“We Do Good Work and Have Fun”: Reflections from the Woman’s Club of Cranbury
I moved to Cranbury in 2019, and honestly, I never expected to get so involved so quickly. But not long after settling in, I met Jane Elias, who was president of the Woman’s Club at the time. She said, “You have to come join us.” I thought, well, why not? I was retired, and I knew I needed to keep my mind and heart active. I figured I’d just show up to a few meetings. Instead, I found a second home.
The Woman’s Club of Cranbury isn’t just a social club. It’s history, service, and community all wrapped into one. We’ve been around since 1898 — we started as the Ladies Reading Circle, when a group of women would meet every Wednesday at 2:30 PM to discuss books like The Raven and Evangeline. I’ve held that original program book in my hands — it’s incredible. These women weren’t just reading novels; they were talking about science, world events, and art, even back then.
In 1919, right after women won the right to vote, our group became the Woman’s Club of Cranbury. And we’ve been federated since 1922, part of a network of women’s clubs at the state, national, and even international levels.
Over the years, our club has done everything from planting trees for George Washington’s Bicentennial, to sending ping-pong tables to recovering soldiers during World War II. During the Dust Bowl, our welfare department gathered supplies to help drought-stricken families. We supported rationing efforts, grew Victory Gardens, and sent Buddy Bags to sailors aboard the USS New Jersey.
One of my favorite pieces of history is a letter we received during World War II, thanking us for sending candy to soldiers fighting in what became known as the Battle of the Bulge. To think that a small gesture from Cranbury could reach someone halfway across the world, during one of history’s darkest hours — it still amazes me.
The Woman’s Club has changed with the times, but our heart remains the same. We raise funds for scholarships — not just for high school students, but for women who left school and want to return to finish their degrees. We support organizations like Women Aware and Operation Chillout for homeless veterans. We’ve even sponsored Seeing Eye puppies (our latest one, Lennox, ended up becoming a breeder for future guide dogs).
One of the best parts is our sense of fellowship. Every year, we gather to stuff stockings for the troops, light the Christmas tree in town, and hold Candidate Nights to help residents engage in local elections. We sell jewelry on Cranbury Day to raise funds, and we get together just to decorate cookies or share stories from our lives.
The year I became president wasn’t easy for me. Leadership wasn’t my natural skill set, and I had to learn to work by consensus — after all, this is a group of volunteers, women who give their time and money out of pure love for the community. But I’m proud to say we kept things going through the pandemic and beyond. We adapted, we used zoom, and we stayed connected, even when we couldn’t be in the same room.
The year I became president wasn’t easy for me. Leadership wasn’t my natural skill set, and I had to learn to work by consensus — after all, this is a group of volunteers, women who give their time and money out of pure love for the community.
-Ms. Marsha Travis
If you ask me what my favorite moment has been, I’d say it was seeing one of our long-time members come out to sing Christmas carols with us in the freezing cold. Watching her lift her voice with ours, bundled up in scarves, was a reminder of why we do all this.
When I first joined, I thought, “Well, I’m not really a club person.” Now, I can’t imagine my life without it. The Woman’s Club of Cranbury has given me purpose, friendship, and a way to give back.
My advice to anyone thinking about getting involved? Stretch yourself. Try something new. Even if it feels uncomfortable at first. You might just find — like I did — that you belong to something bigger than yourself.
We’re 95 members strong today, from young moms to retired teachers to people like me — “old fogies,” as we sometimes joke. We’re proof that doing good work and having fun don’t have to be separate things. Here in Cranbury, they go hand in hand.