Philanthropic Projects 2024

The SCWC is proud of the work completed and contributions made to the San Clemente community in 2024! The club gave back over $22,000 to various non-profit organizations and scholarships to San Clemente High School graduates this past year. Additionally, our members volunteered thousands of hours of their time working on projects benefiting the community.

 Education & Libraries

San Clemente High School PTSA:  The SCWC initiated a grant application process to solicit requests from potential local non-profits who might benefit from the club’s support. The grant application was available on the SCWC website and members were encouraged to take an application to an organization that they would like SCWC to consider. A Grant Review Committee was formed with four members to review the applications and present to the members for approval. San Clemente Woman’s Club donated $2,000 to San Clemente High School PTSA for books and supplies for its recently renovated library facility. The check was presented to the representative of the PTSA at the November 2024 meeting.

San Clemente High School Scholarships:  Members of the SCWC Scholarship Committee oversee the scholarship application and selection process. Applicants must complete our Scholarship Award Application and include an unofficial high school transcript and two letters of recommendation. Each applicant is reviewed and scored by three committee members. The scores are then calculated and the finalists are selected. In 2024, the SCWC received a total of 30 applications, and awarded a total of $9,000 in scholarships to six San Clemente High School seniors to support their pursuit of higher education. The SCWC scholarship committee members attended and participated in the scholarship award night on May 2, 2024.

The American Association of University Women (AAUW) Tech Trek Program: San Clemente Woman’s Club funded $1,300 to sponsor an eighth-grade student to attend camp at Whittier College in the summer of 2024. The American Association of University Women (AAUW), San Clemente-Capistrano Bay Branch sponsors ten rising eighth grade girls by providing the experience of living one week on a college campus and participating in hands-on activities in math, science and related fields.  This program began in 1988 at Stanford University. This branch works with four local middle schools and the girls are nominated by their 7th grade Science or Math teachers. Students get parental permission, write an essay and apply for camp. Interviews are held and students are selected. Tech Trek’s goal is to ignite an existing spark of interest in STEM, so enthusiasm for STEM is one of the qualifications, along with a student’s access or lack of, to other enrichment programs, and evidence of curiosity and potential.

Book Club:  The SCWC has an active book club that meets monthly throughout the year, with reading selections made at the end of the prior year by the members. Last year’s choices included historical fiction, non-fiction, fantasy and classic literature. The book club encourages members to read selections “outside the box” of what they might otherwise choose to read on various subjects. Members are encouraged to bring a book to donate to the San Clemente Friends of the Library Bookstore to each meeting.

 Civic Engagement & Outreach

Marine Baby Shower: The SCWC supported the 1st Combat Engineering Battalion Baby Shower held at the San Onofre Beach Club on Camp Pendelton on September 7, 2024. A total of 20 families attended. SCWC members helped to prepare “baby bundles” tailored for each family. During the shower, our club members served as hosts while they decorated, served food, distributed gifts, ran games and helped clean up. Funds donated by SCWC went to purchase an array of needed baby items ranging from car seats and strollers to clothes and teethers. Many of these young families are having their first child and are far away from family support. This year, we combined the shower with a short presentation on infant/family services available in the area, both on and off the base, thereby providing access to everything they may need as they begin their new families.

San Clemente/Dorothy Visser Senior Donation:  Through the club’s grant application process, the San Clemente/Dorothy Visser Senior Center was awarded $1,000 in 2024. These funds will help support the senior center’s efforts to engage and assist the community’s senior population. (In addition to this donation, club members volunteer for the center’s Meals on Wheels program, detailed in the Health and Wellness section). 

Memorial Day Observance Wreath:  SCWC again participated in the City of San Clemente’s Memorial Day Celebration by attending the event as well as creating and presenting a patriotic wreath on behalf of the club.  Club members attended the ceremony and presented the wreath in San Clemente’s historic downtown in honor of our fallen military. 

Boys & Girls Club of the South Coast Area Donation: The SCWC donated $1,000 to the BGCSCA for its STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) projects, and for art supplies for the after-school art program.

