Woman’s Club of Sanford luncheon spotlights arts program, scholarships and charities

Decorative trinket trays and faux Japanese cherry blossoms framed a spring luncheon at the Woman’s Club of Sanford’s Oak Street clubhouse, where the longtime civic group used a social gathering to push its arts classes, scholarships and charity work.

The club, which says it has served the community since 1913, ties its mission to raising funds and awareness for local charities while preserving its clubhouse in Sanford’s Downtown Historic District. The building at 309 S. Oak Ave. has long been part of the city’s historic core, and the club said its scholarship applications are open for 2026 as it continues its focus on young women in Seminole County.

Arts Chair Sally Dehler told members the club is again looking for arts and crafts instructors for its program, which is open to people outside the membership. The class format is designed to be practical as well as creative, with participants learning a skill and taking home the piece they make that same day. The club’s art committee also puts out monthly art events and welcomes people ages 16 and up, making the program a broader community offering rather than an internal pastime.

Linda Hollerbach, the club’s inspirational leader, read an essay titled Golden Eggs and Japanese Blossoms and spoke about Japanese principles for everyday living. Sanjuanita Justiniano took the meeting minutes as the luncheon moved through the club’s regular business and social program.

Behind the spring theme, the event underscored how the Woman’s Club still acts as a local funding engine. Its support page lists beneficiaries including Sanford Crisis Pregnancy Center, Kids House, Honor Flight Central Florida, Meals on Wheels, Safehouse of Seminole and Sanford Seminole Art Association, showing how luncheon dollars can ripple into food support, child advocacy, veteran recognition and arts programming across Seminole County.

The club also says it is dedicated to furthering the education of young women in the county, a mission that connects the luncheon’s fundraising directly to future scholarships. A Seminole County Public Schools scholarship listing identified the Woman’s Club of Sanford scholarship as open to young women in the county, reinforcing the club’s role in helping local students reach the next step in school.

With nearly 50 members and a regular meeting schedule on the first Wednesday of every month, the club remains a small but steady presence in Sanford civic life. Its spring luncheon showed how legacy groups still matter when local charities, students and arts programs are all competing for the same pool of donors.