Latest from Vale Club's President:

Welcome to spring and a new beginning. Everything is coming back to life: flowers, trees, grass, and most important, Vale Club members gathering together.
April was a busy month. Joanne Walker hosted another Virtual Break Out Room Social Hour. Our Hiking Group and Morning, Afternoon, and Evening Book Clubs were well attended and enjoyed. Our Tuesday, April 13 General Meeting had a record number of members attend (46). We were quite fortunate to have one of our Vale Club favorite speakers, Bob Poczik, who certainly entertained and educated. On Friday, April 23, the Vale Schoolhouse door and shutters opened. How wonderful that Charlene Willess secured such a perfect gathering place for the April Birthday Dessert Celebration. On Saturday, April 24, 13 members gathered for yard and shed cleanup. Pam Guffain and Julie McGraw, what a mammoth shed task you and your team accomplished with smiles and stamina. Elizabeth Fribush, your expertise and organization certainly were beneficial. I applaud and APPRECIATE all of you that devoted your Saturday morning to help with the cleanup. Thank you to those who volunteered: Nancy Bruther, Priscilla Bezdek, Helen Cramond, Hilary Lofink, Rita Perre-Davis, Carole Nicholas, Lynn Roepe, Julie Wolff, Consuela Woodford, and Anne Zimmer. Tracey Henderson and Mary Braun, thanks for getting up early and delivering beverages and food. DELICIOUS!
We welcome two member volunteers who will serve the remainder of this year, as well as the next fiscal year. Rita Perre-Davis (our new Seasonal Decor Coordinator), we look forward to enjoying all of the outdoor decorations you design and select. Marilyn Parks (our new Mobile Flora Coordinator), glad you could join us. The arrangements soon to be in the four pots located by the school house are sure to delight all who visit and view from Vale Road and Fox Mill Road. As the end of the year approaches, there are still a few people who need to fulfill the two-hour commitment.
If you have not completed your hours, watch for emails describing varied occasions where assistance is needed. Of course, there is an optional buy-out for members who are unable to fulfill the two-hour volunteer commitment. Make your $40 check out to Vale Club, make note in Memo Section ofVale Club President Check for Two Hour Buyout, and mail to Susan Wrigley 3214 Fox Mill Rd, Oakton, VA 22124. Although much of our activities have been virtual rather than in person this year, the monthly bills and maintenance and improvements to our cherished and historic schoolhouse and grounds do not stop.
May and June offer lots more activities for you. Please refer to Vale Club calendar. Again I want to encourage you to SAVE THE DATES: On Wednesday, June 9 will be our annual Vale Club End-of-Year Luncheon. On Saturday, June 19 will be our annual Vale Club Happy Hour (spouses invited). Both events are outdoor settings. Hope to see many of you at our annual and LAST general meeting on Tuesday, May 11, at 9:15 AM via ZOOM. The Nomination Committee will announce the slate of Vale Club Officers for the 2021-2022 year, ask for additional nominations from “the floor,” and conduct voting. Should you have any questions, recommendations, or creative ideas, do not hesitate to contact me.

Fondly, Susan Wrigley Vale Club President

Latest from Friends of Vale Schoolhouse:

History Highlights: “a place to tie to”

A Poem for Spring

The poem below was written by Mary Virginia Miller Wampler. Read it and see if you don’t agree that it applies as much today as it did over 85 years ago.

Vale

Vale is in the country

With trees and flowers fair

The birds sing unmolested

And there is plenty of fresh air.

Sympathetic interest is here

When anyone is ill

Cheery words and kindness are shown

And hearts with gratitude fill.

The Sunday School and church

Furnish our religious life

They help to create peace

And take a way the strife.

At the Community House on the hill

We have our fun and glee

We are quite happy here

And feel so fresh and free.

With all these pleasures ‘round us

In this peaceful little dale

It is no wonder that

We like to live in Vale.

Mary Virginia Miller Wampler, who grew up in Vale, attended school at the schoolhouse, and her mother was the first president of the Vale Club. Her family home was at 3006 Fox Mill Road. Our building remains as the heart of our community; it remained in the heart of its students as the beginning of their educational adventures.

Darlene Williamson

Chair of the Historical Preservation Committee

Vale Club

Vale Club is dedicated to enriching the lives of women in the Vale community. Our goal is to provide our members with a variety of social, educational, and volunteer opportunities throughout the year. The majority of our members live within the Oakton community. We have multiple member activities each month, primarily scheduled from September through May, with a few Special Interest Groups meeting during the summer months ...s
read more

Vale Schoolhouse

A brief history of The Vale Schoolhouse as recorded by the Fairfax County Public Schools of Yesteryear and Today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUOCcwvqBB0

Vale Schoolhouse, at the corner of Vale and Fox Mill Roads in Oakton, VA, was built c.1884 as a one-room public school. A second room was added in 1912. The school closed in 1931 when many Fairfax County schools were consolidated ...read more
Friends of Vale Schoolhouse, Inc. is Vale Clubs 501(C)3 charity for the maintenance and preservation of the historic Schoolhouse property which was placed on the VA Landmarks Register and the National Register ... read more

Nominations needed for Upcoming Vale Club 2021-2022

With the blessing of the Vale Club Nominating Committee, consisting of Kathy Zichi, Sue Bowers, and Penny Gundry, I am writing this as a current Vale Club Executive Board member and member of the Nominating Committee for the upcoming

year. We are in a challenging time. We’ve all been in lockdown for a year, but I think the Vale Club members have appreciated what we have been able to do under these challenging circumstances.

BUT IT TAKES LEADERSHIP to get it done! My question is simple—what is the future of Vale Club without leaders to run the operation? The nominating committee has spent endless hours searching for a vice president. We have a nomination for

president. Do you expect that nominee to do it all?

We need someone within our 150+ membership to step up to the plate and serve as Vice President. As tradition holds, the vice president then serves as president the following year—we are not holding to that tradition for the upcoming year. It’s plain and simple: secure speakers, coordinate the Vale Club calendar, secure location for end-of-year lunch, and be the sounding board for the president.

Ladies, it’s not hard. I can guarantee you that I, who has served two terms as vice president and one term as president, will be available to help in any way necessary. I think I can speak for Kathy, a former vice president and president, and our current

president Susan Wrigley, that they are also available to help in every way.

Thanks for reading and thinking...

Pam Guffain

Vale Club Vice President and member of the

Nominating Committee

Vale Club Activities via ZOOM

Most Vale Club activities are being held via ZOOM. You can access Vale Club’s zoom in one of two ways—Sign-UpGenius (SUG) from the Welcome page or, by clicking on the link which will be contained in the general meeting notices each month. The Calendar of Events is subject to change depending on the status of COVID-19. We plan to secure speakers for our ZOOM general meetings. If you have ideas on great speakers willing to donate their time, please let me know by phone (202-257-3043) or via e-mail at pguffain@tfi.org. Thank you, as always, for working through these challenging times with us!
Pam Guffain Vale Club Vice President

SUNSHINE
Life isn’t always a sunshiny day, but our friendships in the Vale Club help sustain us through the rough times. When you hear of a member who could use a visit, a card, or other help and support, please let me know. As your Sunshine Chair I’ll make sure our members receive the Tender Loving Care they need. Thanks to all for keeping in touch with me on behalf of our members. And may our year be filled with “blue sky and sunshine” days. Sunshine Chair is Diane Durbin.

Contact Us

The Vale Schoolhouse is located at the corner of Vale Rd and Fox Mill Rd in Oakton, VA
P.O. Box 6, Oakton,VA 22124
For other information contact our President at Pguffain@tfi.org

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