By Sam Skopp
For the 9th year in a row, the Santa Monica Bay Woman’s Club hosted a valentine making event, Saturday Feb. 3. inviting kids and adults alike to make as many Valentine’s Day cards as they wanted, with ticket proceeds benefiting educational organizations.
Susan Barri, who is a board member at the Santa Monica Bay Woman’s Club, explained that all ticket sales benefit Santa Monica-Malibu Education Foundation (SMMEF), and then the Woman’s Club in turn makes a matching donation to School on Wheels, which provides educational assistance to homeless children across Southern California.
“We’ve always donated to School on Wheels,” Barri said. “As of three years ago we included SMMEF.”
While a number of groups throughout Santa Monica host similar valentine-making events, Barri has found that what makes their event stand out is their wide range of materials.
“I think it’s evolved in the sense that we have more and more supplies,” she said, explaining how the event has changed over the years. “I think that no one has as many supplies and great things to make valentines as we do.”
Additionally, the event included a number of Valentine’s Day-appropriate sweets, and two musical performances during the daylong event, including by jazz pianist Gerry Bryant, on a Steinway grand piano.
“It’s a pretty amazing piano that’s part of the club,” Barri said. “The club is very centrally located. It’s easy to park, and in a special part of Santa Monica.”
For more information on both the Woman’s Club space, and upcoming events hosted at the Woman’s Club, visit smbwc.org.
