For any community to grow and thrive, it needs individuals and groups who see a need and become the sparkplugs who create the energy needed to get those needs realized. Every community has such sparkplugs, and at its meeting on Thursday, Nov. 12, members and guests of AAUW, ORE (American Association of University Women, Oakdale, Riverbank, Escalon Branch) will hear how several women in Escalon and Oakdale have grown community in their respective towns by cultivating love and fun.
Seven years ago at a Town Hall meeting hosted by the Escalon City Council, Mayor, Robert Swift was asked, “Why don’t we have something for seniors in Escalon?” Out of that query came the Escalon Senior Fun Bunch. With support and encouragement from the city, the Escalon Ministerial Association, service organizations and others, five women who met at the first meeting, Ann Shaddix – who first brought the senior issue to light – Peggy Rocha, Cindy Moreno, Lois Wetter-Tilbury, and Tina Jensen became the team that created the Senior Fun Bunch. Rocha shared that the group still works to “plan, propose, and prepare each gathering … hoping to bring seniors together – for fun and fellowship each month.”
Current Escalon City manager, Jaylen French, in the group’s August newsletter, said this of the team: “The Senior Fun Bunch should be commended for their efforts to keep seniors active and involved in the community … and for ensuring the group lives into the future…”. These women used the building block of fun to grow community.
In Oakdale, the spark that became the building block was love and the individual who has nurtured that spark is Lisa Kjeldgaard. She became the director of Love Oakdale in 2019. Since then, she has grown the organization to be much more than the historic annual Volunteer Day, now actively serving the community all year long. Love Oakdale annually serves at the City’s Halloween Festival, holds a Back-to-School shoe drive and hosts the Christmas window decorating and holiday ‘light fight’ contests. In 2023, Kjeldgaard and Roxanne Simons created the Oakdale Morning Market held five months each year, which has become a much-loved community event. This past year, Love Oakdale led an Extreme Home Makeover initiative selecting a local family who received a complete home renovation during which local contractors poured over $75,000 into bringing hope to a local family. Also in 2026, Love Oakdale took over the Oakdale Concerts in the Park summer music series, growing it to become the most successful series in its history.
The Nov. 12 evening meeting will start with a social time at 6 p.m., at the Escalon Public Library, 1540 Second St., Escalon and is open to members, guests and those interested in possibly joining the organization. Individuals interested in attending or who want more information about the meeting or AAUW’s mission are asked to RSVP by emailing membership director, Gail Marganelli at gmarganelli@att.net.
The American Association of University Women (AAUW) advances gender equity for women and girls through research, education, and advocacy. The nonpartisan, nonprofit organization has been transforming women’s lives for more than a century. Learn more at www.aauw.org.
Branch information is at http://ore-ca.aauw.net or by emailing the branch at AAUW.ORE@gmail.com.
Graduates holding an associates or higher degree from an institution of the AAUW list of qualified institutions and persons holding an honorary degree are eligible for membership in AAUW.
