December Luncheon Program

A Couple Sings Opera

Georgi and Ashley are a husband and wife singing team. They recently moved to St. Augustine from Western Europe, where they excelled in old-fashioned, warm and uplifting cabaret style entertainment, singing all styles of music.  

Georgi grew up behind the Iron Curtain in the Old Soviet Union, and at the age of 20 he escaped and was able to move New York City, where he studied singing at the Juilliard School of Music. He then returned to Europe and enjoyed a career singing opera as a bass, winning international competitions and singing major roles.

Ashley was born and raised in nearby Savannah, and has earned an advanced music degree from the University of Georgia. She loves to sing and teach, and is very glad to be back in America.

Ashley and Georgi have both traveled and performed extensively around the world. They like to regale their audiences with their unusual experiences, and to also share their deep appreciation for the USA and the American people that their travels have afforded them. 

Angel Tree

In the month of November the Angel Tree project brought in approximately $2300 in gifts for children and families at the Homeless Coalition and almost $2500 for Food 4 Kids. Our Angel Tree was such a success this year because we offered virtual ornaments to our membership through our website. Members who were not comfortable attending events in person were still afforded an opportunity to participate in this holiday project. We also received additional monetary gifts of $5000 for the Homeless Coalition and another $5000 for Food 4 Kids. Even during the pandemic our members have been generous recognizing the needs of others.

November Luncheon Program

We enjoyed being back at the club! Lots of activity taking place - sign up table for social events, printed directories were handed out to those who did not receive them at Sunday’s Welcome Back Cocktail Party, and the Angel Tree had only 7 angels left at the end of the lunch. Camille Kay and Paula Hutson did a fantastic job simplifying the process. Our members were able to select angels from the website so everyone was able to participate not just those who could come out and play. If you did not get your directory yet, it will be arriving on your doorstep next week.

Lunch was delicious!

Buttermilk Fried Chicken Breast with Local Honey Drizzle, Mashed Potatoes, Fall Squash Medley with Pumpkin Cheesecake for Dessert

Our Program Presenter, The Honey Truck Company ‘s founder, Danielle Brooks was fantastic. She had all of us ladies engaged, asking questions and laughing! How great it was to laugh. We also learned so much about BEES and how bees and humans have so much in common!

On the serious side, Hilde Berdine updated us all on Community Outreach happenings. We are so grateful to our generous membership. Since August we have collected over $3000 and have given it to our charities so they can use as needed. We are a community of generous and strong women!

October Luncheon at Embassy Suites

We had our first luncheon at the Embassy Suites on Monday, October 12th. We were all so happy to see familiar faces as well as several new members and guests. Embassy Suites did an amazing job following the CDC guidelines. The food was great, but seeing each other was the best part. St. Augustine Distillery generously donated a basket for us to raffle and Debbie Coates, Past President & Advisor was the lucky winner! Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. 

We will be hosting our welcome back cocktail party on Sunday, Nov. 8th at Marsh Creek Country Club from 4:30pm-6:30pm.  The event will be poolside as well as in the dining room. We are excited to welcome everyone back and hand out the printed membership directories.

The menu included: Medley of Young Seasonal Lettuces,Tomatoes, Cucumbers, and Balsamic Dressing + Cavatappi pasta with Grilled Chicken Breast in a Roasted Garlic Cream Sauce + Bread and Butter + Coffee, Tea and Dessert.

After dessert, Cheri Keirstead, co-chair of the Outreach Committee presented on behalf of the Outreach Committee.

Giving Circle - Thank you

MCWA has always been a social and charitable organization. Last year, the Outreach Committee introduced a new idea of  "The Giving Circle" giving all members an opportunity to connect with our selected charities throughout the year by way of monetary donations, volunteer service, donating tangible items and/or attending charity fundraisers.

Last season and throughout the summer, we have many examples of the Giving Circle in action make a difference in our community.  You can learn more by visiting our website.

This year we've added another opportunity to allow members to be involved even through these difficult times.  We added donation buttons to each of our charity pages.

We want to thank all of our members for their generosity in the first months of this season!

Donations In Previous Months

The 3 charities that we are supporting this year are: The Emergency Services and Homeless Coalition, Food 4 Kids and the Betty Griffin Rape Care Unity.  You can learn more about these wonderful organizations and how they are supporting and helping members of our community.

In August our generous members donated $2, 648. 84 to ESHC Included in this amount are 44 pairs of shoes to Emergency Services Homeless Coalitions.

In September, our charity focus was Food 4 Kids.  We are pleased to announce that once again, our generous members donated $1, 343. 69 that will help feed underprivileged students and their siblings at South Woods Elementary School in Elkton, FL. $25 feeds once child for a month.  $35 includes milk and bread.  Thank you to Barbara Allford, an MCWA member and the Director of Food 4 Kids and to Adrienne Lyons,  our liaison to this wonderful organization.

Focus Charity for October -Betty Griffin Rape Care Unit

This month our charity focus is Betty Griffin Rape Care Unit. Funding from the Marsh Creek Women’s Association will be utilized to assist with Betty Griffin Center’s Rape Care Unit and Sexual Assault Recovery Program. As a dual center, Betty Griffin Center serves both survivors and secondary victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. The Rape Care Unit is a significant component of their emergency services that provides critical, quality and life-saving services.

Donations will be used for critical medical supplies.  If you are interested in donating, you can either write a check directly to Betty Griffin Rape Care Unit. or use our secure website to make a donation using your credit card. 

Angel Tree

We are happy to announce that during this challenging time for all of us, we will be continuing our tradition of the Christmas Angel Tree as our way of spreading holiday cheer to the children and families of our selected charities. 

In November our ladies have always picked a paper angel ornament from the tree with a gift suggestion to purchase.  These gifts are brought to the December luncheon, and members of the Outreach Committee deliver them to our charities.  Of course this year with our Covid concerns and the heightened need of our charities, our approach to the Angel Tree needs to change a bit.  We will still have our tree at the November luncheon, but we will also have a way for MCWA members to select an angel on our website.

Be on the lookout for an email on November 1st with all the details.