{"id":7563,"date":"2020-09-29T14:38:01","date_gmt":"2020-09-29T18:38:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/floridanewsline.com\/Clone2\/?p=7563"},"modified":"2020-09-29T14:38:14","modified_gmt":"2020-09-29T18:38:14","slug":"finding-friendships-through-newcomers-group","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/floridanewsline.com\/Clone2\/creekline-st-johns\/finding-friendships-through-newcomers-group\/","title":{"rendered":"Finding friendships through Newcomers Group"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Tiffany Merlo Phelps
mail@floridanewsline.com<\/a><\/em>
<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nancy Smith and Mary Ellen Fleming both moved to Northern St. Johns County seven years ago from Long Island, NY, to be closer to their grandchildren, not knowing each other until they both joined the Newcomers of North St. Johns (NNSJ) and ultimately became friends. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today Smith, former co-president, is the parliamentarian of the 266-member social organization that formed in 2004. Fleming, who has also held the position of president, treasurer and parliamentarian, is heading up the \u201cBooks and Brunch\u201d group. Newcomers of North St. Johns is part of the National Newcomers Association and is open to anyone interested in joining. After paying annual dues of $25, every member receives a monthly newsletter filled with newcomer tips and a list of social opportunities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Smith, a retired social work director at a New York City hospital, her goal was to meet people in the area. She lives with her daughter, son-in-law and three grandchildren, aged six to 13, and helps to pick up the children from school and drive them to after school activities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI really didn\u2019t know anyone my own age. And this gave me an opportunity to become close friends with other ladies,\u201d said Smith. \u201cI love it. It gets me out of the house, and I am able to get to know a lot of different places in our area.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fleming, a seven-year member, is a retired Long Island high school history and journalism teacher. She lives near her daughter and 15-year-old grandson and just happened to hear about Newcomers of North St. Johns. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe bottom line is women need girlfriends,\u201d said Fleming, a Heritage Landing resident. \u201cWhen you are younger, you know people as a couple, through your children and your job. Once you are retired, life is different. I love the clubs, the activities, and, first and foremost, the friendships.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Newcomers of North St. Johns had to cancel all events for the past six months because of the pandemic, they are slowly getting back to hosting social events with safety guidelines in place, Smith said. The next event will be the October luncheon, open to any St. Johns County area resident, on Tuesday, Oct. 20, beginning at 11 a.m. The luncheon will be held at the Bonefish Grill in Mandarin. The event features lunch and a musical presentation by local guitarist and singer Faith Myron. In adherence to COVID guidelines, there is limited seating, and all reservations must be received by Oct. 10. Cost for the luncheon and program is $30 for members and $35 for guests, and the doors will open at 10:30 a.m. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

October\u2019s lunch is part of the monthly business luncheons hosted by the group and held at different locations. It is held on the third Tuesday of every month and has included locations such as Epping Forest and the Jacksonville Yacht Club. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is more like a wedding with a five-course meal, centerpieces and entertainment,\u201d said Smith, who has been a member for five years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Smith, who lives in South Hampton, also looks forward to the cultural bus trips that the group takes twice a year to places such as Jekyll Island, St. Augustine and Daytona Beach. In addition, Newcomers of North St. Johns includes three lunch groups, meeting at the St. Johns Town Center (Shop and Lunch), St. Augustine (Let\u2019s Do Lunch) and the Avenues (Movie and Lunch). Members can also join clubs such as Bunco, Golf, Book Club, Canasta and Mahjong. All of these activities will resume with COVID guidelines in place. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

New Member and Publicity Chairperson Michele Oliver retired last year from the Palencia Club where she had served as the membership director for 11 years. She was concerned about being bored after working in public relations for 40 years and maintaining a very busy schedule. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo, I decided to attend a Newcomers luncheon last May and was so impressed with the friendliness of the members and variety of social activities, I joined that day,\u201d said Oliver, who has lived in the Fruit Cove Forest neighborhood for 30 years. Her son and two grandchildren live in Julington Creek, and the grandchildren now attend the same elementary school that her son attended when they first moved to the area. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As part of her volunteer publicity duties, Oliver takes photos for the group as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been a wonderful decision, and I really encourage ladies to consider joining this fun group of active women. It is a great way for women to meet new friends, especially if they are new to the area, and to connect with ladies to enjoy fun activities,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of the year, the Newcomers of Northern St. Johns makes a $1,000 to $2,000 donation to a local charity. Past recipients include St. Johns County Community Hospice, Our Lady of Good Counsel Food Pantry and the AAUW Stem Camp for Girls. The group also provides support to the St. Augustine Library by buying and donating children\u2019s books and making a cash donation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anyone interested in becoming a member should email Membership Coordinator Sue Aird at sjaird@comcast.net. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photos courtesy Michele Oliver
Newcomers of North St. Johns\u2019 fashion show models\u00a0at Ruths Chris.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Tiffany Merlo Phelpsmail@floridanewsline.com Nancy Smith and Mary Ellen Fleming both moved to Northern St. Johns County seven years ago from Long Island, NY, to be closer to their grandchildren, not knowing each other until they both joined the Newcomers of North St. Johns (NNSJ) and ultimately became friends.  Today Smith, former co-president, is the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7517,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-7563","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-creekline-st-johns"},"yoast_head":"\nFinding friendships through Newcomers Group - Florida NewsLine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"CreekLineBy Tiffany Merlo Phelpsmail@floridanewsline.com Nancy Smith and Mary Ellen Fleming both moved to Northern St. Johns County seven years ago from Long\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/floridanewsline.com\/Clone2\/creekline-st-johns\/finding-friendships-through-newcomers-group\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Finding friendships through Newcomers Group - 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