Department, Education Department, Homelife Department, Hospitality Department, Health Department, International Affairs Department, Public Affairs Department, Public Relations Department
Membership The Membership Dept. is responsible for gathering and maintaining names, addresses, e-mail, phone and other information for all members and prospective members, organizing membership teas and socials and promoting our club. Learn more about Membership.
Children’s Arts & Recreation Enrichment Program (C.A.R.E.) The mission of the C.A.R.E. Program is to provide educational and recreational activities for children and to support the needs of our growing community through charitable donations. The Long Valley Area Junior Women’s Club created the C.A.R.E. over thirty years ago as a small project whose goal was to fill a void in our then rural community, by providing after school enrichment activities for children. Our enrollment at that time was thirty students. Today, we provide arts and recreational enrichment classes to over 700 students. Our classes include gymnastics, sports skills, dance, cheerleading, arts and crafts, sewing, science, theater and languages. With continued growth over the years, this program has become our largest annual fundraiser as well as the number one fundraiser for all Junior Women’s Clubs in the state of New Jersey. For each of the past three years, our C.A.R.E. Program has helped us to raise over $50,000 annually. Funds from this program, coupled with funds raised from our other fundraising projects, are then allocated to various organizations in need within and surrounding our community. Learn more about C.A.R.E
Arts Department
PhotoContest: The Middle School Photo Contest is held annually in the first quarter of the year. The Committee solicits donations for prizes from local businesses and secures judges. Photos are separated by grade and by category. The photos are mounted for display in the school and throughout town. Prizes are presented to the winners at an in-school assembly and a press release is sent to the Observer-Tribune.
Gingerbread House Decorating Contest: This event is held in the winter, either in December or January. The intent of this event is to celebrate community. If possible, this event can be coordinated with the Long Valley Village Association (LVVA), and be a part of the Holiday Happenings in downtown Long Valley. Prizes are awarded, ribbons are awarded and houses are place on display in town at the library or at a local bank.
Paint The Town Red Program: During the month of November, volunteers and their children offer to decorate a mirage of festive holiday pictures in the windows of local shop owners.
Dr. Seuss’ Read Across America: The chairperson is responsible for contacting the Elementary School librarians and scheduling Juniors to read to library classes on Dr. Seuss’ birthday. The chairperson then obtains a wish list of books from the librarians and the Club donates 2 books to each school.
Read-A-Thon: The Summer Read-A-Thon is open to students entering 1st through 8th grades and benefits the school libraries and the local library. The students record the books and the number of pages they have read and submit the list to their school along with their sponsor money. Prizes are awarded by grade and by school for the most pages read and the most money raised. The chairpersons are responsible for coordinating with the school librarians, sending flyers to the schools, receiving sponsor forms and money, tallying the pages read per student and coordinating prizes.
Scholarships: Scholarships are given to local high school students. The Committee contacts the local high schools to solicit applications for the scholarships. The applications, transcripts, and essays are reviewed and narrowed down to the best few, who are interviewed. The Committee determines each school’s winners and presents the awards at the Senior Awards Night Assembly. A homemaker planning to return to the workforce may apply for the Homemaker Scholarship. The Committee also awards scholarships to local preschools and local day camps for families in need.
Spelling Bee: The annual spelling bee for 4th and 5th graders is held in January. Although all students in grades 4 and 5 are encouraged to participate, only the first 90 students to register will be accepted due to space and time requirements Prizes are donated from banks (bonds) and bookstores (gift certificates). Winners advance to the district spelling bee in February. District winners advance to the state spelling bee in March. The chairperson is responsible for publicity, reserving a facility, coordinating with the schools, securing a pronouncer, and helping to coordinate the district level spelling bee. The District Bee held in 2008 will be sponsored by the Long Valley Junior Women’s Club.
Turn Off the TV Week: This is a national event wherein children do not watch TV for one week in the hope that they will find other interesting ways to spend their time. The chairpersons distribute flyers to the children through the schools and they indicate whether they would like to participate. If they successfully complete the week of no TV, they submit another form indicating what they did instead of watching TV, and they choose a book as their reward. The Committee organizes all the forms, totals up the book orders, places the order, and distributes the books and a certificate to each child.
Health Department
The purpose of the Health Department is to educate Club members and the general public about health issues and to support community health related outreach programs. Activities and events include conducting a yearly community blood drive, coordinating CPR training for members, sponsoring a table at a local health fair, collecting yogurt tops for breast cancer research, holding a yearly trike-a-thon fundraiser to benefit St. Judes Children’s Hospital, organizing participation in walk-a-thons for a particular cause, and setting up health related education seminars.
Babysitter Training: The Club sponsors children 11 years old and up to attend the babysitting training course run by The Center for Healthier Living. Topics covered include babysitting techniques, diapering, first aid and CPR. The chairperson coordinates dates with the instructor, informs the Club of openings through the newsletter and general meetings, and contacts scout leaders if there are additional openings after Club members register.
