“If I hadn't joined this club, I wouldn't have met younger or more diverse women,” said Cynthia DeMan, the President of the Royal Oak Women's Club.
The Royal Oak Women's Club was founded in 1902 and has evolved from a study group to a civic and volunteer organization. They operate out of Royal Oak's oldest occupied building. Today, the organization describes itself as a community of more than 120 women connected through service and friendship.
DeMan was able to use her past leadership experience in her current role as the President of the Royal Oak Women's Club. She began as a teacher and administrator. She lived in the Royal Oak area her whole life and first interacted with the club by attending a meet-and-greet.
“It was just a lovely organization and I saw all the things that we do and thought I would love to be a part of this,” DeMan said, “It is a real honor, truly, that people think I am worthy of it, this title.”
It all began in the living room of Francis Lathrup Martin, the founder of the club, over 100 years ago. The members range in all ages, the oldest being 93 years old. The members are women who have an interest in charitable tasks and also want to find friendship in like-minded women.
With a wide variety of what members have done with their careers, it leaves the members an endless amount of knowledge to learn from each other. The club is nonpolitical, nonreligious and a judgment-free space.
Amber Pietsch, the Vice President of The Royal Oak Women’s Club, said, “The clubhouse is very welcoming, it has two main levels. When you go into the lower-level, that is exactly how it looked originally. It is very cozy.”
Jessica Conway is the second VP of The Royal Oak Women’s Club. She said, “It feels like a community when I walk in. When I first walked in it was a new adventure, and now it is almost like an extension of home to me.”
In a recent event, the club worked with a Girl Scouts Brownie troupe to paint “kindness rocks" to give away on their National Day of Service. In November, they are donating books to help the Metro Detroit Youth Association, formerly the Boys and Girls Club, start a library for after-school events. This month, they will sign holiday cards and take them to the VA hospital.
Conway said, “We are very diverse. It goes to show the diversity of the women in our group, what they bring, the different ideas, the different causes. There are some that are easier to do like write nice cards to veterans. It is really great, people donate cards or flowers for the nursing home on Valentine’s Day. It's not just one big gesture, but it is nice little ones that go a long way for the community to know about us.”
In December, they will host a holiday tea for members. Their next public fundraising event takes place every year in March where the club hosts a bingo event. The Leprechaun baseball team will be involved, and this will be the fifth annual bingo event. The club will also be participating in the St. Patrick’s Day parade, as well as the Memorial Day parade.
Pietsch said, “We recently did a food drive and it's for a small organization, Blessings in a Backpack. The first drive we did we gathered so many donations where the public could drop off…we were told that it was the largest amount of donated items they had ever received! We make small differences here and there, but to them, they were just so grateful and it made us all feel really good that we were able to do something like that.”
Now they are going into their 125th year of The Royal Oak Women’s Club. The city honored them with a proclamation at 100 years, and they are anticipating another for the 125th. Maintaining tradition, they are planning to recreate the 100th year photo with their current members.
DeMan said, “I am going to miss not being president next year. We are the only women's club that belongs to the GFWC (General Federation of Women's Clubs) that has a clubhouse. We are the only ones with our own clubhouse!”
100 years ago, the club was a study group that gave women a chance to get out of the house. This turned into fundraising, afternoon fashion shows and luncheons. Now, they tailor what they do to what is going on in their community.
Pietsch said, “People don't know how much goes into caring for this historic home. We just had to get new furnaces, we got insulation put in; eventually we will need a new roof. So part of our fundraising is also to help with the house.”
They use the patio in the clubhouse to host summer parties, such as Cocktails and Conversation, where they collected Soles for Souls. These are shoes donated by their members to help people in need.
Conway said, “I think this group just brings everyone together. I think people are actually looking to share in life with people and learn from others. I have learned so much about our community. There were things I was fully unaware of.”
On their website, they update their events. They also have social media. Guests are welcome to attend the member meetings, as a way to get to know the club. They also have speakers at some meetings, their most recent being from Kitty Kat Rescue. The speaker spoke about feral cat colonies and how to winterize shelter for them. When they have a speaker, their members will donate goods they might need, such as cat litter or milk powder, in this case.
In September, they participated in the Gilda's Walk, volunteered at Care House and the Alzheimer's walk. They also participated in America’s 250 celebration, from April-August and were recognized by The Royal Oak Historical Museum.
Pietsch said, “The knowledge is shared and our purpose is shared.”
“It feels like a community when I walk in. When I first walked in it was a new adventure, and now it is almost like an extension of home to me.” Jessica Conway