HADLEY — At the Hadley Mothers’ Club first-ever craft fair at the North Hadley Village Hall in the 1950s, club members donned old-fashioned dresses for the fundraiser, “and we made out very well,” as Claire Yezierski recently recalled.
Whether it’s through bake sales on Election Day or seasonal craft fairs, raising money to support the community — especially children and the schools — has been a constant during the Hadley Mothers’ Club’s first 75 years.
“We always did something to help people,” said Yezierski, 89, who joined the club in 1954. That was a decade after a group of mothers organized and successfully convinced school officials to create Hadley’s first kindergarten class, in the midst of World War II.
Just a week before Mother’s Day, Yezierski, an eight-time president, was one of about 60 current and past members of the Hadley Mothers’ Club marking the milestone anniversary with an afternoon tea, featuring sandwiches, cookies, a cake and companionship, at the parish center at Most Holy Redeemer Catholic Church.
Denise Devine, the club’s current president, said the longest-running event put on by the Hadley Mothers’ Club is candidates forums, which some records indicate the club has sponsored annually since 1952. “That’s a great community service to the town,” Devine said.
In recent years, the club has offered refreshments at Town Meeting, overseen the water station for the Healthy Hearts for Hadley Schools run and walk, and purchased recorders for third graders. It will soon be awarding three $350 scholarships to high school seniors from Hadley who are eligible whether attending Hopkins Academy or another school, such as Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School.
The club also has paid for a messaging system the Hadley schools use, provided money for Rape Aggression Defense and internet safety trainings, purchased a computer for the senior citizen tax work-off program and made contributions to the Lego/robotics clubs.
About 28 active club members attend meetings and help with fundraising events that typically generate more than $5,000 a year. About 50 members are on the Friends of the Hadley Mothers’ Club mailing list.
During the afternoon tea, those attending were served by local Girl Scouts, which the Hadley Mothers’ Club provided the seed money to help form decades earlier.
“The Mothers’ Club started the first Girl Scout troop, so it’s really a great thing to have them here to help us,” Devine said.
Six past presidents of the club were present for the event, offering reflections on the club.
Joanne Keller said she appreciates that a younger generation of women have taken over but continue to pursue the core mission, which is to “give a lot of money back to the schools.”
The club had dwindled to nine members in the late 1960s when Helen Zatyrka assumed the presidency. She said her term was marked by doing whatever it took to revive the club.
Carol Trane said she will always remember the camaraderie of club members when she was president. “I think of you all as friends and even new friends,” Trane said.
Most of those who attended the anniversary event are people who still call the Pioneer Valley home, with Linda Lewis, who moved to Schenectady, New York after spending eight years in Hadley, making the farthest trek.
Despite her brief time in town, Lewis said she made lifelong friends and maintains deep connections to the community.
“I just remember a lot of social things and working for the good of the kids,” Lewis said. “The club is wonderful for the children and the community, and I was always glad to be a member.”
Diane Kieras-Ciolkos , the club’s secretary, has been part of the club for 12 years, joining as her daughter, Kiera, began elementary school.
“My full-time volunteering has been with the club,” Kieras-Ciolkos said. “I love the idea of the Mothers’ Club and what it contributes to the community.”
Yezierski said she became part of the club to get to know other families with children. “I enjoyed going to meet the younger generation, and the children,” Yezierski said.
Evelyn Prucnal of Hatfield, who like Yezierski joined the Mothers’ Club in the 1950s, saw it as a way to spend an evening with friends, while also helping others. “When you have a little one at home, you want to get out,” Prucnal said.
The newest member, Diane West, joined less than two years ago, following a sip-and-paint recruiting event. West said she has enjoyed the activities, such as making food for the annual vendor’s fair.
“People became very good friends, and it’s a way to meet more people in town,” West said.
Melissa Aloisi, past membership chair, said that new member signups typically happen in October, following a potluck meeting in September that anyone is welcome to attend. The membership fee is $10 a year.
“We allow anyone to join at any time, if you’re just someone who wants to contribute back to the Hadley schools,” she said.
During the course of the afternoon, Devine was recognized for being the force behind the club.
“She is amazing and inspires all of us to be better every day,” said member Cathy West.
Along one wall of the parish center was a plaque with the names of all past presidents, as well as deceased members of the club, and along another wall were historic photos and scrapbooks, next to citations from both the Massachusetts House of Representatives and the Senate and a proclamation from the Select Board, which dedicated the annual town report to the club.
The 75th anniversary was noted at the recent Town Meeting, when Joyce Chunglo, who is both a member of the Select Board and past member of the club, announced the dedication.
“The Hadley Mothers’ Club deserves our recognition and our thanks,” Chunglo said.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.