Latest from Vale Club's President:  
Welcome back!

The first Vale Club Executive Board Meeting was held on Aug. 24. We had 21 present including the six Executive Board Members. We spent a little over three hours giving reports, advising the Board of the upcoming activities, how Membership Chair Liz Brouckman will print your forthcoming directory and Meet & Greet our new members; how Dana Gallagher, our Newsletter Editor, will create our up-to-date, artistic and informational newsletter from the Committee Chairs’ drafts. Patti Cooksey and her Outreach team will be reaching out to you to work as passionately as she does with Family Pass and those in need. Leslie Dupree-Culman and her new side kick, Nancy Harrington, will lead us through the halls of The Sign Up Genius (SUG). We have 14 Activities with 20 Chairs to see us through books, travel, bridge, Culinary Escapes,outings, hiking and the tasting of wines.

These are just some of the activities you can expect in the coming months. We have eight special events this year. Lee Ellis will entertain you with her new special events and the General Meeting speakers. One of the special events is the comeback of Mary Colombi and her Rummage Sale in April.

I am so pleased and thankful to be surrounded with so many talented ladies. So much has changed since I was writing my very first article as President of Vale Club 14 years ago. These changes have created challenges I had not expected. I know I will walk away at the end of the year with more insight into why and how technology has improved our lives. Thank you for giving me this chance.

See you at the Brunch on Sept. 14.
Warmly,

Trecia Buster 2021-2022 Vale Club President

Latest from Friends of Vale Schoolhouse:  

I am Gail Magnani, and I am your FVS (Friends of ValeSchoolhouse) representative to the Vale Club – and as such, one of my roles is to attend all Vale Club and FVS Board meetings. Many of you have known me as a member of Vale Club for over 30 years. As we have several new members, I’d like to provide a brief overview of how FVS relates to Vale Club.

FVS is a 501(c) (3) organization. As a non-profit, it is the entity which actually owns the Schoolhouse. FVS is responsible for maintaining the building and the surrounding grounds (including all the maintenance and any needed improvements) as well as for paying for all utilities, any potential professional fees (lawyers, insurance people, accountants) and filing tax forms.

Let me introduce you to the Board for 2021-2022:
Co-Presidents: Mary Valder and Lindsey Iacovino
First Vice President and Rep to Vale Club: Gail Magnani Vice President
Building and Grounds: Debi Dicks
Vice President of Historical Preservation: Darlene Williamson
Secretary: Charlene Willis
Treasurer: Julie McGraw
Additionally, Pam Guffain and Elizabeth Fribush serve as two at-large Directors
Trecia Buster, as VC President, serves on the Board as an ex officio voting member.

The main difference between FVS and Vale Club is that Vale Club is the arm providing social activities, as well as community outreach. Additionally, Vale Club is responsible for fund raising. Rather than go into this at length, I encourage you to attend the October General Meeting at the Schoolhouse, where Lindsey and Mary will do a short presentation that will get into more details. It may be a tad confusing, but all FVS members are also Vale Club members, and all Vale Club members are welcome and encouraged to participate in, and/or serve on, the FVS committees. For instance, if history is your passion, you could serve on the Historic Preservation Committee.

Accordingly, if you are excited about gardening and helping maintain our historic structure and grounds, you could contact the Chair, Debi Dicks. If you have such interests (or any other that you think may be pertinent to our group), I am your contact liaison. Please feel free to contact me (evanwill@cox.net) or text, or – better yet – call me! 703-477-0729.

Looking forward to a great year!
Gail Magnani FVS representative to the Vale Club