Boards and Committees

The Fortnightly Club of Summit
Board 2024-2025
Executive Board
President - Heather Althoff
Vice President - Wendi Porretti
Treasurer - Liese Kant
Secretary - Yvonne Horrell
Chairpersons
Book Club - Emkarr Meehan & Joyce Zemsky
Day Trips - Neetha Shetty-Alva
Development - Liese Kant
Film Club - Patti Richards
Garden - Sandra McTernan & Joyce Zemsky
Historian - Emkarr Meehan
Home & Hearth - Beth Galban
Mah-Jongg - Liese Kant
Membership - Heather Althoff & Roanne Karzon
Hospitality - Beth Woodbury
Photography - Sophie Ferronato
Rentals - Amy Kovar
Community Engagement - Jackie Lasaracina
Scholarships - Amanda Ford
Walking Club - Roanne Karzon & Joyce Zemsky
Theater - Eileen Rath
Webmaster - Emkarr Meehan
Standing Committees 2025-2026
Garden & Grounds
Chairs: Sandra McTernan and Joyce Zemsky
Activities:
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Plant, prune, and mulch to beautify and maintain the Twin Maples garden and planting beds
Skills/Attributes: No experience needed; willingness to learn. Bonus if you can bring helpful family members
Meetings: 2-hour sessions, 1 to 2 times in fall and spring on Twin Maples grounds
Note: More members needed; students earn volunteer hours
Home & Hearth
Chair: Eileen Rath
Activities:
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Maintain Twin Maples by checking cleaning supplies. Purchase hand towels (Restaurant Depot), toilet paper and paper towels (Costco), hand wash, floor cleaner, light bulbs, etc., as needed
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Manage vendors
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Establish and maintain professional relationships with vendors (e.g., Total Home Cleaning, Perfection Contracting for geothermal maintenance, B Safe Security for fire alarms, Summit Fire Department for annual inspection)
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Coordinate house maintenance issues with Ian Paytas (maintenance person)
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Ensure work is completed timely and meets expectations
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Coordinate vendor bids and work
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Communicate needs and progress with the executive board and full board as appropriate
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Skills/Attributes: Reliable, thorough, good at coordinating appointments, good at establishing and maintaining professional relationships with vendors
Meetings: To be determined
Hospitality
Chair: Wendi Porretti
Activities:
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Create Sign-Up Genius for general meetings and other events as requested
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Volunteer via Sign-Up Genius to assist with club events
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Bring themed decor items to complement each meeting theme/season
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Set up tables, chairs, food, wine, etc.
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Add themed decorations after room setup is complete
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Clean up after events
Skills/Attributes: No specific skills needed
Meetings: No committee meetings—just volunteer as much as possible through Sign-Up Genius
Sunshine
Chair: Lynn Reed, Erika Sirabian
Activities:
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write and mail either a short note or card to member (for life events such as births, deaths, weddings, "Thank Yous," etc.)
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set up a meal train (via sign-up genius for injured or ill members)
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offer to bring groceries/pharmacy items to (injured or ill members)
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call a homebound member for a brief check-in and chat
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offer to accompany a member to a medical treatment or appointment
Skills/Attributes: No specific skills needed
Volunteer Committees 2025-2026
Community Engagement
Chair: Wendi Porretti
Activities:
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Identify and organize community volunteer opportunities in the greater Summit area
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Participate in at least three volunteer opportunities per club year
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Lead or co-lead one or more volunteer opportunities—organize, promote, and host
Meetings: 2 to 5 per club year (Twin Maples or virtual)
Day Trips
Co-Chairs: Wendi Porretti and Joni Gilton
Activities:
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Propose day trips and present pros and cons of suggestions
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Meet with the committee for ideas and to reach a consensus on outings
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Plan outings (4-6 per club year—e.g., painting, tea, baseball game, etc.)
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Volunteer to co-chair events
Skills/Attributes: Organization; knowledge of events in the area
Meetings: Virtual, as needed, frontloaded (1 hour)
Development/Grant Writing
Chair: Liese Kant
Activities:
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Assist in identifying funding opportunities
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Assist in assembling materials for grant submissions
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Assist in managing grant awards
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Help create an annual Wish List and obtain estimates for repairs and capital improvements
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Support other fundraising activities
Skills/Attributes: Experience with grant writing, grant management, and fundraising is helpful but not necessary
Meetings: Periodically as needed (1-3 hours at Twin Maples)
Note: Development is actively seeking more committee members
Historian/Archivist
Co-Chairs: Emkarr Meehan and Ellen Leonard
Activities:
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Run Twin Maples' "Four Centuries in a Weekend" event in October
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Organize historic club and Twin Maples documents
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Liaise with the Union County History Programs Coordinator
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Participate in Union County History Programs occasionally
Skills/Attributes: Interest in history
Meetings: Twin Maples or Zoom—once per month or as needed
Membership
Co-Chairs: Heather Althoff and Roanne Karzon
Activities:
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Recruit and welcome new members
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Maintain the membership database
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Take attendance at General Meetings
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Host Fall/Spring orientation events
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Organize the annual membership renewal drive (June)
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Distribute the schedule of events to each member
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Mentor new members
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Perform reception duties: prepare name tags, take attendance
Skills/Attributes: Friendly and welcoming; good communication skills
Meetings: Virtual, 1 to 2 per month during the day (1 hour)
Photography
Chair: Sophie Ferronato
Activities:
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Take photos at meetings and events
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Edit and distribute to Social Media/Publicity Chair and Webmaster
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Create a library to archive photographic memories
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Communicate with committee members and the Social/Promotion Chair to stage photos as needed
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Take, edit, and save photos in a shared Google Photos library
Skills/Attributes: A good eye for photos, a camera or cell phone, and access to Google Photos
Meetings: One meeting at the start of the club year at Twin Maples as needed via text/chat (15-20 min)
Note: Extra help is requested to preserve the club’s photographic memories
Publicity/Social Media/Website
Social Media & Website Chair: Emkarr Meehan
Publicity Chair: OPEN
Activities:
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Social Media: Create posts to publicize events
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Publicity: Organize and assist with online and print publicity campaigns
Skills/Attributes: Experience or familiarity with marketing, communications, and/or content creation
Rentals
Chair: Amy Kovar (Open Co-Chair or just a helping hand to respond to emails is welcome)
Activities for Weekend Rentals:
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Monitor FN emails and respond to rental inquiries with basic rental fee information and details on what renting the house includes
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Maintain rental calendar and tracker spreadsheet for dates and all four payments
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Arrange site visits, draft and send out contracts, receive and review signed contracts, and ensure receipt of COI
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Assign and hand off to the event house manager
Activities for Standing Weekday Rentals (Handled by Lorraine Boyer):
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Manage contracts
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Liaise with renters on any issues that arise
Skills/Attributes: Proficiency with Google Docs