Our March luncheon will highlight Portland author Ruth Wariner, author of the book
The Sound of Gravel. It is a fascinating autobiography of her life in a polygamist
family and her eventual escape. You may enjoy her presentation even more if you do read
the book. Please bring questions to the March luncheon as the author will be very happy to
answer them.
The book is available in paperback and audiobook. Check with your public library, your
local bookstore, and Amazon.
Schedule
11:00
Social/Start Hour
12:00
Lunch is served
12:45
Program begins
2:00
Event Ends
Venue
Restaurant 503
21900 Willamette Drive
West Linn, Oregon 97068
(across the street from the West Linn Library)
Taste of Italy
You can choose from four Italian favorites when you register: Stuffed Pork Tenderloin, Chicken Marsala, Chicken Parmesan, and Mushroom Ravioli. They come with a mixed greens side salad, and your choice of coffee, tea, iced tea, or soda.
Cost
$35.00 each. Includes gratuity.
Registration
You must register by Thursday, March 5, 2026 at 5:00pm.
You must be a member to register. Click or tap this button. You may be asked to login using the username and password that was emailed to you:
Payment
You may pay online by clicking or tapping this button or you may bring a check made payable to Newcomers Welcome Club.
Cancellation
If you need to cancel, contact Nancy Jacobson (503-422-1694) or Merryl Sawicki (503-381-4194) ASAP. If no one can take your reservation, you are responsible for
the cost of the lunch.
I would like to express my gratitude to everyone for their consistent support of our monthly luncheons.
The current Board has demonstrated exceptional dedication in organizing both the luncheons and other
events. Their combined efforts are evident in the way they manage advertising, plan engaging programs,
and ensure that information reaches all members promptly.
Dave and Belinda are actively working to provide members with a diverse selection of restaurants and
venues. Their goal is to create opportunities for members to enjoy a range of experiences and explore
different locations.
Our March luncheon will be held at Five O Three Restaurant in West Linn. This venue is well known for
its seasonally inspired, locally sourced menu, which highlights the rich offerings from Oregon’s farms,
ranches, and wineries. We encourage members to revisit these venues. By returning to these locations,
you support local establishments and help foster connections within our community.
Looking ahead to April, our luncheon will be held at the picturesque Willamette Valley Country Club in
Canby. This venue offers a scenic setting and, with its larger capacity, will allow us to accommodate more
members than usual. Because of the increased size and demand, please note that reservations must be
made earlier than usual. Be sure to watch for the reservation deadline so you don’t miss your chance to
join us for this special event – our Fashion Show.
One last note: We kindly ask all members to review the Nominating Committee Report. As the time
approaches to select individuals for Board positions, we encourage everyone to consider volunteering or
nominating candidates who would be interested in serving on the NWC Board 2026-2027. New faces and
fresh perspectives are wanted to keep our organization thriving and moving forward.
Warmly,
Darlene Conklé
NWC President
Looking for volunteers
by Barb Brannon, Nominating Committee Chair
We are looking for volunteers to serve on the 2026-2027 Newcomers’ Club Board
A nomination committee has been appointed to begin the search for new Newcomers’ Club board
members for 2026-2027. The committee will be compiling a slate of candidates for the Board’s approval in
April, and the elected officers’ positions will be voted on by the general membership in May. There are
many opportunities to serve!
Becoming a Newcomers’ Board member is a wonderful way to get more involved in the club, and the
Board is an enjoyable, collaborative team that gets things done. If you are a new(ish) member, a board
position is a terrific way to get to know other members. I was invited (persuaded) to take a board position
soon after I joined, and I am so glad I answered the call. I have truly enjoyed working on the board. Many
of the open positions are for a “co-chair,” which is a good way to ease into a new role.
We have openings for the following positions for our 2026-2027 Board:
Elected officers
Co-President
Vice President
Non-elected Directors
Activities Director
Co-Eblast
Heart to Heart
Membership
Newsletter (printed)
Publicity
Co-Philanthropy
Programs
Co-Programs
Co-Reservations
All position descriptions are found on the website at www.newcomerswelcomeclub.com at the bottom of
the home page under Member’s Corner. (non-password-protected).
If you would like to serve on the Board, or have someone to nominate, please contact one of the
members of the Nomination Committee: Barb Brannon, Sherry Kuntz, Nancy O’Neill, Lisa Reiser, or
Birgit Woodward.
