The Club, founded 100 years ago with the goals of philanthropy, service and fellowship, continues today through the support of the Club members. In May Philanthropy Committee members Georgia Jesse, Mary Ann Mazza, Deirdre Winters, Therese Boyd and Chair Carolyn Gallaher gathered at the Larchmont Avenue Church and packed 30 Release Bags for the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women. Often the women are released from prison with little to no essential items, not even a toothbrush. Throughout the spring Club members donated these essential items in order to create the Release Bags.
On that May day they were assisted by Kate Bialo, who dropped off a Suburban carful of boxes of items collected, and Betty Roodal and Gerry Gaitan of the Larchmont Avenue Church, who assembled the bins of donations onto tables. In addition to the filled release bags, 25 empty canvas bags were given to the sponsoring organization, IPP (Interfaith Prison Project) which has donations but no tote bags.
Due to the generosity of Furniture Sharehouse and the Larchmont Mamaroneck Lions Club, both of which supported this effort, funds were left over and will be used to create Children’s Activity Kits (crayons, notebooks, coloring and activity books). These kits will be available at the Correctional Facility since children visiting their mothers cannot bring anything with them, even a picture they made for their mothers at home. It is hoped that the recipients of the Release Bags and Children’s Activity Kits will view them as expressions of support for the women as they meet the challenges of building a new, crime free life for themselves and their families.
