Holiday Tea Tradition of Giving Back
For over 40 years, the Main Line Newcomers Club has hosted an annual Holiday Tea in December. The Tea offers an opportunity to celebrate the season of giving, enjoy the company of other members and to make new friends. This year the Holiday Tea was held at a historic mansion on the campus of Rosemont College and attended by 70 Club members.
Charitable contributions for a local charity have been a part of the Tea over the years. This year, the Club selected ElderNet of Lower Merion and Narberth, a 43year old local nonprofit that supports vulnerable members of our community.
ElderNet has three main areas of focus: older adults, adults living with disabilities, and people facing food and financial insecurity. In addition to providing social work services, ElderNet also has a choice food pantry to which the community can contribute. However, the bulk of ElderNet’s services are provided by volunteers, providing individualized services to those in need, such as transportation to and from doctor’s appointments, visiting with people who are homebound, or performing some small jobs around their homes. Though ElderNet provides services to thousands of people every year, they do so with a small staff of seven and 150 volunteers.
ElderNet Executive Director Brandon Trombetta gave a brief presentation at the Tea and answered questions from Club members. He noted that “the older adults who have gotten us where we are as a society are often forgotten as they age in their communities after retirement.” In order to remedy this situation, ElderNet fosters relationships that “go beyond sheer volunteering and are meaningful to all involved.”
Main Line Newcomers Club President Taissa Kira said, “We are so pleased for the great turn out at our Holiday Tea this year and for all our Main Line Newcomer members who so generously contributed to the funds we raised in honor of ElderNet. We are proud to provide support for the good work this organization is doing for our local community’s elderly population. I was particularly touched by the many comments made by our members who want to donate not only funds and food for the pantry but also with their time as new ElderNet volunteers in 2020.” The Tea raised $2,550 for ElderNet.
Mr. Trombetta has been at the helm of ElderNet since February 2019, and envisions the nonprofit expanding its geographic scope and providing more services. In order to do so, volunteers are needed to help. To learn more about ElderNet, please visit www. EldernetOnline.org or phone 610-525-0706.
The annual Holiday Tea is one of many social activities offered by the Main Line Newcomers Club. To learn more about the Club, come to the next Meet and Greet Wednesday, March 11, at 9:30 am at Café Fleur inside Valley Forge Flowers in Wayne. In the meantime, email meetandgreet@ mainlinenewcomers.org for more information, or visit the Club on Facebook, Instagram, or on the website www.MainLineNewcomers.org.