Lakeside Woman’s Club rises to the occasion with peddle power

The saying “History repeats itself” is alive and well and the Woman’s Club of Lakeside has risen to the occasion once again during the COVID-19 pandemic that is sweeping our nation.

On March 28 California Gov. Gavin Newsom decreed that all citizens should shelter in place to keep the virus from spreading from person to person. The news was covered with stories about the shortage of safety supplies for nurses and doctors, not enough masks or gowns. A light turned on top of the heads of club president Barbara Meyer and dedicated seamstress Nancy DeGrief. They decided to ask their Sewing Circle club members to join them and help make face masks for the workers on the front line of defense, at the hospitals and medical offices.

Even though the Sewing Circle’s weekly meetings had been suspended, making face masks was a project they could do at home, on a large scale. They already amassed a large quantity of donated fabrics to share and found a pattern on Facebook, so all the sewers were making the same design, but different prints.

DeGrief said that they “We’re peddling as fast as we can,” meaning they are all busy sewing the face masks for the community. They were surprised that some hospitals would not accept homemade masks, but were very happy the Balboa Naval Hospital said they were glad to receive them.

The Woman’s Club was founded in 1910 with the plan to improve their community, dues were only $0.25. During World War I in 1918, the women opened their meeting room for the public for Red Cross meetings, to help roll bandages, knit and sew kits for the service men overseas. They also offered Civil Defense classes, teaching chemical warfare.

During WWI they also began the first “Victory Bell,” ringing it every day at noon in the steeple bell of the Community Church on Maine Avenue, seven times for V-I-C-T-O-R-Y. Following their lead every Presbyterian churches in the United States rang their bells as well. During WWII they brought back their tradition of tolling the bell, but this time, five times for P-E-A-C-E.

Once again in 1991, during the Desert Storm war in the Middle East, they rang the bell at the Old Community Church, now home to the Lakeside Historical Society.

History is repeating itself once again as last week the Woman’s Club brought back the tolling of the bell, every Wednesday at noon during the coronavirus pandemic. Again, the bell tolls seven times for V-I-C-T-O-R-Y.