Extending a welcome: Leawood group has expanded boundaries, offers these activities

The members of Leawood Welcomers have become more welcoming than ever. The women’s social club, in existence for 65 years, has recently expanded to include members from across the metro area.

Before, they retained members who’d previously lived in Leawood but moved to other cities. Now, no Leawood residence is required. It’s a big change from how the club worked when Jean Wise, its current president, joined in the 1970s.

“There was a lot of development going on, and it was strictly for newcomers. You could belong for two years, and then you got kicked out,” said Wise, who once served as mayor of Leawood.

“At some point in time, this membership decided, ‘This is ridiculous. We’re kicking out all these good people.’ So then it just became a regular social club.”

Most of the members are retired, although Doris Mattingly, vice president of membership, said they are reaching out to a younger demographic, as well.

Wise said one reason the club attracts an over-50 demographic is that it can be hard to meet new people and develop new social circles once you don’t have kids in school anymore and you’re not in a work environment.

The point of the club is to have fun and try new activities. That could be going on excursions anywhere from downtown to as far away as Bentonville, Arkansas. If you’re sticking closer to home, the group holds regular luncheons, numerous card games and a book club.

Next, group leaders are trying to assemble a cadre of people who want to attend arts performances together.

For Mattingly, the club was an important anchor when she moved here from Maryland during the pandemic. Almost immediately, she found herself co-chairing the book club over Zoom.

“I think it was very helpful,” Mattingly said. “I didn’t know anyone. I came to know many people, and I came to know them to be generous and engaging. They pointed me in directions I would not have known to go.”

Having that new circle of friends helped her find her footing.

“Coming to a new place and trying to find a community of people that you can share and you can enjoy is not an easy thing to do, but this organization allows for that,” she said. “It allows you to get to know and enjoy people that are in an unfamiliar circle and allows you to engage in activities that you would otherwise not know about, and I think that’s valuable.”

Wise said it’s important for the organizers to reach out and keep expanding their interest groups to keep a lively membership. She encourages members to start new sub-groups if they don’t see their interests represented.

“I was a member of the Leawood Women’s Club for a long time,” Wise said. “What happened to the Leawood Women’s Club is that when it was in its heyday and there were a lot of members, we failed to recruit enough. Over a relatively short period of time — the membership was a little older than Welcomers — a lot of people died or moved to be near their kids or got sick. The club eventually disbanded.”

She’s learned from that experience and is trying to use it to keep the Welcomers vibrant. The recent change to the residency requirements is something she supported wholeheartedly. Currently, she estimates they have about 140 members.

One thing she thinks helps draw in new people are the various programs where they bring in guest speakers. Previously, they’ve had programs on heart health and how to run a book club. Wise said that coming up in September, local author Candice Millard will be speaking at one of their sessions.

For more details about joining the Leawood Welcomers, email mattinglystudio@me.com. or visit this site. Annual dues for members are $35 per year.