Clara Barton Women's Club ends after 75 years Service organization to donate $30,000 as final act BY CHRIS GAETANO Staff Writer EDISON - After 75 years of cookie tins and kitchen bands, of dance classes and sponsorships, the Clara Barton Women's Club, a service organization that brought Edison's ladies together to participate in various charitable causes, is disbanding. The remaining members' swan song, however, will take the form of a $30,000 contribution to various charitable organizations. The club was founded in 1932 and during its heyday had more than 100 members, with a waiting list to join the club. It was formed by about five ladies who initially would meet in schools and perform service projects for various charitable causes. The women's club would sell tins of cookies, make dolls for children in hospitals, and hold fundraisers. They would also sponsor one girl a year to attend the Career Institute for Girls at Douglass College. Another prominent part of the club was the all-female Kitchen Band, an orchestra that would perform at various functions. "It was just one of the major activities for women back in that time," said Elise Tate, granddaughter of the current president of the club, Louise Oros. … "A lot of the housewives wanted to become involved in the community, and women's clubs was one of the ways that they did that." The organization originally held meetings at various schools but eventually raised enough funds to have a permanent club house built, which gave them the space to hold more events, including dance classes. Oros said that over the years, membership had been in decline, until only two people remained: herself and Clara Eckhart. With this in mind, it made sense to Oros to turn the page on the women's club. "I really feel bad that it is ending, but a lot of our members have either passed away or moved out of town, and it was down to, actually, really only two of us left, and the other one, that was the treasurer. … I certainly don't want to take it on myself," said Oros, who has lived in Edison since 1959. Oros said that she would like to give the remainder of the club's funds away in the form of three $10,000 contributions, though she said she hadn't yet decided which organizations would be the recipients. She is considering the American Heart Association and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. The donation will be made within the next couple of months. During her years living in Edison, Oros has seen many changes. She noted that houses stand on what were once wide-open fields. She recalled that some buildings that were once part of the neighborhood, like the old schools, are now gone, replaced with newer versions. She said she will miss being a part of the women's club and is sad that it is ending, but saw no other way, given the circumstances. "It was a great club and we had some good times," Oros said. "The people, you know, very nice, just some nice thing to belong to. … I really hate to see it end, but I have no choice. It just can't go on this way."