(above, l-r) Kathy Trombacco, Sharon Kapica, Carol Schessler, Simone Roelli, Susan Packie, Bernadette Grohol, and Kimberly Iozzi.
Thursday Morning Club Scholarship Awarded
Submitted by Cathy Gotliffe
The Thursday Morning Club (TMC) of Madison, NJ is a non-profit organization of women dedicated to community improvement by enhancing the lives of others through volunteer service. This year TMC created a scholarship to fund the completion of an Associate’s or Bachelor’s College Degree or to obtain a Certificate of Training. Eligible applicants had a high school diploma or GED and were clients participating in the Dress for Success Program (DFS), an organization that empowers women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire and development tools to help women thrive in work and life. The scholarship is for education-related expenses incurred during the pursuit of a degree or certification. The scholarship is renewable.
On September 17, 2019, at the Madison Community House, TMC and DFS awarded the first annual TMC Scholarship to Simone Roelli. Ms. Roelli was born in Brazil, only spoke Portuguese as a child, and had very little formal education before coming to the United States. Once in this country, Ms. Roelli completed ESOL coursework; received her GED; completed as Associate Degree in Business Administration; and is currently a full-time student at Rutgers, Newark, where she anticipates completing her B.S. in Accounting by May 2020.
In her acceptance speech, Ms. Roelli noted the many obstacles she faced and acknowledged that she found a “village” to help her realize her dreams. Ms. Roelli thanked the Literacy Volunteers of Morris County for the tutor that they assigned her. This tutor, who still helps her to this day, helped Ms. Roelli to understand her assignments in her English-based college courses. Ms. Roelli also thanked Dress for Success. Ms. Roelli explained that through her participation in the financial theory program, attending monthly meetings and other programs, DFS gave her the confidence to set and meet realistic goals. Lastly, Ms. Roelli thanked the Thursday Morning Club. This scholarship will allow her to complete her college education and obtain the degree that she has spent many years pursuing.
The scholarship was presented by Thursday Morning Club President Susan Packie and Scholarship Committee Chair Bernadette Grohol. Also in attendance were Scholarship Committee members Kathy Trombacco, Sharon Kapica, Carol Schessler, and Dress for Success Executive Director, Kimberly Iozzi.
Organized in 1896, TMC is a member of both the New Jersey State and General Federation of Women’s Clubs. The club offers programs and services to support the community, and its Community House provides a home for a number of sports, recreation, civic groups and the Madison Community House Preschool. The Thursday Morning Club is a non-profit service organization with over 260 members whose goal is to provide services for the town of Madison and neighboring communities.
For information about the Thursday Morning Club or membership, call the Community House at 973-377-0244 or visit TMCMCH.org.
