WOW seeks to provide its 160+ members the opportunity to learn about their community, support local charitable and civic activities, and socialize in an atmosphere of friendliness and goodwill. Aside from the luncheon meetings held monthly from September through May, WOW members are active in 19 clubs and activities throughout each month. In addition, several activities are planned where members can contribute their time and expertise or enjoy social outings with other members. Examples of these are day trips, fund raising activities and volunteering at our charity.
.... ....A Word from Our President
Hello Ladies.....
Our last meeting of this club year is coming up on May 15, and due to a last-minute mix-up, we’re returning to a longtime favorite—Carrabba’s!
This final gathering is always such a meaningful one, filled with fun, recognition, and gratitude. We’re lucky to have so many women who share their time and talents to make the West Orange Women’s Club such a warm, welcoming, and fun place to be. To honor that, we’ll be recognizing those contributions and sharing a special gift with each member. It truly takes a team of amazing ladies to make each of our monthly luncheons such a success.
We’ll also be celebrating four months of birthdays, installing next year’s officers, and of course, saying our goodbyes until September.
This year brought us exciting firsts, including opening the Main Charity Vote to all members—thanks to a new, affordable software program that helped make our process more inclusive and easy to use.
I hope you’ll join us to help wrap up the year in style. After all, we really do have the nicest ladies in WOW!
Alice Bergeson, President 248-921-6025
Name sound familiar but can't put a face to it? Check out our member photo album. So far 130+ members have been photographed at luncheons. Sorted by first name, you should be able to put a name with a face. Member Photo Album
Note: If you'd like to update your picture, just let me know at a luncheon and I'll retake it. Photographer, Editor, Webmistress - Barbara Aboushahba |
 Clarice Drexler, founding Member of WOW, passed away August 4th
Celebration of Life
2:00 PM, Sunday, September 7, 2025
Pellicer Community Center
1380 CR 2007
Bunnell, FL 32110
Read the entire Obituary Here
One of our founding members, Clarice Drexler, aged 92, passed away on August 4th. She maintained her membership even when she moved away to live with her daughter. She enjoyed hearing our newsletter read to her every month. Clarice, Aurie Bremer, and Jerry Buchanan started WOW as an offshoot of Welcome Wagon. She served multiple terms as President, as well as other Board positions. In addition to organizing the Bazaar, she worked closely with The Russell Home, and many other charities to make WOW a true civic organization. She was a true ambassador for WOW by encouraging membership growth so that we could be active in giving to our community. A few of our longtime members shared the following:
“The day after attending my first WOW meeting, I received a call from Clarice. I loved her sweet Southern voice and felt an instant connection. She told me more about the club and ways I could become involved (which I did). Then we talked at length about the many things we had in common since we were both Southerners with many connections to Georgia. We became very close friends and remained close until the end. I was blessed to be with her just a couple of days before her passing. I talked to her about the loved ones she’d soon see and the many friends from WOW who’d gone on before her. I’m so thankful to WOW for introducing me to this funny, caring woman who became so dear to me and so many others. She was truly a special lady!” Nancy May
“I have tons of great memories about Clarice; she was a pistol. Great fun and so very caring!” Noel McGuigan.
“Clarice was one of the first ladies I met in 1994 when I joined WOW. I felt a little out of place, but Clarice welcomed me and got me very much involved, making me feel very comfortable. Over the years we worked together, and she was a joy to be with, always upbeat and smiling. Always looking fashionable. Just a lovely human being. “ Louella Palermo
“I joined WOW in 2001 or 2002 when Karen Bogart was President. I always remember Clarice for her smile, her sense of humor and dedication to WOW in every way She loved welcoming new members and encouraged involvement in events and charity drives which makes West Orange Women such a great group and builds friendships that are so rewarding. She will always be remembered.” Suzanne Bender
To read about claric's life outside of WOW
click HERE.
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Our next luncheon will be
September 11th at
Cariera's Fresh Italian
1041 S. Dillard St.Winter Garden, FL
Reservations due August 31st
Another exciting event scheduled is a WOW Ladies Cruise. Nov 3-7, 2025 on Royal Caribbean’s Utopia of the Seas. Please contact me (Alice B) if you are interested. We still have a few cabins on hold. Fully refundable until August of 2025. Couples are now welcome to join our cruise.
Membership
Jan Penrose, 2nd VP
Ladies,
Our membership total is 169 and growing. I also invite you to follow us on Facebook.
Please email me at janpenrose28@gmail.com if you change any of your contact information.
We now have a Membership Committee consisting of Shari Barker, Patti Williams, Carolyn Conner, Wynne Sirbu, and Cynthia Johnson-Guarino. Some of these ladies will help you find a fun group to sit with at the luncheon. If you would like to join this committee, please let me know.
The 2025-2026 Directory is on this website. Directory.
Jan Penrose 2ND VP – MEMBERSHIP, westorangewomen@gmail.com |
