Wellesley Hills Junior Woman’s Club

The WHJWC, an organization of 80 women, is well known in the community for its three annual fundraisers:  the Wellesley Phone Book, the Kitchen Tour, and the Wellesley Marketplace.  But what is less widely publicized is what the Club does with the money it raises.  This year, the Club will give away $160,000 to scholarship recipients and over 50 local charities. 

The Newton-Wellesley Hospital Foundation has benefited from our fundraising efforts.  The Club recently completed a three-year, $10,000 pledge to the hospital, and has just made a multi-year commitment to help build the new Pediatric Emergency Pavilion.  In addition, the new Wellesley Library boasts a large craft room in the children’s section that was funded by the WHJWC. 

Beyond capital projects, the Club helps to support the work of Dr. Roseanna Means, founder of Women of Means, which provides free medical care to women living in homeless shelters.  The Club provided seed money to start the Wellesley Teen Center, which we continue to support annually.  Each elementary school PTO in Wellesley, the Middle School PTO and Library, and the High School receive annual donations.  Several organizations that we support through our community service projects, such as Second Step, Charles River ARC, the Wellesley Food Pantry, and the Sisters of Charity Nursing Home, also receive donations from the Club. 

The WHJWC is indebted to the local business community for its generous and perennial support of our fundraising efforts.  We would like to thank all of the businesses that have bought ads in the Phone Book, donated to the Marketplace Raffle, sponsored Kitchen Tour, and done so much to help us to help our community.

In 1999, the WHJWC launched the Kitchen Tour, which has become an annual spring tradition in Wellesley.  This year’s tour will be on Saturday, May 20th from 11am to 3pm.  Visit our website, www.WHJWC.org, to preview the six beautiful homes that will be on the tour.  Tickets may be purchased at Roche Brothers or by calling 781-431-9727. 

The 38th annual Wellesley Phone Book will arrive at each home and place of business in town by early summer.  This little book contains everything about Wellesley, from train schedules and child-care providers to a list of local parks and museums.  The Phone Book is our largest and most profitable fundraiser, netting over $100,000 this year from ad sales. 

The Wellesley Marketplace, one of the largest gift and craft fairs in New England, will celebrate its 30th anniversary this year.  Visitors to the Marketplace can view over 100 exhibitors, with items such as collections of hand-painted porcelain and furniture, embroidered linens, and whimsical home accessories. Marketplace will be held on Saturday, November 18, 2006, at Wellesley High School. 

In addition to raising money, the WHJWC is committed to community service.  Over the last six decades, the Club has responded to the evolving needs of the town of Wellesley.  One recent example is the Club’s addition of a new service project starting this fall.  “Kids on the Block” is a Japanese form of puppetry called Bunraku.  The puppet shows revolve around developmental differences, such as cerebral palsy, learning disabilities, Down’s syndrome, and blindness. These puppet shows will reach out to children in kindergarten and first grade in Wellesley’s seven elementary schools.  The Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) in Wellesley started this program several years ago, but no shows were performed this year due to a lack of volunteers.   The WHJWC has stepped up to provide five volunteers who will be trained to perform these shows and directly affect the enrichment of our children toward understanding differences

Since its founding in 1944, the WHJWC has worked to make a significant difference in the lives of disadvantaged children, victims of cancer, homeless families, survivors of domestic abuse, elders in need, and many other people in our community.