Avon Club Foundation

Happy new year and welcome to 2023! 

I’m so excited for this year and am looking forward to continuing the Avon Club’s fantastic work in the Avonworth area. We had quite a year in 2022 with a record-breaking Flock the Block fundraiser and a return to some fantastic in-person activities. We were able to support the goals of so many worthy organizations and students while enjoying some incredible social events. Many thanks to Tavia Washington for her leadership as our president as we transitioned back to in-person activities and to all of our club members who made it happen! 

I’m hoping that this year will bring more of the things that our members love about the Avon Club — social gatherings, time together and of course, the Ben Avon Fall Festival (Sept. 30) and biannual Holiday House Tour (Dec. 2). We look forward to seeing you out and about at both events.

As we celebrated a few years ago during our 75th anniversary, we have a long tradition of service and relationship-building amongst women in the Avonworth community. I hope that all women in Avonworth will consider joining the Avon Club to continue this tradition. Please contact membership@theavonclub.org or visit our new member page here for more information. 

We will continue to meet on the first Thursday of each month except for July. We’d love to see you at a meeting!

Jennie Liska

Avon Club Foundation President

The past two years have been difficult for everyone, the Avon Club has been no exception. Nevertheless, we have adapted and found creative ways to continue to work together to raise funds to support the Avonworth community and beyond. With careful planning, we were able to safely have our annual Fall Festival and our biennial Holiday House Tour, raising funds to support scholarships, area schools, YMCAs, parks, fire departments, Meals on Wheels, and more!

I’m cautiously optimistic that 2022 will bring back some measure of normalcy for the club. My hope is that as the threat of the pandemic recedes, so will the stress to families. This should allow more time for us to come together for fun and service. As the weather warms in the spring, I look forward to having more opportunities for in-person gatherings, strengthening our relationships and creating more opportunities to welcome new members.

Thank you to everyone who has continued to share your time and talents with the Avon Club. For those who have agreed to serve as a committee chair or on the executive board, you are appreciated now more than ever.  I look forward to another successful year and know that no matter what 2022 throws our way, we will be able to continue to focus on the Avon Club’s goals and vision of Education, Preservation, Recreation and Social Responsibility.

The Avon club welcomes new members and we would love to meet you in 2022. If you are interested in joining, find out more on our membership page here.

Tavia Washington, 2022 Avon Club President

Welcome 2021. Thank you for choosing to volunteer with the Avon Club. We have an excellent group of committee chairs and executive board this year. Some of you are continuing from last year for which I express my deep appreciation. I hope this year we return to more normalcy. Our members adapted last year to on line meetings and helping in different ways, including donating to the Pittsburgh food bank.

The Avon Club Foundation’s purpose is to support the charitable needs of the Avonworth community and other worthy, tax-exempt organizations. We focus on projects and programs that promote education, preservation and the environment, recreation, and social responsibility. In 2020, we disbursed $21,000 in grants, an increase of almost $2,000 over the previous year. Our largest recipients were Meals on Wheels, the YMCA, POWER, Wooden Ladder preschool, Avonworth Municipal Authority/Community Park, Animal Friends, North Hills Community Outreach, Avonworth Blessings in a Backpack, and others.

Without meeting in person, it is more difficult to feel a part of the club, develop bonds, and include new people. We will work on that, knowing we are faced with an indefinite duration of social distancing. Continuing last year’s inclusion theme, we will strive to welcome members of the entire Avonworth community and improve communication and involvement of our associate members. This organization has been around over 75 years, has worked toward strong community goals and we have fun doing it! Please continue with us and invite friends and neighbors to join.

This year we hold our Holiday House tour the first Saturday of December. Held every-other year, it is our biggest fundraiser to fund our mission of grants to organizations. It is a big, successful event and we will need everyone’s help. Thank you in advance!

The Avon Club is pleased to present the Outdoor Oasis Showcase.

This unique twist on our porch crawl fundraiser event will be a virtual competition featuring outdoor spaces at homes throughout the Avonworth Community. In addition, you can enter the raffle for a chance to win a $1,000 Grand Prize or a Giant Basket of Cheer valued at approximately $500.

The home voting and raffle will culminate with a fun-filled virtual event on Saturday, August 29, 2020 from 8-9pm.

Participants will have the opportunity to join together with neighbors for a fun evening of online activities, including cocktail-making demos, electronic voting for “Best Outdoor Oasis,” and more! Proceeds from this 2020 signature event will enable the Avon Club to continue helping local organizations from preschools, to fire departments, to Meals on Wheels, and others most affected by COVID-19.

Follow along with the fun on social media using the hashtag #ACoasis2020.

Special thanks to our sponsors:

• Connolly, Steele & Company P.C.
• Wexford Veterinary Hospital
• The Law Offices of Andrews & Price, LLC
• Meyer, Unkovic & Scott LLP
• Allegheny Financial Group
• WMG Garden & Supply 
• Kiddie Academy
• Betsy Wotherspoon & Team of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices The Preferred Realty
• Goodrich & Geist, PC
• Dr. Thomas Forrest
• Costello Chiropractor Center
• Diamond Landscaping
• CorCom, Inc.
• Kim Ifft Photography
• Siddy Girl
• Anchor & Anvil Coffee Bar
• Shamot Construction
• The Priory Hospitality Group

As you know, our organization has a long history of creating opportunities to strengthen the Avonworth Community and provide community service…from public flower beds to the Fall Festival to the disbursements. Please take this time to consider how you can help the community. Is there an elderly neighbor who needs a prescription or food picked up and delivered? Is there an essential worker who needs childcare? 

This is also a time where we can reflect back on our history. Recall that our club began by rolling bandages to aid the WWII war effort. We have an opportunity to aid the health care workers again today. One of our members works at UPMC Mercy and has obtained materials for making secondary surgical masks to replenish the N95 supplies that may be reallocated to the COVID-19 responders. 

She has yards of poly-cotton blend, patterns and ribbon tie-backs that she got from Joann’s before they closed. We need volunteers with some sewing capability to let us know if you can help. We need volunteers to pick up and deliver the fabric; and pick up and deliver the masks. Please let me know if you can help! 

There are other things we are doing and thinking about too:

– Finance Committee is evaluating the grant applications to make sure we deliver funds to the most critical areas this year

– Calling each other and checking in

– Participating in virtual fund raisers for other community groups – Ordering meals for delivery to essential businesses in the area

– We are considering the idea of a second disbursement period in the fall; do we dip into the Endowment to ensure Critical Needs are met?

What are your ideas and actions?

Stay Home – Stay Safe.