As the Dana Point Women’s Club (DPWC) persists in its efforts to renovate its Community House, the nonprofit announced during its meeting on Nov. 2 that it was the beneficiary of a $35,000 grant from the County of Orange.
As one of the DPWC’s primary sources of revenue, proceeds from meeting and event rentals at the 1950s-era Community House on San Juan Avenue help the nonprofit fund its philanthropic contributions and maintain the building.
DPWC President Kathy Belanger explained that club members met with Orange County Fifth District Supervisor Katrina Foley in August “to discuss the needs of this building that needed some real help.”
“She prepared a grant proposal outlining what we need, and we were delighted that the supervisor granted that $35,000 out of her discretionary funds,” Belanger said.
In an emailed statement, Foley said she saw “firsthand the state of the building and the urgent need for repairs to allow the club to continue as a resource for private and local events” when she toured the Community House.
“A longtime staple in our community, I’m happy to help restore the Dana Point Women’s Club so we can continue to use the facilities to raise revenue for the positive initiatives the Women’s Club supports, and as a place for community gatherings,” Foley said.
Belanger added that the club planned to thank the supervisor for the grant funds during its Dec. 7 meeting.
DPWC First Vice President Toni Nelson noted that the Community House has two needs. “The first need was just basically to put lipstick on the building so that (Community House Director Jody Hughes) would be able to rent it, so we wanted it to just look better,” she said.
“So the $35,000 just gives us enough money to do the little basic things that have to take place, but we’re still looking for the big, big grant which is going to allow us to put in air conditioning, renovate our bathrooms, make them ADA, make a full catering kitchen; we want to add 500 square feet here for storage and so on,” Nelson continued.
The club has worked to update the 1950s-era Community House on San Juan Avenue, recently replacing the carpeting with vinyl plank flooring.
“We’re going to be painting the exterior of the building,” Nelson said. “There’s some other things that you’re going to notice every month when you come, and all of that helps us to improve our rentals, because if we’re able to improve our rentals, we get more revenue, and that helps us to keep the building going and to fulfill our philanthropic purposes.”
Discussion about this post