The Woman’s Improvement Club of Corona recently celebrated the 125th anniversary of the club’s founding.
Those attending the Nov. 12 event, in addition to club members, included Tom Richins, mayor of Corona; Corona City Council members Wes Speake and Jacque Casillas; and 2nd District Riverside County Supervisor Karen Spiegel, who is also a decorated member of Woman’s Improvement Club, according to a news release.
Those guests presented proclamations congratulating the club on its125 years of service and making a mark on the history of Corona.
At the celebration, artist Jan Warner, a member of the club, presented an oil painting depicting a young woman in front of a tree with white blossoms. The painting was a reminder that the garden committee was one of the first that the club formed. That committee was responsible for planting pepper trees on Grand Boulevard, cleaning up parks and holding competitions in the city for the most beautiful gardens, according to the news release.
Donna Allosada, the club’s financial secretary, provided guests with four note cards depicting the club’s history and gave each person a bookmark commemorating the anniversary.
Doris Osko, club historian and a past president, presented a chronology of important events throughout the club’s 125-year history, assisted by past president Lee Hansen. Susan Bain provided a slide presentation to accompany the chronology.
The Woman’s Improvement Club of Corona began in February 1899 when 21 women led by the Platt sisters — Stella, Helen and Anna — founded the Town Improvement Society and met in various homes to establish goals of community service. They formed Street and Sanitation, Finance, Children’s Auxiliary, Parks, Humane and Library committees and within months had completed several projects
The Library Committee rented a room in a downtown building for the Reading Room for $8 a month, and the Humane Committee had success in preventing “cruel beating of horses carrying heavy loads of stone,” according to the news release.
The Parks Committee cleaned up the city parks, and the three Platt sisters planted pepper trees on Grand Boulevard.
The Sanitation Committee asked the city to create a sanitation department for the city, and when they were ignored, they took to the streets with brooms and shovels. That caused so much embarrassment for city officials that the city created a sanitation department, according to the news release.
Club members also provided afternoon storytelling for public school children and declared support for women’s suffrage.
The Woman’s Improvement Club of Corona’s clubhouse is at 1101 S. Main St., Corona. For information about the club, go to coronawomansclub.org.
