The Y’s Women, based in Westport, Connecticut, is an organization of active and involved working and retired women. Membership provides opportunities for personal growth through diverse learning and recreational experiences, travel and volunteer options and a social network.
Satellite Groups
Book Group 2 will meet on Thursday, June 2 from 1:30 to 3:00 pm. The book to be discussed is Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe, and the discussion will be led by Arlene Bloom. For questions, contact Nancy Bloom at nancyerb@aol.com or Arlene Bloom at bloomah@sbcglobal.net.
Book Group 3 will meet in June, July, and August on the second Friday of the month at Panera Bread in Westport. The books selected for discussion are: June 10, The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri; July 8, One Summer in America: 1927 by Bill Bryson; and August 12, The Forgiven by Lawrence Osborne. The meeting room is reserved for us starting at 10:00 am – so come early for coffee and chatting, followed by the discussion starting at 10:30. New members are welcome. Questions? Contact Doris Levinson at drjlevinson@gmail.com.
The Movie Club will meet on Wednesday, June 15 at Panera Bread on Post Road East, next to Home Goods, Westport. We meet informally at 1:00 pm to give members a chance to socialize and/or eat lunch, and we begin discussion at 1:30. All attendees are asked to have been vaccinated.
We plan to discuss the Loving and Forrest Gump. Both movies are available through Netflix, and the DVDs also are listed in the catalogs of the Westport and Fairfield libraries.
Loving is an American biographical romantic drama from 2016 that tells the story of Richard and Mildred Loving, the plaintiffs in the 1967 U.S. Supreme Court (the Warren Court) decision Loving v. Virginia, which invalidated state laws prohibiting interracial marriage. The film takes inspiration from The Loving Story (2011) by Nancy Buirski, a documentary that follows the Lovings and their landmark case.
Forrest Gump is a 1994 American comedy-drama that follows the life of Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks) and his meeting with the love of his life, Jenny. The film chronicles his accidental experiences with some of the most important people and events in America from the late 1950s through the 1970s, including a meeting with Elvis Presley, JFK, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, fighting in Vietnam, etc. The problem is, Gump doesn't realize the significance of his actions. His character comes to embody a generation.
If you wish to be added to the email list for future events, please contact Margaret Mitchell at 255-9094 or margaret06824@yahoo.com.
Solos will meet all summer at Compo Beach on Tuesdays at 4:00 pm, and all Y’s Women are welcome. No beach pass is needed for Y’s Women on Tuesdays – just tell the guard you are with Y’s Women. We meet to the right of the cannons. Bring your beach chair and dinner if you wish.
Other than this, Solos does not have any special events scheduled at this time, but we hope to have some over the next couple of months. Watch your Solos emails for upcoming events.
The Lunch & Trivia group will meet at noon on Thursday, June 16 at the VFW, 465 Riverside Avenue (note change of location). The cost of lunch is $20. Please call Ann Lloyd at 226-4145 or Arlene Bloom at 254-9096 if you are interested in attending.
Wisest Investment Group: We are looking for a brave new member to join the Wisest Investment Group as we try to navigate our joint stock portfolio. It’s a Bull Market, and we’ve been there before. This would be a good time to buy in, as our portfolio has taken a dip like everyone else’s. You will find intelligent minds reaching a solution. We meet on the fourth Thursday of the month. For more information, contact our President, Louise Demakis, at 254-6424 or lwdemakis@optonline.net.
The Mah Jong group meets every Tuesday at Organic Krush in Compo Shopping Center. We meet for lunch at noon and the game begins at 1:00 pm. Please bring your game if you have one. Questions: contact Barbara Alfinito at 205-533-1884 or barbsgetaway@aol.com.
Bridge Group: Y’s Women’s Bridge will be starting play on Monday afternoon, June 6, from 1:00 - 3:30 pm at the Senior Center. If you’re interested in playing with us, you need to register with Deanna Saltzman at Salzy312@aol.com, and also be registered with the Senior Center. Wishing you all Aces!
Memoirs Group: The Memoirs Group will meet on Tuesday, June 21 at 2:30 pm. Please contact Cary Peterson at carypeterson3@gmail.com or 918-6481 if you’re interested in this group.
NewsTalk: If you’re interested in joining this satellite group for a lively discussion of news of the day, please contact Doris Skutch at 247-3656.
TWO NEW SATELLITE GROUPS
(Y’s Women Only)
Taijiquan: Ruby Shih, a Taijiquan practitioner since 1979, a teacher, and co-founder of the Society of Nanlaoshu, a Taijiquan school in New York City (www.nanlaoshu.org), will lead a class in this gentle art form for total body wellness: balance, stability, ease, and joy. She relocated to Westport two years ago and is delighted to join the Y’s Women community and share her experience. A retired acupuncturist, Ruby currently teaches Taijiquan, Qigong, and Meditation on Zoom. We will initially meet on Tuesday, June 7 at 4:00 – 5:00 pm at Compo Beach, by the cannons, and will decide at that time where and when best to continue meeting. Remember, Y’s Women are permitted at Compo on Tuesdays without requiring stickers – just tell the guard you’re a Y’s Woman. To sign up, contact Ruby at 917-816-6661 or rubyholistic@gmail.com.