 Domestic & Sexual Violence Awareness and Prevention

Donations to the I-5 Freedom Network, the Keeping Every Girl Free organization and support for Saddleback Church’s Anti Human Trafficking ministry. Throughout the year, SCWC provided funds, in kind clothing and gifts for survivors, and volunteer assistance to these organizations to help raise awareness and assist in the prevention of domestic violence and human trafficking in our local community.

The Just One Project:  The club purchased, and members distributed 150 “Just One” project decals with the National Domestic Violence Hotline phone # to be placed in businesses and public spaces throughout San Clemente. Members met with the City of San Clemente to request the decals be installed in the city’s public restrooms in certain areas downtown. It is SCWC’s hope that even “Just One” individual has been helped as a result of this effort.

Environment

Recycling Program:  SCWC’s Environmental Committee initiated a recycling program in 2024, encouraging members to collect plastic and glass bottles as well as aluminum cans for recycling. Funds raised through this effort help support the club’s other environmental efforts and projects.

Donation to “Save Our Beaches”:  SCWC donated funds in support of the local non-profit Save Our Beaches organization’s coastal monitoring device project. The CoastSnap device will be installed on the San Clemente pier and will allow the public to take a photo using their personal cell phone and the cradle device to help monitor coastline changes over time.

Beach Clean-Ups: Members participated in multiple San Clemente beach clean-ups during 2024 and encourage community participation in future clean-ups in an effort to keep our precious coastline, beaches, and water clean and safe.

Pet Project Foundation Donation:  SCWC donated $1,000 to the Pet Project Foundation, which is the non-profit rescue partner for the pro-humane (no kill) San Clemente-Dana Point Animal Shelter. The Pet Project Foundation provides 100% of all veterinary care and food for the animals as well as donating thousands of hours of volunteer time each year to ensure that every animal in its care will have a safe refuge until a permanent, loving home can be found. The funding provided by SCWC will go toward veterinary care, including paying for spay/neutering, vaccinations and microchipping the animals. Additionally, several SCWC members are active volunteers for the organization and work with the animals on a regular basis. In early 2025, SCWC plans to schedule a tour of the facility which we hope will result in increased member participation in volunteering and potential adoptions.

Health & Wellness

Meals on Wheels Volunteering:  SCWC and its members deliver meals to seniors three Wednesdays of each month via the Meals on Wheels program operated out of the San Clemente Senior Center.  Over the course of the year this amounts to hundreds of meals delivered and hundreds of volunteer hours provided by members. Not only are recipients appreciative of the meals, but also the human contact that helps brighten their day. Many members also donate their time volunteering at the senior center on a regular basis.

FAM Diaper Donations, Food Drive and Holiday Adopt-A-Family program: FAM is a charitable non-profit alliance based in San Clemente that assists those in need with food, shelter, and personalized supportive services. In 2024 SCWC continued to support FAM by donating diapers on a quarterly basis, exceeding 8,000 diapers provided. In October, the club organized a food drive and delivered more than 300 pounds of non-perishable food items. In December, the club funded and purchased requested holiday gifts for a total of 20 children in need.

 Arts & Culture

Cabrillo Playhouse Donation and Support: The Cabrillo Playhouse has served as San Clemente’s local community theater since 1953. The Playhouse structure is in need of renovation, and they are actively raising funds to modify the stage and increase the roof height over the stage. The SCWC donated $1,000 toward this effort and has also supported the Playhouse by scheduling and arranging for members to purchase tickets and attend performances as a group.

San Clemente Utility Box Art Program: The City of San Clemente initiated an effort to revive its utility box public art program in 2024 and reached out to SCWC to participate in this effort. 16 utility boxes throughout the city have been identified, and the program was approved by the City Council in January 2025 to move forward. The next step will be a call for submissions by local artists. SCWC hopes to be included in the artist selection process as well as helping to secure local business and corporate sponsors to fund the artist supplies and stipend.