By Renee Roos
The Pass-a-Grille Woman’s Club has been a social and community service club since it was formed. Just a year after the hurricane of 1921, a resident family had lost everything in a fire and neighbors responded with a “pound party,” where everyone brought a pound of something to help their neighbor get by. The social interaction and feeling of sharing were the foundations of the organization. Early meetings were held in Page’s Pavilion, located where the Legendary Hurricane Restaurant now stands. When the Sunshine School opened, the club purchased the prior schoolhouse on 10th Avenue to become their first clubhouse. When they outgrew that location they negotiated a private mortgage to build their current club house on Pass-a-Grille Way, just south of the Yacht Club at Pass-a-Grille. They paid off and burned the mortgage with surprising speed.
Over the years the club has held fundraisers, the most memorable being tours of some of Pass-a-Grille’s finest homes, a peak into the lives of residents for a $20 ticket. Charities benefitting are like a who’s who of worthy causes. They also host some of the best Halloween parties, play bridge and Mahjong and meet monthly.
The Pass-a-Grille Woman’s Club is celebrating their centennial this year with a successful garden tour last May, a shuffleboard tournament in Pass-a-Grille, a Beach Walk on Oct. 15, a grand gala at the Sirata Beach Resort on Nov. 18, and a new history book of Pass-a-Grille’s last 100 years from the club’s perspective. The book will list the many not-for-profit organizations that the club has donated proceeds to over the years. It will also include historical information about Pass-a-Grille that has not been published before. As of press time there were still tickets and a couple sponsor opportunities available for the gala on Nov. 18. Check on Eventbrite, if interested.