The initial meeting of the Lakewood Ranch Women’s Club was held in the Library of the Out-of-Doors Academy and was attended by 20 people who developed the original charter. Elizabeth Norton was elected president. From ODA the group moved to the Community Service Office located next to Summerfield Park. Back then it was the original “town hall” providing all comminity services and a meeting room which held 25-30 people.
LWR Women’s Club Past Presidents
| 1997 Elizabeth Norton 1998 Karen Michener 1999 Jane Drake 2000 JoAnn Dain 2001 Mary Button 2002 Charlene Betourney 2003 Sandy Simmons 2004 Lyn Griffiths 2005 Jamie Grollman |
2006 Sandy Simmons 2007 Judy Heck 2008 Pat Eilender 2009 Marian Wolfe 2010 Wilma Nourie 2011 Jean Gustafson 2012 Frankie Bailey 2013 Mary Beth Steffens 2014 Trish Newman |
2015 Patti Wrobel 2016 Shirley Taradash 2017 Monika Templeman 2018 Eileen Buzzard 2019 Kathleen Cleveland 2020 Cheryl Breining, Helene Levin 2021 Cheryl Breining, Helene Levin 2022 Carol Belmont 2023 Ann Sledz 2024 Linda Stone |
Past Presidents at the LWRWC 25th Birthday Meeting with Yellow Roses Back Row L-R: Mary Beth Steffens (2013), Frankie Bailey (2012), Wilma Nourie (2010), Marian Wolfe (2009), Pat Eilender (2008), Sandy Simmons (2003 & 2006), Charlene Betourney (2002), Mary Button (2001). Seated in Front L-R: Trish Newman (2014), Patti Wrobel (2015),
Monika Templeman (2017), Eileen Buzzard (2018), Kathleen Cleveland (2019), Cheryl Breining (2020 & 2021), and Helene Levin (2020 & 2021).
By 2001 the WC had grown so large that new quarters were needed and the club moved to St. Mary Magdalene Church. At that venue elaborate decorating was done for each meeting and event, the most memorable being a “beach scene theme” staged by Barbara Limon and Nancy Futch.
The WC has steadily grown over the years from 20 members to 326 [2020.] It is interesting to note the “tidal wave effect”…as new neighborhoods develop the composition of the club changes. Initially, back in 1997 most residents as well as most club members lived in Summerfield. This was followwed by an influx of women from Edgewater and then by the Country Club. Today [2020], members continue to come from all over Lakewood Ranch.
Some social activities have been become traditions. The first Holiday Dinner and Auction was held in 2000 at the University Park Country Club where 100 women gathered for dinner and a charity auction. In 2002, LWRWC raised $7,000 for charity in contrast to the $28,000 donated in 2011 and $47,000 in 2020. By January 2022, the WC will have donated over $500, 000 to various charities.
The Lakewood Ranch Women’s Club is a seminal part of the greater Lakewood Ranch community. It is important to remember its history and accomplishments and the hundreds of women who have served as officers and committee members and the wonderful members who support them.