Philanthropic Projects 2025

The SCWC is proud of the work completed and contributions made to the San Clemente community in 2025! The club gave back over $25,000 to various non-profit organizations and scholarships to San Clemente High School graduates this past year. Additionally, our members volunteered thousands of hours of their time working on projects benefiting the community.

 Education & Libraries

 San Clemente High School PTSA:  The SCWC initiated a grant application process to solicit requests from potential local non-profits who might benefit from the club’s support. The grant application was available on the SCWC website and members were encouraged to take an application to an organization that they would like SCWC to consider. A Grant Review Committee was formed with four members to review the applications and present to the members for approval. San Clemente Woman’s Club donated $1,000 to San Clemente High School PTSA for books and supplies for its recently renovated library facility.

San Clemente High School Scholarships:  Members of the SCWC Scholarship Committee oversee the scholarship application and selection process. Applicants must complete our Scholarship Award Application and include an unofficial high school transcript and two letters of recommendation. Each applicant is reviewed and scored by three committee members. The scores are then calculated and the finalists are selected. In 2025, the SCWC received a total of 32 applications, and awarded a total of $9,000 in scholarships to six San Clemente High School seniors to support their pursuit of higher education. The SCWC scholarship committee members attended and participated in the scholarship award night on May 1, 2025.

The American Association of University Women (AAUW) Tech Trek Program: San Clemente Woman’s Club funded $1,300 to sponsor an eighth-grade student to attend camp at Whittier College in the summer of 2025. The American Association of University Women (AAUW), San Clemente-Capistrano Bay Branch sponsors ten rising eighth grade girls by providing the experience of living one week on a college campus and participating in hands-on activities in math, science and related fields.  This program began in 1988 at Stanford University. This branch works with four local middle schools and the girls are nominated by their 7th grade Science or Math teachers. Students get parental permission, write an essay and apply for camp. Interviews are held and students are selected. Tech Trek’s goal is to ignite an existing spark of interest in STEM, so enthusiasm for STEM is one of the qualifications, along with a student’s access or lack of, to other enrichment programs, and evidence of curiosity and potential.

 Book Club:  The SCWC has an active book club that meets monthly throughout the year, with reading selections made at the end of the prior year by the members. Last year’s choices included historical fiction, non-fiction, fantasy and classic literature. The book club encourages members to read selections “outside the box” of what they might otherwise choose to read on various subjects. Members are encouraged to bring a book to donate to the San Clemente Friends of the Library Bookstore to each meeting.

Civic Engagement & Outreach

 Marine Baby Shower: The SCWC supported the 1st Combat Engineering Battalion Baby Shower held at the San Onofre Beach Club on Camp Pendelton on September 6, 2025. A total of 21 families attended. SCWC members helped to prepare “baby bundles” tailored for each family. During the shower, our club members served as hosts while they decorated, served food, distributed gifts, ran games and helped clean up. The $1000 funds donated by SCWC went to purchase an array of needed baby items ranging from car seats and strollers to clothes and teethers. Many of these young families are having their first child and are far away from family support. This year, we combined the shower with a short presentation on infant/family services available in the area, both on and off the base, thereby providing access to everything they may need as they begin their new families. Any leftover items were donated to Family Assistance Ministries (FAM), and to the Infant Pantry at St. Margaret’s School and Church for distribution to families with children in need.

 San Clemente/Dorothy Visser Senior Donation:  Through the club’s grant application process, the San Clemente/Dorothy Visser Senior Center was awarded $1,500 in 2025. These funds will help support the senior center’s efforts to engage and assist the community’s senior population. (In addition to this donation, club members volunteer for the center’s Meals on Wheels program, detailed in the Health and Wellness section). 

Memorial Day Observance Wreath:  SCWC again participated in the City of San Clemente’s Memorial Day Celebration by attending the event as well as creating and presenting a patriotic wreath on behalf of the club.  Club members attended the ceremony and presented the wreath in San Clemente’s historic downtown in honor of our fallen military. 

Boys & Girls Club of the South Coast Area Donation: The SCWC donated $2,000 to the BGCSCA for its STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) projects, and for art supplies for the after-school art program.

 Domestic & Sexual Violence Awareness and Prevention

Donations went to the I-5 Freedom Network, the Keeping Every Girl Free organization and support for Saddleback Church’s Anti Human Trafficking ministry. Throughout the year, SCWC provided $1500 through our grant application process, in kind clothing and gifts for survivors, and volunteer assistance to these organizations to help raise awareness and assist in the prevention of domestic violence and human trafficking in our local community.

