At the recent Navarumsunk Auxiliary Holiday Luncheon, held at Rumson Country Club, the auxiliary’s 25 dedicated members took the opportunity to look back on another successful year of fundraising for FCS: recapping each event, reflecting on the auxiliary’s long history of support for the agency’s most vulnerable clients, and making plans for 2019. Deeply committed to strengthening, protecting and preserving the dignity and independence of people in need, the auxiliary also took up its yearly membership appeal, raising funds for the purchase of adult diapers for frail elderly and disabled Home Care clients who are unable to afford the supplies they need. Due to the efforts of these hard-working and compassionate women, the auxiliary raised over $15,000 in 2018 through its Luncheon & Fashion Show, Bridge Benefit and membership appeal. The Navarumsunk Auxiliary has certainly come a long way since its inception in 1956.
Sixty-two years ago, Olivia Dutcher, a longtime FCS Board member, invited a group of Monmouth County women to discuss the formation of a Rumson-Fair Haven auxiliary to support the mission of the agency. The informal get-together, held on a chilly winter day in March 1957, eventually became the Navarumsunk Auxiliary. The Navarumsunk Auxiliary name is derived from the Native American tribe that once inhabited the peninsula.
The Auxiliary’s first official fundraising event – a small poolside summer fashion show – was held in March 1958 and raised $370. More than six decades later, the Auxiliary has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for FCS programs and services through its fundraising efforts. The longevity of the auxiliary is a testament to each member’s desire to make a difference in the lives of their neighbors in need. For two auxiliary members, Lee Weber and BJ Thompson, that dedication cumulatively spans nearly a century.
2019 will mark the Navarumsunk Auxiliary’s 63rd anniversary. If the exuberance at the recent Holiday Luncheon is any indication, it’s going to be another busy year.
If you’re interested in joining the auxiliary or would like to know more about any of the 2019 FCS events, please contact Diane Gribbin at dgribbin@fcsmonmouth.org or at 732-222-9111 ext. 134.