August 2025 Newsletter

Dana Point Women's Club
Aug 18
6 min read

Updated: Sep 16

Our August newsletter features the latest updates on Club activities:

Mid Summer Chill & Grill
Project Foster Packing Party!
Philanthropy Update
Rising Stars and Guiding Lights
Shopping Extravaganza Benefiting DPWC
Book Club News
Upcoming Events
- Sunday 8/24 10 AM to 3 PM DANA POINT CAR SHOW PARTICIPATION
- Thursday 9/4 11 AM to 1 PM LUNCH ON THE PLAYGROUND MEETING
- Friday 9/12 5 PM to 8 PM EVENING IN TUSCANY
- Saturday 9/27 10 AM to 5 PM SHOP FOR A CAUSE AT SC OUTLETS
Save the Dates

Mid Summer Chill & Grill

Last week's Chill & Grill Line Dancing party was great fun! A crowd of about 60 members and friends enjoyed a nice mixer featuring a parking lot BBQ station manned by Orange Pig Smokehouse, raffles, and lively line dancing.

Visit our Facebook Page to see some fun videos and photos from the event.

Thank you to Marla Freeman and her small but mighty crew for setting up a wonderful event. Check out set up photos HERE.

Project Foster Packing Party!

DPWC members and community volunteers packed 60 bags for foster kids!

DPWC's Project Foster second summer packing party went very smoothly. Volunteers selected toiletries, clothing, throws, bedding, school supplies, hoodies, caps and stuffed animals and included a hand written note of encouragement in each bag.

Thank you to the 34 volunteers who signed up to help, including new member Emily Caragher's lovely daughter Molly! Special thanks to those who brought new clothing and toiletries to help replenish supplies for the next event.

Go to our FaceBook page to see our videos and more photos of the event. We packed 60 bags for teen boys in this second packing event at Community House. Project Foster Team members were very pleased with this second volunteer effort at Community House.

We also packed 240 pencil packs filled with school supplies funded by DPWC charitable funds.

Smaller events with girl scouts, church and corporate groups will regularly take place at Community House. Thank you all for embracing Project Foster!

Philanthropy Update

Project Foster:

Cases packed in August - 106
Cash donations are coming in - THANK YOU in particular, to a very generous DPWC member!
In kind donations outreach for suitcases and contents is underway
Made a new connection with philanthropy Giving Children Hope that may be able to provide bulk hygiene items
Several grants are in progress
Established an account with philanthropy powerhouse Orange County Community Foundation. See our page HERE.
A busy fall schedule for packing events is taking shape
Outreach began to reach at-risk kids referred by school guidance counselors
2,800 cases packed since inception

Project Literacy:

DPWC donated $500 toward the Palisades Elementary School Project Literacy Book Drive
Members are encouraged to choose a book(s) from the Amazon Wish List and bring it to the September 4th meeting so that we can stamp them with our logo.
If you can't attend, please send books with a friend, or ship them directly to the Library Volunteer, Lindsay Wagonner at check out for the Amazon Wish List.

Rising Stars and Guiding Lights

This monthly section highlights some of our new members, "Rising Stars," and our seasoned members, "Guiding Lights". Please read the brief bios below and get to know some of the amazing women in our midst. Thank you to our wonderful Membership Chair and 2nd VP Pearl Zimmerman who is the editor of this section.

Guiding Light Shelley Currie has been a DPWC member for 3 years. Shelley lived in Southern CA her entire life and moved to Dana Point 10 years ago. She loves getting to know the women in our community. One of her favorite events is our annual Dana Point Car Show. Shelley is an experienced Nurse Anesthesiologist (CRNA) who has reached the point of being able to set her own hours in semi-retirement. She works with a group of CRNAs at Interface in Mexico. who repair cleft palates. The group can perform as many as 70 surgeries in a 3-day period. She enjoys gardening, cooking, hiking, and traveling. Shelley has served DPWC as one of our valued Mentors and TLC Committee members. She is blessed to have her husband, 3 precious fur babies: 2 dachshunds and a labradoodle, a grown daughter nearby in Palm Springs, and 5 grandchildren spread across the US.

RisingStar Emily Caragher comes to us with plenty of positive energy and experience from the Woman's Club of Evanston, IL, where she served as Secretary, Yearbook Chair and Assistant Producer of their annual benefit variety stage show. She is also a highly sought after cake pop & decorative cookie creator! Emily first moved from the Chicago area to Irvine five years ago with her husband, son, and daughter, then to Dana Point two months ago. She looks forward to "meeting new friends and giving back to this wonderful community." Emily works professionally as an Events Manager, creating and planning corporate travel experiences that reward excellence. Welcome to DPWC Emily!

Shopping Extravaganza Benefiting DPWC

We have been invited to partner with the San Clemente Outlets for their 11th annual shopping extravaganza. This is a wonderful opportunity to shop for a cause - DPWC's Project Foster. Each $40 ticket includes:

$25 donation to a local nonprofit (Choose DPWC at check out)
Catered lunch from Ruby's Diner (meet up with fellow DPWC members)
Complimentary wine tasting
Exclusive discounts at top outlet retailers
Live Entertainment
Chance to win over $40,000 in prizes - including gift cards to top brand stores

DPWC will earn $25 for every ticket purchased for the 11th Annual San Clemente Outlets' Shopping Extravaganza to be held Saturday, September 27th from 10 AM to 5 PM. Proceeds will benefit Project Foster

PLEASE BUY A TICKET AND ENCOURAGE YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILIES TO SHOP FOR A CAUSE! Be sure to pick DPWC (fifth charity listed) at check out!

Book Club News

DPWC's book club meets every 4th Wednesday of the month at 1 PM at Community House. Next up is: Wednesday 8/27 1 PM to 3 PM The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali. Shelly Currie is bringing bookclub questions. If you'd like to participate, please email Karen Lamie. Karen sent a punchbowl invitation to all members for the August book club meeting to make sure our many new members are aware of the club. Please simply respond yes or no to let Karen know if you're interested. We won't bother you with future invites unless you let us know that you'd like to be included. The book for Wednesday September 24th will be Red Notice by Bill Browder. Both of these are excellent reads. Join us!

Upcoming Events

Sunday Aug 24 10am-3pm Dana Point Car Show

DPWC will be hosting a pop up booth at the Dana Point Car Show. We'll offer tours of Community House every 30 minutes and will be promoting our Club membership and philanthropies. Contact Marla Freeman to volunteer for a 2 hour slot.

Wednesday August 27pm to 3pm - Book Club (see details above)

Thursday Sept 4 11am to 1pm Member Meeting

CLICK HERE for details and to register for our September member meeting. We have two wonderful speakers and will be collecting books for a Palisades Elementary School book drive. Click here to order books from their Project Literacy Amazon WISH LIST. If you are attending the meeting please bring the books there. If not, you can choose the option to deliver them directly to the volunteer librarian.

Friday Sept 12 5pm to 8pm Evening in Tuscany

This fun and delicious event for members, spouses, families and friends, is selling fast. Don't wait to RSVP HERE! Community House will be transformed into a garden in Tuscany for a delicious four course homemade Italian dinner. DPWC's Treasurer, Donna Childress. is making her incredible scratch lasagna with homemade noodles along with a glass of chianti or pinot grigio and other wonderful courses. Not to be missed! Seating will be limited. Net proceeds will benefit Project Scholarship.

Saturday Sept 27 10am-5pm Shop for a Cause

CLICK HERE to join fellow members for a fun shopping day! Be sure to scroll down to "Dana Point Women's Club" at check out to be sure your donation comes to DPWC. See details above.