Falling back into meetings of fun and interesting speakers are Dixon Women’s Improvement Club members, from left, Pamela Marks, Louann Lundberg, Linda Carpenter and TanyiaLee Ceremello.

DIXON, CA (MPG) - After hibernating over the hot summer months, the Dixon Women’s Improvement Club (DWIC), a 100-year-old organization of local women, is ready to wake up and kick off the 2024-2025 year on Wednesday, Sept. 18, starting at noon with a presentation by Brett Barley, the new Dixon Unified School District (DUSD) School Superintendent.

The Dixon Women’s Improvement Club was established in 1899. The group’s founders were women from families that settled in the Dixon area following the Gold Rush of 1849. They were interested in beautifying and improving their little town.

Today’s members, as strong and as empowering as their predecessors, are also about having fun and have planned a year of interesting, monthly presentations, along with pleasant trips nearby.

“I’m really excited about this year’s programs and excursions,” said Dixon Women’s Improvement Club Vice- President and Program Coordinator Jewel Fink.

Some of the plans are hearing about the voting issues, protecting members from fraud and scams, a Bingo Party, a Holiday Tea in December and more. Fink is an elected Dixon Unified School District School Board trustee who invited Barley to introduce himself to start this year’s Dixon Women’s Improvement Club programs.

Barley will share his background, starting his career in education as a fourth-grade teacher at Sylvia Cassell Elementary School in San Jose, moving on to being selected as the Deputy Superintendent of Student Achievement for the State of Nevada; to his most recent assignment as Superintendent of the California Montessori Project, which encompasses seven schools across Sacramento, Elk Grove, Carmichael, Fair Oaks, Orangevale and Shingle Springs.

Barley’s vision for leading Dixon Unified includes being bold and innovative and relentless about student achievement and equity; crafting plans with the community that works for the community; and building and retaining a strong team.  His goal is to put Dixon on the map as a “Destination District.”

The first Dixon Women’s Improvement Club meeting will start at noon with the board and committee chairs providing members and guests with a salad luncheon, followed by the presentation.

Other officers and committee chairs are President Teri Brown, Recording Secretary Ashley Alvarez, Treasurer Cindy Heeney; Corresponding Secretary and Sunshine Chair Pat Inderbitzen, Financial Reviewer Martha Dukes, Jeannie Bei for the Dixon Women’s Improvement Club Rose Garden; Historian Pamela Marks, Membership Chairs Angela Remides and Binky Rowe, and Scholarships Chair Diane Schroeder.

The Dixon Women’s Improvement Club officers welcome new members and hopes the variety of presentations this year appeal to all. New membership fee is $40 per year.  The group meets on the third Wednesday of each month in the Fellowship Hall of the Dixon United Methodist Church at 209 N. Jefferson.

If one enjoys the camaraderie of good friends and is interested in joining, contact Membership Chairs Rowe at 707-301-1673 or Remides at 707-688-2704.