March is a busy month for the Philanthropy Committee. We are researching several charities and
will soon recommend three to the Board as candidates for NWC designated charity for 2026-
2027. Subject to the Board’s approval, we will send each of you a ballot so you can vote for
your choice. The charity that receives the most votes will be our winner!
Club members have been very generous in supporting our fundraisers, and we recently presented
a check for $3500, the proceeds from our very successful Holiday Boutique/Bakesale, to Hunger
Fighters. Simone Coker-Kamna, CEO, sent a note to pass on to club members:
“I just wanted to
let you know that we received the incredibly generous donation check from NWC's Holiday
Boutique & Bake Sale—Thank you all so much!! I loved reading about the boutique and bake
sale, please be sure to thank all of the donors for supporting HFO (and a double thanks to those
who gave 100% of their sales to us!) Sorry I couldn't be there to do a little shopping! It's been so
great connecting with NWC over these last couple of years and having you all come and
volunteer. Your ongoing support is so appreciated by us here at the pantry!”
We will make a larger donation to Hunger Fighters in June, to mark the end of our sponsorship
for that charity. Between now and June, we plan to offer one fundraising event, a raffle basket or
two, and a food drive. And, the many NWC members who volunteer their time at Hunger
Fighters continue to serve. The value of their time and commitment? Priceless.
I frequently read articles on habits and lifestyle choices that support longevity. Longevity is
something I definitely think about more as I get older. Genetic makeup contributes to around
50% of life expectancy according to a recent international study, but you do have significant
control over how your genes function, and you can extend your expected lifespan by adopting
healthy habits. Does this have anything to do with Philanthropy? It does! Let me give you an
example.
We all have heard that “you get more than you give” when you serve others. But did you know,
generosity is good for your heart--and not just in a metaphorical way? Studies show that
practicing generosity can help reduce stress, enhance your sense of purpose, naturally fight
depression, and even increase your expected lifespan! Generosity also promotes overall social
connection and community wellbeing. It can improve relationships as we connect ourselves to
others’ stories and experiences. Strong social connections and interactions boost longevity - not
only the length of life, but also the quality of life. Why not participate in Philanthropy
Committee activities or volunteer with Heart to Heart for an extra boost to your health?!
Welcome to Newcomers Activities
Nancy O'Neill
We are an inclusive group of women and men who have formed a vibrant community and welcome new and
old members to join in our many offerings. Please contact us if you have any questions.
Is there an activity you would like to see in our club? Let us know. We will work with you to make it
happen, including arranging for a co-leader and mentoring. Some of our newest groups include Canasta, The
Cooking Club, and a Women's Discussion Group.
Thank you to all the generous members who have signed up to serve lunch each month. We do not need additional volunteers at
this time, but feel free to contact Sally with questions or to be added to a reserve list. We set up and serve lunch on the
fourth Monday from 11:00am to 1:30pm at 505 G Avenue, Lake Oswego.
Monthly NWC board meetings are held on the first Thursday, at 10:00am, at the Lake Oswego Adult
Community Center.
Board meetings are open to members. Simply notify the president in advance that you wish to attend.
New members
by Lynn Pappas and Sue Moore
We welcome our new members:
Gayle Saxton from Orinda, California
Karen Reihansperger from Salt Lake City
Jaye Gittelman from Philadelphia
March birthdays
Click here for a list of birthdays
Sunshine cards
by Nancy Jacobson
Send a little sunshine to someone, in the form of a card. Email their name, address, and why they need
a bit of cheering up to Nancy Jacobson.
Photo Album
Ed Sawicki
The NWC photo album has photos of the February Luncheon at the Lakewood Theater on State Street in Lake Oswego.
Click or tap this photo collage to go to the NWC photo album.
Group leaders: Send your photos, with captions if possible, to Ed Sawicki. Please ensure that the people
in your photos are agreeable to having their photo in the Photo Album.
NWC Travelers
Ed Sawicki
NWC Travelers is a photo album for NWC members who have traveled
to interesting places. This month, there are photos from the Portland Art Museum's free day. Click or tap this photo to visit the photo album.
Maui butterfly
If you have photos or short videos of your travels, send them and their captions to me.
We're forming a new group, The Cooking Club, to replace the Ladies Cooking Classes, to be more inclusive.
We’ll offer lunches and dinners where a member prepares and shares the recipes, and participants pay for the food and bring their own
beverage. We’ll offer afternoon appetizer and dessert tastings where participants bring homemade or store-bought food to share and their
own beverage. We’ll offer classes where you’ll learn to make a dish and take your creation home to enjoy. And men are welcome to
participate.