Birth Haven: Birth Haven is a home for pregnant homeless women. It offers a safe and supportive living environment for women who are awaiting the birth of their babies. The Chairpersons coordinate donations from the Club for items such as comfort goody bags for the women, makeovers, movie tickets, gift certificates, and phone cards.
Christmas Gifts: The Club provides a monetary donation to the Interfaith Community Outreach Group. They, in turn, purchase Christmas gifts for the children of local needy families. The chairperson coordinates the donation.
Coat Drive: The Fall Coat Drive takes place annually to benefit local needy families. Juniors donate coats, jackets, snow pants, hats and gloves in good condition. The chairperson is responsible for notifying members through the newsletter and general meetings, collecting the donations, distributing to a local needy organization and/or the Morristown Mission.
Easter Egg Hunt: The egg hunt is for all Club members, prospectives, and their families. Chairpersons are responsible for securing a location, obtaining goodies, filling eggs and coordinating bakers and drinks for snacks.
Family Picnic: The family picnic is for all Club members, prospectives, and their families. It takes place at the end of the Club/school year. The chairperson is responsible for choosing the facility and organizing the food and games.
Foster Parents: The Club supports local foster care families. The chairperson is the liaison in finding out what the Foster Care needs are, informing the Club through the newsletter and general meetings, receiving the donations from the Club, and delivering them to Foster Care for distribution.
Nursing Home: Juniors and their children are invited three times each year to visit the House of the Good Shepherd Nursing Home residents. At Halloween, the children parade in their costumes and the seniors hand out treats. At Christmas, the children assist the seniors in making a holiday decoration. At Easter, the seniors host an egg hunt. The chairperson is responsible for coordinating each event, sign-up sheets and cookies and juice.
Scarecrow Assembly/Hayride: This event is held in the fall for club members and their children to enjoy a day of making a scarecrow, picking a pumpkin and going on a hayride. Responsibilities for the chairperson include securing the location, purchasing the supplies for the scarecrow and promoting the event.
Senior Center: The Club supports the local senior citizens at the Senior Center by assisting with their events four times a year: Thanksgiving Luncheon, Christmas Luncheon, St. Patrick’s Day Luncheon, and the Senior Picnic. The chairpersons notify members through the newsletter and at general meetings and are responsible for coordinating bakers and servers. Juniors and their children are invited to help.
Senior Picnic: This event for Seniors is usually coordinated to be the same day as the Family Picnic. The chairpersons are responsible for coordinating the location, bakers and servers, the entertainment (from the Middle School Jazz Band and Girl’s Choir), and purchase of food and supplies.
Snack with Santa: This event is for club members and their families. Children can meet with Santa, sing songs, enjoy a snack, make a craft and decorate a cookie. The chairperson notifies members through the newsletter and at general meetings and is responsible for coordinating the facilities, refreshments, craft project, cookie decorations, the entertainer and Santa.
Sunshine: Sunshine is a means for the Club to provide support to fellow and prospective members in times of need, such as birth of a baby, illness, surgery or death in the family. Juniors provide meals and/or other such support.
Thanksgiving Baskets: The Club provides Thanksgiving baskets to St. Mark’s Church for distribution to local needy families. The chairperson contacts St. Mark’s to find out what specific foods are being requested. Juniors sign up to donate specific non-perishable items. The chairperson collects the food items at the November meeting, purchases the turkeys and other perishable items, assembles the baskets and delivers them to St. Marks for distribution.
The purpose of the Hospitality Department is to coordinate with members to supply refreshments for the general meetings on a rotational basis. Each member will be notified through the newsletter when it is their turn to provide the refreshments for a general meeting. The member supplying the refreshments is also responsible for set-up and cleanup of the refreshments that evening.
International Affairs Department
Adopt A Child: Every year the Club sponsors a child via Children, Incorporated, an international organization committed to assisting children of all races and creeds, and administering to their physical, mental, and spiritual needs. The chairperson corresponds with and receives correspondence from the child periodically throughout the year. She also coordinates the sending of gifts for the holidays, start of the school year and birthday. The gifts may be monetary or contributions from Club members. In the past, Club donations have included coloring books, crayons, markers, writing tablets, clothes, jewelry and toys.
Public Affairs Department
Community Day: This is an annual event sponsored by the town and local businesses and organizations held on the first Saturday in October. The family fun day includes a parade, games, rides, crafts, food, entertainment and exhibits. The chairperson is responsible for coordinating parade marchers, obtaining booth space for the Club, selecting what Junior’s will promote or sell and coordinating volunteers for the day.
National Night Out: This event is sponsored annually in August by the Police Department. In the past, club members have assisted with this event by serving watermelon and corn.
Public Relations Department
The purpose of the Public Relations Department is to act as the liaison between LVJWC and local media, including the Observer Tribune, Daily Record, and Comcast Cable. The chairperson writes and submits press releases promoting club events and posting meeting dates. She also arranges articles and photo coverage of select club events and activities.