About US
Social club organized in 1910 Federated with GFWC in 1912 Incorporated 1932
We are a 501c3 charitable organization
Clubhouse: 5380 Bell Street, Somis, CA
Mailing Address: PO Box 714, Somis, CA 93066
https://www.facebook.com/SomisThursdayClub/
OUR MISSION
The Somis Thursday Club has served the Camarillo area for over one hundred years. The club pursues a number of activities to promote culture, education and civic welfare among the citizens of Somis and the adjacent communities.
OUR HISTORY
In 1894 Ida Goodyear invited some neighbor ladies to a lawn party. They enjoyed this social refreshment in the middle of the busy weeks, and began occasionally meeting to share an afternoon. In 1904 a social club was established with Mrs. Goodyear as its first president. Somis Thursday Club was named officially in 1910, federated in 1912 and incorporated in 1932.
After a new Somis school was built in 1924, the Somis Thursday Club bid at public auction to purchase the old schoolhouse. This provided a useful setting for many organizations and community activities. Club members began many years of fund raising to extend and remodel the building. Mr. Richard Bard donated the land on which it stands. Mrs. Goodyear loaned money for the purchase then later gave a gift of money to accomplish the remodeling. An annex was built in 1960 for the Somis Library. In 2002 the club received a generous bequest from a former member, Pauline Miller, which funded significant building improvements.
OUR CLUBHOUSE
The Somis Thursday Club owns an historic building at 5380 Bell Street in Somis, California. Built in 1895 as a schoolhouse, the building was extensively remodeled in the 1930s. It was declared an historic landmark of Ventura County in 1992. We consider preservation of this building to be a special trust of the club.
In the past decade we have accomplished extensive clubhouse renovations. A new roof is in place and the landscaping has been revamped to save water. Several large dead trees have been removed. Most recently we were able to repaint the entire exterior of the building and replaced the windows. We now hope to raise funds for adding air conditioning and an access ramp.
The club uses the building for its meetings and programs, and also rents the building to organizations with similar aims. Meetings, parties and concerts are held in the Clubhouse. Because of the rare sprung wood floor, the building is ideal for dancing and is regularly used for evening classes in social dancing.
OUR PROJECTS
Members find it very rewarding to know we are contributing so much to our communities. Somis Thursday Club has awarded scholarships to local high school graduates each year since 1944. We support the charities Direct Relief, Solar Cookers, RAIN, Camarillo Hospice, Heifer International and the Dental Care Foundation. We donate time and money to the Somis Pantry, Somis Education Foundation, the Camarillo Library, For The Troops and others. Annually, club members donate over 1600 hours and more than $10,000 to the community. Via our many years of support for the Penny Pines project, the club has paid for replanting of over thirty acres of National Forest land.
The Somis Thursday Club had 50 members in 1915. After a peak of membership in the 1960's we again have between 45 and 50 members. We are interested in gaining new members who will have enthusiasm for our mission and projects. We have recently added men to our membership roster.
We invite residents of Somis and Camarillo to visit our club. First time guests who are prospective members do not pay for lunch. Make a luncheon reservation at least 5 days prior to the meeting on the 2nd Thursday of each month. Email LunchReservations@somisthursdayclub.org to make a lunch reservation. Please arrive by 11:00 am.
The programs are often a musical or dance entertainment. We also have programs on health, local history, crafts and other topics. Between meetings, members meet on a regular basis to discuss books, play mah jongg and make craft items for sale. We maintain a Little Free Library outside our clubhouse to promote reading in the neighborhood.
We have several fund-raising events each year. The original Somis Club ladies raised money by cooking dinners for the growers associations: there weren't many restaurants around back then! More recently we have held a bunco evening and a holiday boutique.
We welcome new members: a chance to make friends and do even more. Together we are stronger!