Dormont Women’s Club Disbanding

After 90 years of charity and community service, the is disbanding due to dwindling membership and busy schedules.

In the nine decades that the organization has been part of the community, it has made thousands of dollars worth of donations to local events and other organizations, and participated in a number of community projects.

It’s sad to see the end of such a long-standing organization, especially for member Jane Fontaine, who has been a member since 1989. Fontaine currently is a board member and the historian for the organization. In the past she has served as treasurer, president and past president, which is a separate position.

“I’m not even one of the oldest members,” she said. “We’ve had people here that have been members since the 1970s. It is sad to see it end.”

Fontaine said membership has been dwindling for the past several years, and busy schedules made it difficult for members to help as much as they had in the past. This year, when no one was able to commit to the role of vice president, the group decided to disband.

“We’ve been trying to get more younger people in their 30s and 40s, but if you have kids in school you’re active in PFO and there’s only so much time you have to spend on this kind of thing,” Fontaine said.

The organization was established in 1922 as the Dormont Mothers’ Club. Its goal then, as now, was to promote educational, philanthropic and civic activities in the community.

That’s just what it has done. The organization frequently donated to , local food banks, the Health Fund and local associations and organizations for the blind, including the Dormont Eye Fund.

It also sponsored a $1,000 scholarship, awarded each year to a graduating Keystone Oaks senior with plans to attend a college or trade school.

Fontaine estimated that the amount of money the organization has donated, even in recent years, is in the high thousands.

“Over the years, we’re talking about thousands and thousands of dollars,” she said. “Every year, normally it’s about $2,500 we were giving to different organizations.”

Fontaine said the organization’s remaining money will be divided into donations for Dormont Public Library and the Dormont Elementary Health Fund, which helps families in need pay for glasses, medicine or others goods their children might need.

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