Discussion of Articles in The New Yorker: This group will meet remotely on the second Tuesday of each month from 10:30 am to noon. Each member selects one article from one of the previous month’s issues and emails her choice to all on the group distribution list. The moderator, Ellen Cahill, sends a final reading list and hosts the Zoom meeting. Each member leads the group discussion about her article for about 15 minutes. The group has met independently of the Y’s Women for several years and is anxious to increase its membership. (Presently the group will only have remote meetings because some of its members can’t attend in person.) If you’re interested, please contact Ellen Cahill at 856-6561 or ellenjcahill@hotmail.com.
CARPOOL & GO
You will not want to miss our 10:30 am tour of Sleepy Cat Farm in Greenwich on Monday, June 27. This unique property is the vision of Fred Landman, who acquired the Georgian Revival house and grounds in 1994. Committed to the concept of harmony between house and garden, he has dedicated himself to create “a garden of which the house could be proud.” Drawing inspiration from travels in Europe and Asia, Landman has fashioned a landscape that unfolds in a series of garden rooms encompassing pavilions, pathways, pools, statuary, and staircases. Evocative names add to the atmosphere of the garden spaces: The Golden Path, the Grotto, and the Spirit Walk. Buildings and follies were added, also with storybook names – the Celestial Pavilion and the Chinese Pavilion.
Landman and his wife, Seen, are committed to sharing the beauty that they have created with others. As Fred says, “One of my greatest joys is when other people come here and get to experience what I experience every day. The most important thing is that they leave happy.”
Following our two-hour tour of Sleepy Cat Farm, we’ll dine at 1:15 pm at Sedona, 515 West Avenue, Norwalk, 299-1800.
We’ll meet behind Wells Fargo bank in Trader Joe’s parking lot at 8:45 am for a 9:00 departure. Please contact Lydia Menendez at 319-1110 or lydiamnndz12@gmail.com to reserve your place. The gas reimbursement for your driver will be $7 in cash. Please indicate whether or not you can drive, as drivers are always needed and appreciated.
TRIPS AND TRAVEL
Trip to Lower Manhattan: July 17th
Statue of Liberty: We will walk around the island, not go up to the crown. There are benches to sit on if you prefer not to walk.
Ellis Island
World Trade Center: We will go up to the top.
Lunch included
(Total walking about 1 mile)
$150 per person – pay by June 27 with check, credit card (through Venmo or Paypal), or cash.
Departs from Trader Joe’s back lot at 8:30 am.
Second stop: 597 Westport Avenue, Norwalk (park in Pepperidge Farm back lot).
Departs NYC at 4:00 pm.
Participants must be vaccinated and boosted; masks optional.
Questions: contact Barbara Alfinito at 205-533-1884 or barbsgetaway@aol.com.
In Memoriam
We are very sorry to report the recent passing of a Y’s Women:
Carol Diamond, a founding member of Y’s Women and our third president, passed away at Norwalk Hospital on March 10. She was 100 years old! Carol was the second person to receive the Y’s Women’s Fabulous Friend honor. She started NewsTalk and many other initiatives over the years.
Carol graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Smith College in 1942. While there, as president of the college’s political action committee, she brought Eleanor Roosevelt to the campus to speak. She was an ad agency CEO, public housing advocate, writer, book editor, and human rights activist. Carol married Ted Diamond in 1946 and was happily married to him for 75 years. The couple moved to Westport in 1955.
In addition to her work with Y’s Women, Carol was a past vice president and treasurer of the Westport Library. She received the “Silver Donkey” award for her years of service to the Democratic Party.
A celebration of Carol’s life will be held at the Westport Library on Sunday, April 3 at 10:30 am, followed by a reception at the Westport Woman’s Club.
If you know of any of our members who are ill or who pass away, please contact Cary Peterson, our Y’s Care Coordinator, at carypeterson3@gmail.com.
Mercy Learning Center Needs Help
Mercy Learning Center Grateful for Donations
You can drop off nonperishable food, toiletries and other items for the Mercy Learning Center in the Leasing Office of 597 Westport Avenue at any time.
About our monthly newsletters
Around the 25th of each month, the link to the next month's printable PDF newsletter is provided in two ways: in an email to members, and on this website (upper right corner). In addition, the newsletter's listings of dates and places are viewable on this website at a glance.
If you are not already receiving emails, please check the Membership Roster to be sure we have your correct email address. Notify Doris Levinson of any changes or corrections: 203-227-3371 or drjlevinson@gmail.com. A member's e-mail address will only be used for the monthly newsletters and for occasional important announcements.
About General Meetings
About Membership
|