Marco Woman’s Club Welcomes Spring and Habitat for Humanity

The Marco Island Woman’s Club (MIWC) recently stepped into spring at their April luncheon. The tables at Naples Lakes Country Club displayed the springtime promise of new beginnings with Easter basket centerpieces created by Cyndi Bixler. Delicious meal selections of steak or eggplant cannelloni, and the smiling happy faces of eighty-six women gathered in friendship were the finishing touches to celebrate a wonderful season of this amazing organization. 

MIWC President Maureen Chodaba welcomed the crowd as Shirley Thayer led the Pledge of Allegiance and a musical rendition of God Bless America. Tammy Barstow delivered an invocation blessed with the inspiration of goodwill as she shared reflections on her heartwarming involvement with Habitat for Humanity. 

Keynote speaker Christine Koppel, a longtime volunteer for Habitat for Humanity of Collier County and past president of MIWC, presented a dynamic informative program of the Habitat story and mission. Affordable housing is an ongoing issue in Collier County. The average monthly rent for a three-bedroom apartment is $2,375. A family must earn $95,000 a year to afford this. In Collier County, 35% of jobs pay less than $35,000 annually. Through Habitat of Collier County, families can purchase their own homes with an affordable mortgage. Each prospective Habitat homeowner family undergoes an application process verifying legal status, employment history, income verification, and criminal and credit backgrounds. Applicants must complete “sweat equity” hours helping to build homes, make a downpayment, and pay their first year’s insurance premium. They must complete classes including Budgeting, Understanding the Mortgage, Home Maintenance, and Living in a Community. At Habitat, the homeowner mortgage repayment delinquency rate averages 6% and the foreclosure rate is less than 1%. 

Donations to Habitat for Humanity of Collier County are always appreciated with 94 cents of every dollar being used to build homes and serve families. There are many roles available for volunteers as well. Please visit https://HabitatCollier.org to learn more.

Four new members of the Marco Island Woman’s Club were introduced at the luncheon by Membership Chair Joyce Frame. Sally Aspero, Linda Duhms, Helen Shavlik, and Terri Halpern were graciously welcomed to this network of socially conscious women committed to improving and supporting our local community. 

Other spring activities of the Marco Island Woman’s Club have included the annual Cards and Games Event, a fundraiser for the club that was chaired by Arleen Soldano and Debbie Barmeier, and attendance at the 50th Anniversary Celebration of the Marco Island Library. Did you know that MIWC was responsible for originally founding the Marco Island Library back in the days of Deltona and the Mackle Brothers? That’s a fact and we were there to celebrate the anniversary with a special presentation by MIWC member Lenore Yale! 

The April luncheon included the election of the 2025-26 MIWC Executive Board. The new officers will be installed at the May 7 luncheon. They are President – Sue Purvis, Vice-President – Tammy Barstow, Treasurer – Dawn Marceau, Assistant Treasurer - Roxana Rascoe, Recording Secretary – Anna Hutchings, and Corresponding Secretary – Gwyn Steiner. 

The May 7 luncheon will also include the presentation of scholarships to several graduating high school seniors living on Marco Island, and several renewal scholarships to past recipients of MIWC one-year scholarships who are now successfully pursuing their higher education at accredited colleges and universities. 

MIWC looks forward to a future of giving back to our community. Membership to the Marco Island Woman’s Club is available to all women who live on Marco Island, full-time or part-time, whether you own or rent. Please join us! For more information, please visit https://marcowomansclub.com.