BRICK – Every community across this great country needs a helping hand every now and again. Brick Township is no different. Sometimes things just happen. It’s nice to know a wonderful group is ready to help where they can.
The Women’s Club of Brick has been doing just that for almost a century. In fact, they are part of a larger group of helping hands across the Garden State.
Cheryl Dyer, President of the Women’s Club of Brick, spoke about their role within the community they serve.
“We’ve been a community service organization in Brick for 90 years,” said Dyer. “We’re also part of the New Jersey State Federation of Women’s Clubs – and they have been in existence for 131 years.”
Dyer, who has been involved with the Women’s Club since 2021, said she joined right after COVID. She said the club has historically had over 100 members, but when she joined, it had fallen to 11 members. Dyer and a few friends were looking for a social club to join after retirement. They wanted to get involved in some kind of community service and to meet new people.
“There’s only so many times you can go out to lunch with former colleagues after you’ve retired,” said Dyer.
Since 2021, Dyer said the club has added 40-plus members and remains active in supporting causes within Brick and beyond. The club is organized into committees, including Advocacy for Children, Education, Environmental, and Civic Outreach, among others.
“Each committee plans their projects the year. Based on what they want to do and how much money that’s going to take, we also plan our fundraising activities. We’re a community service organization; we raise money, and we give it away.”
Raising money and giving it away is exactly what the Women’s Club of Brick does. Dyer said the club has raised about $18,000 annually, and with little overhead and no physical building to pay rent on, the club can donate more of what it raises directly to the people who need it most.
“Last year we gave about $7,000 in scholarships away. We also pay for four girls from the high school to attend Girls Career Institute, which is held at Douglass College every year,” she said.
The New Jersey State Federation of Women’s Clubs has run this 4-day program since 1948.
Dyer said the group works closely on environmental issues, such as collecting old shoes to keep them out of landfills. They also plant a tree each year on Arbor Day. Their Health and Wellness Committee organized blood drives to donate over 100 units of blood to the New York Blood Center. And the Advocacy for Children Committee focuses a lot on children in foster care, working closely with a group titled embrella.
These and countless other initiatives are what the Women’s Club of Brick works on year-round.
Dyer said a typical club meeting would look like a standard business meeting. The meeting would include a review of previous club minutes and a guest speaker. Then, the business of raising money for worthy causes kicks into gear.
Perhaps the club’s most unique project right now is called Cubs for Causes. Members create teddy bears with various color patterns and designs to sell at craft and vendor fairs. Handmade, locally created stuffed animals are few and far between and always popular for special occasions.
“We’ve made over 130 stuffed bears,” said Dyer. “They range from Halloween-themed to sports teams, Christmas…we have some that are for Breast Cancer Awareness, too.”
This popular idea was highlighted at a recent Brick Board of Education meeting. The high school bears, with Mustang and Dragon patterns colorfully showing off their team spirit, were a hit. Both student representatives who attended the Board of Education meeting received one in their respective school’s colors and with their school’s logo on it.
Fundraising is a major aspect for the Women’s Club of Brick. The annual Holiday 50/50 is a successful and fun event held each year and can give one lucky person a big boost to their holiday spending account.
“Our goal is to sell 400 tickets,” said Dyer. At $20 a ticket, the winner would clear $4,000, while the other half of the total collected would be donated to the club’s scholarship fund. Anyone interested in purchasing a chance for the 50/50 can reach out via email to arrange purchase. According to Dyer, the drawing will occur on December 7 at the monthly meeting.
Another fundraising event is called the Merry Mah Jongg. It’s held on December 4 at Town Square at the Jersey Shore, located at 1930 Route 88 in Brick. A previous event held in August, called Mah Jongg and Mocktails, was very popular, she said, and the club expects to have another successful Mah Jongg event this coming December.
In keeping with the holiday spirit, the Women’s Club has also put together 48 stockings for service women, which will be shipped overseas. The stockings include toiletries and treats and are part of Operation Holiday Stocking.
Every club has bylaws and regulations its members must follow. Dyer and the Women’s Club of Brick want people to know their club is open to anyone who wants to help support their community.
“We’re not political. We’re not partisan in any way. We’re not religious. We are a group of women who come together to do what we can to meet the needs of the community; whatever that might be. Whatever arises from one year to the other. We try to support the township of Brick in every way we can. That includes the schools, people who are economically struggling, etc.
“In the past, we’ve supported Dottie’s House (a now-closed organization that helped support women and children surviving domestic abuse), and now we will be supporting 180 Turning Lives Around.”
All their good deeds have not gone unnoticed. The Women’s Club of Brick was recently honored by the Brick Chamber of Commerce as a Community Partner for 2026. On October 8, the Brick Chamber of Commerce awarded the Women’s Club with a Sails of Success award.
Cheryl Dyer and the other members of the Women’s Club have plenty of projects underway. If you are interested in becoming a member, or would like to reach out to help with fundraising in Brick, please visit their website at: womensclubofbrick.org
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