Haddon Fortnightly celebrates 130 years

The Haddon Fortnightly celebrated its 130th anniversary on Sept. 21 as a number of leaders came together to reflect on the impact that the nonprofit has had on the community throughout the years.

Mayor Colleen Bianco Bezich gave a proclamation to celebrate the organization for its long history. According to the proclamation, the Haddon Fortnightly began with a group of 12 women who met to organize a women’s club in Haddonfield on Sept. 21, 1894.

“Twelve forward thinking women including Mrs. Willets whose name is around town and Barbara Bancroft, who started Bancroft School–they were talking and came up with the idea,” explained Marie DiMatties, chairman of 130th anniversary committee. “They felt that women didn’t really have a voice about community affairs and doing good work in the community and so they decided to meet fortnightly, every two weeks–hence the name, at a member’s house and to talk about ways that women could use their intelligence and their good will to make the community better and to improve their own lives and the lives of their families.”

The Haddon Fortnightly later became affiliated with the General Federation of Womens’ Club and the New Jersey State Federation of Women’s Clubs in 1896, and in 1938, the Evening Membership Department was organized for women who were unable to attend the daytime meetings, and to this day, it has continued to operate with both the general department and the evening membership department.

“At every meeting, throughout the entire the state, the Club Collect, which is sort of a prayer is said at the beginning of the meeting,” DiMatties explained. “And the first time the collect was read in the state, it had happened at the Haddon Fortnightly.”

The Haddon Fortnightly regularly participates in the annual Skirmish, holds a spelling bee for the elementary school kids in town and works with the 50/50 Club at the Haddonfield Memorial High School to host an art show each year.

“Not only is it something that we’re working with youth, but we’re working with young women,” said DiMatties. “The initial goal of it was to kind of mentor the young women to learn how to put on an event themselves and develop leadership skills, but we found that they’re so outstanding that we really have to do very little, but we’re always here as a back up for them in that event.

“That was really the intent of it, to work together with them to bring up new, young, female leaders.”

“We thought it was such a perfect match because this has been an opportunity for all of us to learn how to get a job done, how to take an idea, a task and break it down and put it together and see it through to completion, learn to delegate too,” said Denise Sellers, the communication chair for the Haddon Fortnightly.

Each year, they also have an annual 5K Snowflake Run in the first week of December where they raise funds for different causes. This year’s run will benefit the Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide Inc., and Jackson’s Wish.

“Now, 130 years later, the Haddon Fortnightly is recognized as a pillar of the community. Our work to promote education, literacy, cultural, social, and civic interests, and other charitable purposes enrich both our hometown of Haddonfield, our country and the world,” said Sue Sheehan, the Haddon Fortnightly president.

Throughout October, they will be collecting socks to be donated to a homeless shelter at the Haddonfield Library and they will also be holding their first Lego Contest fundraiser on Saturday, Oct. 26 at 1 p.m. at the Haddon Fortnightly to benefit both the Haddon Fortnightly and the Markeim Arts Center.

To learn more about the Haddon Fortnightly, visit https://thehaddonfortnightly.org/.