Welcome back to all after the summer that almost wasn't. Thank goodness the rain stopped in August and summer finally began

Although I expected to be away for the first meeting, my plans changed and I am happy to say "I'll see you in September"…the 8th to be exact.

We are welcoming five new members this year: Lorra Colwell, Carol Fellepa, June Fincken, Liz Massena and Leslie Wilson. We are happy to have them become fellow Newcomers.

We also will be welcoming a new group, Belly Dancing, with Mervet as instructor. This should be lots of fun and a good workout as well.

I look forward to a very rewarding year, meeting old friends, making new ones, learning new things, but most of all being there for each other.

Out activities will bring us together whether walking for the cure, reading a book, knitting, digging in the dirt, playing ukulele or belly dancing to name a few.

SO LET THE FUN BEGIN!!!

With my aloha, Connie (La nueva presidente)

SEPTEMBER BIRTHDAYS : Wishing continued health and happiness to: Lorra Colwell - 9/23, Claire Gray – 9/12, Mary Loudin – 9/8 and Helen Rezzonico - 9/5.

Our first meeting of the Club year will be held on Tuesday, September 8th, at the West Milford Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall. Come and socialize beginning at 9:30 a.m. with coffee and refreshments supplied by the Club. The meeting will begin at 10 a.m.

Our program for our September meeting will be "Bringing Sustainability to West Milford presented by Dave and Wendy Watson-Hallowell, founders as well as President and Vice President of Sustainable West Milford. They will cover topics such as What is Sustainability, What is Sustainable West Milford Doing About It and How You Can Get Involved. Since our township's environment and sustainability are of concern to all of us, we encourage you to attend this informative presentation.

Blanche, Connie and Maria-Elena will be bringing refreshments and serving as temporary Hostesses until our Hospitality Goddess, Deb Manfredonio is back on her feet. Volunteers will be needed to bring refreshments to future meetings.

BEST WISHES to Elaine Hossfield and Debra Manfredonio who are recovering from surgery. We wish them a complete and speedy recovery.

THANK YOU to Jennifer Leonard-Hahn for agreeing to be this year's Publicity Chairman.

BABYSITTING: On site babysitting is provided for $5 per family at our meetings. We are so pleased that Sharon Grady will once again be providing our babysitting service. Please pay our treasurer, Pauline Docwra, when you come in, pack snacks and drinks for your own children and label their belongings, especially if they have their own drinking cup.

NEW MEMBERS: Please welcome our new members: Lorra Colwell, Carol Felepa, June Fincken, Liz Massena and Leslie Wilson.

DUES: Our yearly dues will remain at $20. If you are presently a member, please pay your dues by our second meeting which will be on October 13th. If you cannot attend either of our first two meetings, please mail your dues to the West Milford Newcomers Club, P.O. Box 635, Hewitt, NJ 07421. If we do not receive your dues by the end of October, we will assume you are not rejoining the Club and remove you from our directory, mailing list and e-mail lists. Women new to the Club but interested in finding out more about us, may attend two meetings as well as our other activities before joining.

ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS: As we have been doing for several years, we will include the advertising of our members’ or their husbands’ businesses in our Membership Directory. If you know of any other business that may want to advertise in our Directory, they are welcome to do so. Ads will run $25 for a half page and can be made from a business card . Please send both the ads and payment for them to our Treasurer, Pauline Docwra, at The West Milford Newcomers Club, P.O. Box 635, Hewitt, NJ 07421.

DIRECTORY AND E-MAILS: E-MAILED MONTHLY NEWSLETTERS: Each month, we send the current month’s newsletter and calendar by e-mail to all our members. Only those members with no e-mail will receive a postal mailed newsletter. We no longer used graphics in our newsletter so all members with e-mail should be able to read it on their computers. Also, our current month's newsletter can always be read at our website, www.newcomersclub.net.

RAFFLE: Members are encouraged to bring items to be raffled off each month. You can clear out the clutter from your house and help the Club at the same time. The money earned from these raffles goes into our Club treasury to help defray monthly meeting expenses.

SUNSHINE SQUAD: Having friends help you out during a bad time can mean a lot. Helen Rezzonico is once again chairing this wonderful service the club provides for its members. The Sunshine Squad helps out members during difficult times by delivering dinners to them after surgery, giving birth or a serious illness. If you willing to be called on to be of service to your fellow members at such times, please let Helen know.

New ideas are ALWAYS welcome! If there is another group activity you would like to see implemented, or if you have a special interest or talent that you would like to share with others, then ‘Please’ let us know either through the newsletter or email or at the monthly meeting.