Club needs to raise roof on fundraising efforts
By Michelle Knight knight@theacorn.com

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers SHOWING ITS AGE- Home of the Somis Thursday Club, the 113-year-old Somis building is in need of extensive work on its roof, floor and windows. The charity group is unable to raise the money to finance the repairs.

Imogene Gregory will celebrate her 99th birthday next month and counts the years she's spent as a member of the Somis Thursday Club as among her most productive.

"I think it's just great," the Leisure Village resident said.

But Gregory said she feared the 98-year-old women's club was in danger of dying out after November winds damaged the roof of a historic Somis building that the club owns and depends on for financial support.

"I felt bad about it, and I didn't want to see it fold up," Gregory said.

She said that veteran club members are up in years and don't have the energy to orchestrate the fundraising and repair activities. But a recent infusion of new members has given Gregory hope that the club can stay afloat.

The Somis Thursday Club was started in 1909 to promote culture, education and civic welfare among local residents. The nonprofit's mission is broad enough to support a variety of causes, such as awarding two annual college scholarships to Somis and Camarillo high school students and donating to the Friends of the Library, the Pleasant Valley Education Foundation and the RAIN Project Transitional Living Center.

The club also hosts an annual tea and fashion show as a fundraising event. But it wasn't enough to pay for roof and floor repairs on the building.

Originally built as a schoolhouse in 1895, the building at Bell Street and Somis Road has been home to a number of businesses over the years. It was once a drugstore and a library. A church group has met in one of its rooms for years, and it's been the venue for piano recitals and dances. An engineering firm now occupies it.

In 1991, the county declared the building a historical landmark.

"It's a wonderful piece of history in the local area," club president and one-year member Sandi Chapman said.

But the club depends on rent from the building to support its philanthropic and community activities. One estimate came in at $41,000 to replace the entire roof, more than what the club can afford. The wooden floor and windows are also in need of repair.

Chapman said the club will get a couple more repair estimates and look into alternatives, such as replacing a portion of the roof and repairing the rest.

But in the meantime, club members are appealing to the public to preserve a tangible piece of Somis history by donating to the repair fund. Members want the club and building preserved for a second century of service.

Chapman said contributing to the Roof Repair Fund will help the club remain a viable, contributing member of the community.

"The community needs to have more support groups not less," Chapman said.

For more information, call Chapman at (805) 987-2728.