Our March meeting will be a dinner on Friday, March 27, at 6:30pm at Susan Slovacek's home.
Mike will prepare Cajun appetizers, chicken and sausage gumbo with your choice of rice, sweet potato or potato salad, and pecan pie.
Nothing will be spicy.
Mike will discuss the recipes during dessert and provide a vacuumed bagged dry roux for your first gumbo.
We’ll provide still and sparkling water with lemon and lime slices, iced sweet tea, hot tea, and coffee.
Please bring your own soft drinks, mixed drinks, beer, or wine. The cost is $15 per person.
We’re looking for hosts for April, May, July, and August.
If you’re interested in joining this group, attending the March dinner, or hosting a future event, please contact Susan.
Women's Discussion Group
Joan Seitz
Engage, Inspire, and Explore… A group discussion is a structured exchange of ideas among
participants aimed at sharing insights and perspectives. The most engaging discussions often touch
on themes relevant to everyday life: education, technology, history, current events,
ethics, and diversity. The group will offer suggestions for prospective topics.
The group has co-leaders Sharon Samson and Joan Seitz. If you are interested in joining the group, please
contact Joan.
We invite you to connect with fellow members in a small group setting! Both prospective and current members are
warmly encouraged to join us for coffee and learn more about the Newcomers Welcome Club of Lake Oswego.
Join us on the fourth Friday of the month at 10:00am. The specific location will be announced closer to the date.
Be sure to mark your calendars for Friday, March 27, 2026, for a wonderful morning of connection and community!
If you'd like to receive an invitation and details about the meeting location, please email Birgit Woodward by
Monday, March 23.
Saturday Night Social
Merryl Sawicki
The monthly Saturday evening social is an opportunity for newcomers, their spouses, and single
members to meet other members in the warmth and comfort of a member's home. The usual routine is to
bring an appetizer to share and your own beverage that is not shared.
This month's social is on March 21 at the home of Carole Hull. Please RSVP to Carole at:
Newcomers Welcome Club Friendship Luncheons offer you the opportunity to develop
new and lasting friendships in a quieter setting. There are eleven active groups, with members
enjoying each other's company each month.
Our format is for 4-8 ladies to meet, rotating homes. Each host prepares a casual meal or
selects a restaurant, with each member paying for her own meal. Groups set their own meeting
day, for example, second Tuesdays, so that members can keep those calendar dates clear.
Happily, there are many ways to socialize with Newcomers and these smaller gatherings are
perfect for getting to know each other better. Please contact me when you wish to be part of
the fun.
I clipped this article from the Oregonian newspaper that was published back in 2008 and found it helpful, so thought I would share some
of the highlights.
The 5-Step Program for choosing a bottle of wine.
Adjective and Noun When you are approached in a restaurant or wine shop about what type of wine you are interested in ordering or
purchasing focus on those 2 words. The first describes the style of wine and the second is the name of the grape or blend. Examples
would be Peppery Shiraz, Smokey cabernet, Fruity pinot or Velvety merlot. Those examples will be very helpful to the person asking the
question.
Ask Specific Questions The worst question you can ask is "What would you recommend?" They will most likely recommend 5 or 6
different selections so by giving them some parameters to work with will be more helpful to steer you in the right direction. No question
is too basic for a good wine merchant or sommelier. An example is "what wine would you choose if you ordered a pork loin for dinner?" or,
"what wine can I bring for a hostess gift for someone who knows a lot about wine and I'd rather not spend more than $25?"
Look for Handwriting In a wine shop look for "shelf talkers". These are the handwritten notes that someone on the staff took
time to scribble up his or her own notes about the wine which is usually worth trying. Another good question is to ask the server or wine
buyer, "What wine do they like to drink at home?"
Look at the Little Numbers Not the Big Ones Price is not a strong indicator of the quality of the wine and neither is the 95
score that might be boldly printed on the label somewhere. Instead look at the alcohol by volume which should be in tiny print running
vertically on the front or back label. Lower than 14 percent alcohol by volume offers you a better wine for food pairing and enjoyment.
Take Risks Be brave, and try that bottle with the screw cap, or plastic stopper. Don't pass up that bottle that only cost $10.
Seek out wines from wine regions you aren't familiar with.
Cheers
Joanne and Maria
SeniorNet
Ed Sawicki
SeniorNet helps keep you safe on the Internet and helps with your technological
challenges. Welcome to the new world of the Internet, where trust is more difficult than ever.
