The Junior Woman’s Club of Verona recently wrapped up a very successful year and received several honors at the New Jersey State Federation of Women’s Clubs convention that took place May 2-4.

At the convention, the Juniors were recognized with top honors for its outstanding activities around advocacy for children, home life, communications, fundraising, conservation and leadership.  Verona Fights Hunger Week was specifically recognized as one of the top community improvement programs spearheaded by a woman’s club in NJ.

The Juniors’ 2015-2016 fundraising efforts benefited from tremendous community support and enabled the club to donate $13,000 to Verona organizations, such as the fire department, rescue squad, library and PBA. These donations include funds for all of the local schools, elementary through high school.

In Oct. 2015, the Juniors led Verona Fights Hunger Week, the second annual town-wide food drive collected 1,600 bags of food for the Human Needs Food Pantry in Montclair and an additional $2,000 in donations for that organization.  The Juniors also partnered with the Verona Environmental Commission to create a new pocket park on Grove Avenue holding a ribbon cutting event on Nov. 21, 2015.

The Junior Woman’s Club of Verona grew its membership, adding fourteen members in 2015-2016.

“Our Club continues to grow our membership and this growth is critical to the support we give to households in need in our community, our schools and local non-profit organizations,” said Erika Grothues, the club’s president.

The Junior Woman’s Club of Verona is a versatile organization that has been involved in social and charitable work since its inception in 1926. The Juniors address Verona’s diverse needs by promoting education, preserving natural resources, encouraging healthy lifestyles, working on behalf of the elderly and people with disabilities, supporting participation in the arts and advocating for issues of concern to women, children and families.

Anyone interested in learning more about this very active organization of women should visit www.veronajuniors.org. Prospective members also are welcome at business meetings, which are held the second Wednesday of each month, except April, July, August and December, at 8 p.m. in the Verona Community Center.