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Progressive Dinner - SOCIAL EVENT – Mid-April
Another opportunity to bring Exchange Club members and spouses together, we hold the Progressive Dinner in the spring. While this is a “floating feast,” the actual date being dictated by other events on our timetable. The participants meet for cocktails and hors d’oeuvres at a member’s house. After about an hour, the party breaks up into groups and goes to the various host homes, members who have agreed to handle six or eight people for dinner. After dinner, the group reconvenes at another member’s house or the Roger Sherman Inn for desserts and coffee. The entrées and wines are provided to the host houses by the Club and each guest couple brings some component of the meal.
Clean-Your-Mile Campaign - COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECT – Late April/Early May
For more than 40 years, both individuals and service organizations have participated in this annual town-wide effort to rid New Canaan’s roadsides and public spaces of accumulated trash. Each year, residents accept responsibility for a stretch of highway and byway, cleaning up the area, collecting trash and transporting it to the designated areas.
The more public areas and some of the “country” roads, are assigned to organizations and groups. Traditionally, the Exchange Club has been assigned both sides of Lapham Road from Old Stamford Road (Route 106) to the intersection of Talmadge Hill Road. Our Club participates in this event every year and member volunteers devote about three hours each to this effort.
Americares/Homefront Fix-up Day - COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECT – Early May
Throughout Fairfield County, Americares HomeFront Project selects needy homeowners to have their homes worked on by volunteers. Americares manages the project with a wide selection of vendors supplying the necessary materials. Service organizations, churches and other groups provide the manpower.
Each year, the Exchange Club donates about $2,000 for supplies and about thirty volunteer members from the Exchange Club turn out to do the work. The work includes interior and exterior painting, light carpentry work, garden maintenance as well as general house clean up. Someone even has to go get lunch! The prime reward for this day’s work, which is divided into two shifts, is the look on the face of the homeowners as they see the transformation of their homes which this volunteer group has performed.
Memorial Day Parade - COMMUNITY SERVICE – Memorial Day
Every year, the town of New Canaan celebrates Memorial Day with a parade which starts at St. Mark's Episcopal Church on Oenoke Ridge and concludes with a memorial ceremony at Lakeview Cemetery on Main Street. Because of our participation in the National Exchange program called Give-a-Kid-a-Flag-to-Wave, we have been awarded a prominent place in the line of march near the beginning and are the only organization allowed to hand out miniature American flags. We also donate funds to have an early American marching band directly behind us.
The New Canaan Historical Society Ice Cream Social - COMMUNITY SERVICE – Early June
At this annual event, held by the Historical Society to honor patrons and friends, the Exchange Club provides a simple but very important service: we serve the ice cream to all of their guests! Volunteer members work three shifts on a Sunday afternoon, adding ice cream to the pies and cakes that are being served.
Inaugural Dinner - BUSINESS/SOCIAL EVENT – Second Dinner Meeting in June (Third Tuesday)
The terms of the officers and directors of the Exchange Club are from July through June. When the new Board of Directors has been identified for the coming year, there is an inaugural dinner at the Roger Sherman Inn where the new president, new president-elect and the immediate past president are sworn in by a Connecticut District official. This social event includes spouses and we have an opportunity to hear about what the direction of the Club will be in the coming year.
Annual Golf Outing - FUNDRAISER – June or October
This fundraiser, which is one of three major events to raise money for the Exchange Club, is held at the Country Club of New Canaan. With various levels of support ranging from sponsors to player partners to advertising or tee sponsors, this full day event brings together golfers to raise money for the Exchange Club Foundation. Typically, the driving range opens at 10:30 a.m. with registration beginning at 11 a.m. Shortly before noon the buffet lunch is underway and the shotgun start goes off at 1:00 p.m. At the close of this spectacular day there is a cocktail reception at 5:30 p.m. followed by a buffet dinner and awards presentations. In the almost ten years of running this fundraiser, we have been able to provide significant funds for our Foundation.
