Projects & Activities

The Flamingo Flocking project is our primary fundraiser. Flocking is done at night  during the first two weeks of April by WCH “Flockette Teams,” who place flocks  of pink flamingos in yards throughout San Benito County. The Project raises funds  

for our Scholarship Program, provides donations to charities, and supports other  philanthropic endeavors. Flamingo Flocking is our most lucrative and popular  fundraiser. It really is fun to flock! Join us!

A legacy project started in 2014; the Women’s Club celebrates ten years of  placing thousands of new and gently used books in Hollister laundromats. L2L aims to get books into children’s hands to foster a love of reading and their imaginations and encourage children and their families to read together. This year, our program grew to include placing books at the San Benito County Health & Human Services Agency, Emmaus House Battered Women’s Shelter, Hollister Animal Shelter’s “Reading to Shelter Animals” program and the Community Food Bank.  In addition we have placed books in all five of Hazel Hawkins clinics located in Hollister and San Juan Bautista extending our reach to 11 locations with more to come!
The committee looks forward to expanding to the San Benito County Office of Education, with whom we promote the Footsteps2Brillance, “Bridges  to Literacy” program. The Club received grants from the Women’s Fund  Advisory Committee to purchase dual-language Spanish and English books and to fund new bookcases for those locations.
If you wish to donate gently used or new books, please don’t hesitate to email literacy2love@womensclubofhollister.org.

C&CB provide a bridge of essentials at one of the most chaotic times in a small  person’s life. The Women’s Club assembles backpacks with little extras to help  children cope for the first 24 hours after Child Protective Services takes them. The  backpacks are gender and age-specific, cost $50 each to assemble, and are  distributed through Child Protective Services, Emmaus House, and Seneca Central  Coast (formerly Kinship). The committee accepts donations for toiletries–travel sized shampoo, conditioner, and toothpaste, individually wrapped toothbrushes,  deodorant, feminine hygiene products, blankets, stuffed animals with sewn eyes,  coloring books/crayons, pens, pencils, and spiral notebooks. Your monetary  donations allow us to purchase children’s clothing, washcloths, and towels.
 

Learn More

If you would like us to present this information to a community group or to your employees, please contact us at:

Denise Cauthen-Wright: denisecauthewright@gmail.com

Ellen Fisher: ellenfisher@garlic.com

Nicki Phillips: nickijophil@gmail.com

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WCH hosts the "Beauty is a Strong Woman" Fashion Show on a semi-regular basis in an effort to raise funds for our ongoing projects. Outfits are provided by local businesses and modeled by members and local community members. Raffle baskets are donated as well. Attendees have a great time enjoying a meal, watching the fashion show, purchasing raffle tickets and socializing. 2022 was a great success, with 143 guests and models. The event raised over $4,500 which was allocated to the Comfort & Care Bundles Project.

The Scholarship Committee has the pleasure of receiving applications from  female senior students living in San Benito County. The monetary awards are  based on merit—combining academics, leadership, volunteerism, and a short essay  about themselves. Funds for scholarships are partly provided by interest earned in  an Endowment at the Community Foundation for San Benito County and from  fundraising efforts.  

The Warrior Scholarship is given to a graduating senior girl who has succeeded in  the face of diversity. She has kept her grades up as well as completed some  community service. This is a renewable scholarship which may be awarded for up  to 4 years based on college success.  

In 2022, the Committee developed a scholarship for students wishing to learn a  trade. Trade schools offer life-long skills in automotive, carpentry, air  conditioning/heating, plumbing, electrical, medical assistance training, and more.  

In 2023, WCH President, Laura Lee, and Jeanne Liem, introduced the “Jackie  Raymer Legacy Scholarship,” in memory of Jackie’s 50-year membership.

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Members clip manufacturer’s coupons for military families overseas. The coupons  may be up to three months past expiration. We sort coupons into the following  categories (storage bags are great for this): personal hygiene, hair, dental, baby,  pets, medical, cleaning, paper, household (lightbulbs, batteries, etc.), and food  items.

We meet at a different member’s house on the 4th Tuesday of each month for  dinner, bunco games, and an update on Women’s Club activities. We are always  looking for substitute players, so if you are interested, please contact the chair, Nancy Bailey at nanc_bail@yahoo.com.

Enjoy reading and getting together with friends? Then the book club is calling you! If you are interested in joining a club, please contact Martha Blaser at marthablaser@gmail.com.

The Women's Club became involved in the Penny Pines project after our President Laura Lee's parents lost their home in the Paradise Fire in 2019. Penny Pines raises money to plant new trees in forests destroyed by fires. California has experienced many devastating fires over the last few years, making this fundraiser more timely and important than ever.

The Committee will update relevant historical information, pictures from club  activities, and correspondence in scrapbooks. We are digitizing our history to  preserve documents of historical significance.

The Women’s Club of Hollister provides volunteer judges for the San Benito  County Office of Education Art Contest. Selected student artwork is submitted to  the California Federation of Women’s Clubs’ annual meeting for further judging.  Winners are chosen from around the state, some advancing to the General  Federation of Women’s Clubs’ annual meeting.

The Women’s Club participates in a community-wide effort to trim Christmas trees  for needy families. The tree trimming happens the last Saturday in November, in  conjunction with the Hollister Downtown Association’s Lights On Parade.