Ocean Pines Women's Club turns 45

(April 13, 2020) Since 1974, the Women’s Club of Ocean Pines has raised tens of thousands of dollars for area scholarships, and offered countless local women an outlet both to socialize and give back to their community.   

Now in its 45th year, the Women’s Club boasts a roster of more than 100 members.   

The club began to develop in 1972, when a group of women met to play cards, sew and talk about their new community. Originally known as the “Year Rounders Club,” the fledgling group raised $500 for the Ocean Pines Association from two bazaars they organized, with that money later going to the purchase of a living community Christmas tree and card tables for the new Community Center. At the time, the primary purpose of the club was to acquaint new residents with the community and to promote social and civic activities.     

The Women’s Club of Ocean Pines was officially established in 1974, and in 1975 the club bought an “electro-printer” to aid in the publishing of the first Ocean Pines Homeowners Directory. The directory sold for $1 and included listings for 106 full-time homeowner residents and 66 long-term renters. Club dues at the time were $3 per year.    

By 1981, total Women’s Club charitable donations topped $2,000. Just seven years later, in 1988, the club donated $19,000 from its Memorial Fund toward construction of the White Horse Park pavilion, representing the single-largest donation for that project.    

Since 2007 alone, the group has awarded $42,450 in scholarships to 38 high school seniors. During the same period, the Women’s Club also donated $23,725 to more than a dozen local groups, from Ocean Pines’ Recreation and Parks, Police and Fire departments, to Star Charities, Women Supporting Women, Coastal Hospice, Worcester County GOLD, and Worcester Youth and Family Counseling Services.   

Current President Donna McCracken joined in 2005 at the request of then-president Janet Balbo, who was a close friend.  

“She said, ‘I need your support and I need you to work.’ We knew each other from our past work years, so that’s how I got involved,” she said. 

McCracken first spent several years chairing the group’s Scholarship Committee.  

“I really enjoyed that,” she said. “For one, it was educational for me to learn about the community that I’d moved into, especially that the average income is not necessarily what we, the residents that came here, thought it was. I would see these applications of kids who came from a single-parent family and that were living with four kids on less than $20,000 a year. It just opened my eyes up to the county that I was living in.”  

Diane McGraw moved to The Parke community within Ocean Pines in 2001, and right away became involved in volunteer groups both locally and at the state level. 

“I started with the Women’s Club in 2008 and my first position was treasurer,” she said. “That suited me, because I’d previously been a treasurer of things like bowling leagues, swim teams and volleyballs leagues.”  

McGraw for a decade has overseen club publicity and recently created a Facebook presence for the Women’s Club. She was also appointed as the group’s first budget director.   

“During retirement, the Women’s Club is the venue for utilizing your talents while enjoying time socializing with women in the Pines,” she said.  

Today, the Women’s Club focuses on scholarships for high school seniors based in Ocean Pines. To raise money, the club hosts game parties, fashion shows, bake sales and garage sales, and other social events. They also invite guest speakers to regular monthly meetings.   

Most of the funds raised go toward scholarships, each year awarded in May to local high school seniors and based on academic achievement, extracurricular involvement and dedication to the community.   

Scholarship levels vary each year depending on how much money is raised, but the Women’s Club has given as much as $6,000 in total in a single year.   

One student recipient, according to McCracken, later paid it forward to the tune of more than $2,500 in donations back to the Women’s Club.   

“He’s now married and has two kids and lives in Salisbury, and he has his own business. When I was at Stephen Decatur last year during their award ceremony, I shared that story so I could plant seeds in those kids!” she said with a laugh.   

McCracken said it moved her, during past award ceremonies, to see all the different opportunities for local seniors who might otherwise struggle to pay for college. She said many local businesses contribute money, while several local families have created scholarships to honor loved ones.  

The Women’s Club has also contributed money for scholarships to Ocean Pines summer camps, and supported initiatives like the Ocean Pines Skateboard Park and the Worcester County Veterans Memorial.   

In fact, there’s only one stipulation to become the recipient of a Women’s Club donation: the money must benefit local people.  

“When we give to a group that is located outside of Ocean Pines and they provide services for the county, we always say the money has to be earmarked for Ocean Pines,” she said. “Like with Women Supporting Women, it has to go an Ocean Pines woman.”  

With groups like the Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, for instance, McGraw said Women’s Club funding must specifically aid programs in Ocean Pines schools.   

Along with flourishing scholarship and fundraising programs, the Women’s Club has also recently seen a flurry of new members.  

“Over the last couple months, we have picked up new women who were for the most part new residents, and they’ve got great ideas and energy and new blood, so I’m really excited about what I see happening,” McCracken said. “The Women’s Club is a great way of meeting your neighbors and supporting your community.”  

“It’s a great organization and I love the new people coming in,” McGraw added. “They have all kinds of great ideas and they’re ready to make baskets for the fashion show. They’re really gung-ho, which is great!”  

The group is always looking for new members, as well as new donors. Officers serve two-year terms, and members meet on the first Thursday of each month, except for July and August. Annual dues are $10.   

For anyone interested, contact McCracken at 410-641-6163, or email [email protected].