 Environment

Recycling Program: SCWC’s Environmental Committee initiated a recycling program in 2025, encouraging members to collect plastic and glass bottles as well as aluminum cans for recycling and ring to our monthly meeting for collection. $487.37 was raised and through this effort helped support the club’s other environmental efforts and projects. $150 of these proceeds were then used to fund the planting of a tree at Ralph B. Clark Reginal Park in support of the Orange District’s CGWC Environmental Project.

Donation to “Save Our Beaches”:  SCWC donated funds in support of the local non-profit Save Our Beaches organization’s coastal monitoring device project. The CoastSnap device is on the San Clemente pier and will allow the public to take a photo using their personal cell phone and the cradle device to help monitor coastline changes over time.

Beach Clean-Ups: Members participated in multiple San Clemente beach clean-ups during 2025 and encourage community participation in future clean-ups to keep our precious coastline, beaches, and water clean and safe.

Pet Project Foundation Donation:  SCWC donated $500 to the Pet Project Foundation, which is the non-profit rescue partner for the pro-humane (no kill) San Clemente-Dana Point Animal Shelter. The Pet Project Foundation provides 100% of all veterinary care and food for the animals as well as donating thousands of hours of volunteer time each year to ensure that every animal in its care will have a safe refuge until a permanent, loving home can be found. The funding provided by SCWC will go toward veterinary care, including paying for spay/neutering, vaccinations and microchipping the animals. Additionally, several SCWC members are active volunteers for the organization and work with the animals on a regular basis.

Health & Wellness

Meals on Wheels Volunteering:  SCWC and its members deliver meals to seniors three Wednesdays of each month via the Meals on Wheels program operated out of the San Clemente Senior Center.  Over the course of the year this amounts to hundreds of meals delivered and hundreds of volunteer hours provided by members. Not only are recipients appreciative of the meals, but also the human contact that helps brighten their day. Many members also donate their time volunteering at the senior center on a regular basis.

FAM Diaper Donations, Donation for Refrigerator Maintenance, and Holiday Adopt-A-Family program: FAM is a charitable non-profit alliance based in San Clemente that assists those in need with food, shelter, and personalized supportive services. In 2025 SCWC continued to support FAM by donating diapers twice a year, exceeding 4,000 diapers provided. Through our grant application process, the club donated $2000 as requested for maintenance costs of FAM’s three commercial refrigerators for safe food storage. In December, the club funded and purchased requested holiday gifts for a total of 20 children in need.  

American Cancer Society Relay for Life:  Through our annual grant application process, SCWC donated $500 to the 2025 American Cancer Society Relay for Life.  Several club members participated in the planning of the event.

Alzheimer’s Association/Walk to End Alzheimer’s: Through our annual grant application process, donated $500 to the 2025 Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s.  Several club members serve on the local planning committee and volunteer their time throughout the year. 

Arts & Culture

Cabrillo Playhouse Donation and Support: The Cabrillo Playhouse has served as San Clemente’s local community theater since 1953. The Playhouse structure has needed renovation, and they are actively raising funds to modify the stage and increase the roof height over the stage. SCWC donated $1,816 toward this effort, specifically to fund the set-building equipment, and has also supported the Playhouse by scheduling and arranging for members to purchase tickets and attend performances as a group. Additionally, several club members volunteer regularly at the playhouse.

San Clemente Utility Box Art Program: The City of San Clemente initiated an effort in 2025 to revive its utility box public art program and the San Clemente Woman’s Club is one of the first local organizations to participate in this effort with both a monetary donation of $2000 to fund the work as well as participation in the program development and artist selection. Sixteen utility boxes throughout the city have been identified and approved by the City Council for art installation. Two prominent utility boxes have been chosen (located on Avenida Del Mar in downtown San Clemente) by the club’s Arts and Culture Committee, and two local artists who submitted applications with the city have been selected. We are thrilled that the artwork will be installed on the utility boxes on Avenida Del Mar in early 2026, with the San Clemente Woman’s Club to be identified as the donor.

Casa Romantica Cultural Center & Gardens: Casa Romantica Cultural Center & Gardens is housed in a historic home built by the founder of San Clemente and now owned by the City of San Clemente. This beautiful, grand and well-preserved structure overlooking the San Clemente pier and Pacific Ocean is open to the public and used for artistic performances, fine art displays, children’s programming, classes and weddings. The San Clemente Woman’s Club donated $1,000 through its annual grant application process to the Casa specifically for supporting the children’s programs and events. Additionally, many club members volunteer on a regular basis which include serving as docents, greeters, gift shop attendants, and serving in the galleries and garden.