A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE STONEBRIDGE WOMEN’S CLUB
As related by Gwen Erlich and Rosalind Blinder, April 2019
It was the spring of 2007. There were about 60 homes occupied here at Stonebridge. We did not have a Clubhouse or any place for people to meet and socialize. As we met our neighbors and became acquainted, friendships developed. We often carried our card tables and chairs to one another’s homes to play Mah Jongg and Canasta.
Gwen Erlich came up with an idea for a Women’s Club. She broached the subject to the sales staff and they welcomed the idea. We began to meet on the third Thursday of the month in the Sales Office trailer. Lennar provided pizza, salads and Chinese food for the meetings that were held in the sales center. There were guest speakers at each meeting. It was so much fun to see women walking to the Sales Office each month to attend these meetings. One of our first activities was a field trip to Nordstrom’s in Freehold Mall. We were met by the store manager and given a tour, lunch and a day of discount shopping at Nordstrom’s. We also went to Lowenstein’s Furniture in Edison, where decorators gave us tips and arranged appointments to help us choose furniture and colors for our walls. We had fun going to one another’s homes to see how they were painted and decorated. We enjoyed sharing our decorating ideas, but more importantly our friendships.
Just imagine carloads of women, going to someone’s home to play Canasta, bringing bridge tables and chairs so we could have 4 or 5 tables of women playing. Eventually a large trailer was set up on the east side of the parking lot. It housed the manager and the social director. There was a large room with a pool table and a couple of card tables, two offices, 6 treadmills and a kitchen for the staff.
A sub-committee was formed to write by-laws, a slate of officers was presented, elections took place and our Women’s Club was started. Our founder and first president was Gwen Erlich and our list of presidents continues to grow. The first Women’s Club party was Labor Day 2007 in the parking lot in front of the sales office. Lennar supplied and covered the cost of tents, tables and chairs. Everyone who came to the party brought their favorite dish. We used a boom box so that we would have music for our festive occasion.
We grew too big for the Sales Office. This prompted Gwen to get a venue that would accommodate all of the women. She arranged for the Monroe Township Library to allow us to use a room in the library at no cost. We used that room until our present day clubhouse was built and ready for occupancy in November 2009.
We had wonderful Holiday Parties at Knob Hill Golf Club, Crown Plaza Hotel and Forsgate Country Club. We also organized a Progressive Luncheon until we became too many to go to one another’s homes. We even provided a themed recipe book for the Progressive Luncheon attendees. We had cookie exchanges at Christmas time as well. (Notice the theme…meet, greet, eat!) which led to our hosting Weight Watchers in our clubhouse for several years. We had Oscar Night parties in the Clubhouse Theater, with our own red carpet covering the hall carpet. It was a fun time, everyone was eager to help and contribute to making the Stonebridge Women’s Club a viable, charitable organization. The men, seeing the comradery amongst the women, formed a Men’s Club, which also met in the Sales Office.
Over the years each president has added to our Women’s Club history with their dedication, leadership and array of ideas. Their interest and loyalty to our club has contributed to its success. Today (April 17, 2019) the Stonebridge Women’s Club continues to be a viable, charitable, and amazing organization with a membership of 527 women.
As our friendships continue so does Our Story…
Together We Can Do Anything!!