Join Welcome Club for first meeting of new year

Start the new year off by joining the members of the Welcome Club of the Fox Valley for their general meeting and entertaining "ice-breaker" program at 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 5, at the Fox Valley Presbyterian Church, 227 East Side Drive in Geneva.

As a change of pace from the regular meetings, this month they will be hosting a photo contest. Program vice presidents Virginia Swanson, Mary Schultz, Linda Goodwin and Karen Lambert have decided to have a contest to see who is able to identify the most club members correctly.

However, participants will be looking at photos of members that were taken when the subjects were babies to 5 years of age. The top three to correctly identify the members will receive a prize. Don't forget to bring your 3- by 5-inch photo.

The Welcome Club of the Fox Valley is a social and philanthropic organization for women in the area who are interested in meeting and making new friends through various social and fundraising activities. This calendar year, the charity is the Elderday Center in Batavia.

Many members reside in areas around the Fox Valley, including Aurora, Batavia, Bartlett, Elburn, Elgin, Geneva, Lily Lake, Maple Park, North Aurora, St. Charles, South Elgin, Sugar Grove and surrounding areas.

The group meets regularly during the months of September through June. Each monthly meeting includes a meet-and-greet, which kicks off the meeting, followed by a short general business meeting, an entertaining and informative program.

Club activities include breakfast, lunch and dinner outings; group games such as bunco, bridge, mah-jongg, pinochle, tile rummy, Mexican train dominoes and scrabble; Lifestories, a memoir group, mini-book groups, movie and theater outings; a sewing group; a walking group; a special "singles" group; an end-of-year picnic; informal dinner parties, and more. New activities and interests groups are added frequently by our members. Come and enjoy an evening of seeing old friends, meeting new ones, and making plans for a fun-filled year.

The annual membership fee of $25 provides you with a membership directory and a monthly newsletter that recaps the upcoming monthly events and activities.

For membership information, call Carol at (630) 482-9090, or Dawn at (630) 262-0815, or visit www.welcomeclubfoxvalley.org.