New Canaan Family Fourth Picnic at Waveny Park - COMMUNITY SERVICE PROJECT – July 4th
In cooperation with New Canaan’s Parks & Recreation Department who provides the soft drinks, the ice cream, and booth for this town-wide event, The Exchange Club offers the volunteers to sell the goods! In a frenzied afternoon and evening, hundreds of the town’s residents are served by a team of members, working two-hour shifts. In addition to a good exposure for the Club, we split the revenue with Parks & Recreation generating some funds for the Exchange Club.
Assisting at the New Canaan Fall Fair - COMMUNITY SERVICE – Mid-October
The New Canaan Nature Center’s Fall Fair is a popular event eagerly anticipated by the children of New Canaan. This is a day of old-fashioned family fun consisting of pony rides, crafts, games, a hay maze, fresh food and live music for the entire family. There is also a giant rock wall and apple sling shots. One of the features is a Hay Ride – a tractor pulled cart takes the kids on a trip through the woods. Traditionally Exchange Club members volunteer to help the children on and off the cart.
Christmas Tree & Wreath Sales – FUNDRAISER – Thanksgiving Weekend through Mid-December
The Christmas tree and wreath sale is the major focus of the Exchange Club year and is fully supported by the 100+ members. Every member of the Exchange Club has a job to do in this five-week effort. Starting on the Friday after Thanksgiving, when the freshly cut trees arrive and are unloaded by Exchange Club members at the parking lot of Kiwanis Park in New Canaan. The Club converts this lot to a Tree Lot replete with lights, parking areas and tree racks in order to properly display the trees and wreaths. Sales start on the following day, the Saturday after Thanksgiving and is planned to stay in operation through to Christmas Eve. Usually, we are down to a few last trees by the third week of December. As part of this major operation, we have a sales office offering credit card payments as well as checks and cash.
Members help customers select a type of tree, trim it to order, and tie it on top of the customers’ cars. We also offer a variety of wreaths, roping, tree stands and a myriad of other Christmas related merchandise. Exchange Club members man the Tree Lot in four shifts each weekend consisting primarily of salesmen and cashiers and during the week Exchange members supervise paid high school students.
Santa’s Office, Merrie Bee Cottage - COMMUNITY SERVICE – December
To kick off the shopping season, New Canaan has a parade that features the arrival of Santa Claus at the Tree Lot. The parade wends through town and ends up at the Exchange Tree Lot in Kiwanis Park, where Santa takes up residence in his office at the Merrie Bee cottage. Santa (from a team of Santas!) is on duty every weekend in December and, at no charge, children can visit his fully decorated office to talk to him.
Santa’s Mail Box - COMMUNITY SERVICE – December
Outside the sales office at the Tree Lot stands a wooden reindeer, which is a mail box in which children can “post” their letters to Santa Claus at the North Pole and there is another in front of the New Canaan Library on Main Street. Every letter is answered by an Exchange Club volunteer, on Santa’s letterhead, and we get reports from parents on their children’s excited reactions.
Senior Center Christmas Luncheon - COMMUNITY SERVICE – December
For the past 20+ years, we have supported the Senior Center Luncheon at Waveny Castle. We provide a Christmas Dinner prepared by a caterer and served with the help of many church volunteers. Santa Claus usually visits the seniors and caroling is provided by the Young Women’s League. This luncheon is usually attended by the First Selectman as well as current officers of the Exchange Club’s Board of Directors.
Christmas Party - THE SOCIAL FINALE TO THE YEAR – Mid-December
For our second dinner meeting in December, we meet at the Country Club of New Canaan with our spouses for the social finale of the year: the Exchange Club Christmas Party. With a good band or deejay, excellent buffet dinner, a good time is always had by all. This is a very festive dinner for all due to the camaraderie built during the month of December at the Tree Lot. Thanks are expressed for everyone’s help in this major fundraiser.
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