This month, there's an article on the various uses of QR codes and how you can use them on
your phone or tablet.
Tap the video to the left to Visit the Seniornet page for details.
WashCo Fun is a coed group for all members of LONWC and the spouses
of WashCo Fun members. Our activities in Washington County include an
event and a meal at an area restaurant. To join and participate in
future activities, contact Joyce Porter. Your Welcome letter will list
upcoming WashCo Fun activities, an optional preference Questionnaire,
and a list of fellow WashCo members.
After a January hiatus, future activities include:
We enjoy reading novels, memoirs, biographies, historical fiction, and history as we gather
with a glass of wine and a bite to eat and discuss the book of the month.
Bagels and Books is Newcomers' newest daytime book club. We read novels and historical fiction
and gather to nosh and discuss the book. Meetings are held on the third Friday of each month from
11:00-1:00pm. Members take turns hosting, selecting books, and leading the discussion. The group is
currently full.
Our March book is One in a Million Boy by Monica Wood. The book is about the friendship between a 104-year-old woman and an
11-year-old boy that blossomed during a Boy Scout community service project. Our meeting is on March 9th from 1:30 - 3:00pm. If you would like
more information about our book club, please contact Anne at Dantzighone2@yahoo.com.
Book It Forward meets on the 4th Monday of each month at 10:00am. We collect both new and used adult and children’s books to
donate during the holidays. Our fun and lively book discussions include all genres, suggested by each month's member host. For
more information on how to join, please contact Claire Vaeth.
Memoir is really anything that impacts your life. We all have life stories. Each session,
we hear family memories, humor, poetry, musings, and more. We don’t teach writing.
We just read our stories and actively listen to others.
Our group meets by Zoom on the first and third Wednesdays of the month from 10:00 to noon.
Each week, members share a 5-7-minute piece followed by positive feedback from the
group.
March meetings are on March 4 and 10. Members will get a link a couple of days before.
If you are interested in joining the group or would like more information, please contact
Linda Morris or Carol Jo Bays.
The Bunco group will meet at the home of Barbara Brannon on Thursday, March 19, 2026 at
12:00 noon. If you are unable to attend, please contact Barbara with the name of your sub.
We will be playing this 5-deck Canasta game called "Hand Foot & Tush"
every 2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month. This month's game is
on Wednesday, March 11 and March 25 at 11:00am.
This is a fun game and easy to learn, even if you have never played Canasta before. This game
requires 4 to a table and the hostess will determine how many tables there are room for. The hostess
will provide their home and drinks.
Please email Judith Davies if you are interested in playing and would like to join our group.
American Mah Jongg is a tile game loosely based on the original Chinese version. Players use the tiles to make hands,
chosen from an official card that changes annually. We play at 1:00pm on the first four Mondays of the month. Please contact
Cheryl or Susan if you have any questions or would like to be added to our group email list.
The Breakfast Group meets on alternate Tuesdays at 9:00am at Biscuits on Mercantile
Drive in Lake Oswego. It is a time for camaraderie, good food, and just catching up. This
month, the breakfasts are:
March 10
March 24
If you would like to be added to the mailing list, please email me. I will send out a email the Sunday morning before our
next breakfast.
The ‘Undaunted Saunterers’ walk every Wednesday with members taking turns to find walking
destinations, leading the walks, and arranging for a congenial lunch spot. We are looking forward
to the fall foliage and return of rain to the PNW.
Contact Gary Crumley for more information.
Frequent Walkers
by Sher Ireland
503-620-1500
Get Fit! Join in with frequent walkers in getting a little more fit.
We walk at least 5 days a week for about an hour each time in the L.O., West Linn, Tualatin, and Tigard areas.
The weekly walkers meet on Tuesdays at 9:00am and walk for one hour. During the summer and
in clear weather, we walk in various parks; in the winter and cold and wet weather, we walk in the
Washington Square Mall. If you wish to join us, contact Sherry Kuntz.
Our golf season will begin soon with a planning meeting coordinated by Lisa Reiser in early April to discuss the upcoming schedule
which runs from May through September. For those of you who are new to Newcomer's, we are currently a group of primarily women who meet
weekly at various golf courses in the area to play 9 holes and meet afterwards for coffee or lunch occasionally.
Skill levels range from beginners to "very good" and everything in between! Our main goal is to get to know each other and to enjoy
the beautiful PNW weather. If you're interested in learning more, please contact Sarah York.
