From its inception until the present, the Village Improvement Association has been blessed with capable and dedicated leaders. The membership has been supportive, cooperative, and skillful in many areas. Indeed, one of their greatest assets has been a daring ability to tackle momentous tasks and see them through.
In 1978, the thrust of activities was the SWISH Program, a program was advocated by the American Dental Association and the American Medical Association. With the cooperation of the entire school staff, volunteers under the direction of Florence Wertenberger prepared and distributed the SWISH solution to the students who participated each Tuesday throughout the school year.
In the mid-1990s, the Village Improvement Association Orange City Woman’s Club appointed a volunteer committee to work with Attorney Randall Marshall to complete the legal process of transferring the deed to 1.6 acres of land as a gift to the City of Orange City for the purpose of building a senior citizen’s center to be called the Wava Lindstrom Center. This transfer was to fulfill a directive left by Wava Lindstrom in her will. The deed was signed over to the City on April 20, 1998, and on June 9, 1998, the City Council with Vice-Mayor Ted Erwin presiding, read a public Proclamation of thanks to the Village Improvement Association.
In addition to this gift to the City of Orange City and continuing the original intent of the VIA, the club remained a benevolent society, whose members were constantly raising funds to contribute to worthy causes. Some of these were Orange City Library Association, Meals on Wheels, Operation Santa Claus, Neighborhood Center of DeLand, and the Southwest Volusia Habitat for Humanity.
Through its annual contributions to the State and General Federation of Woman’s Clubs, the VIA Orange City Woman’s Club gave to Canine Companions, Substance Abuse, Anchor House for Boys of Auburndale, Special Olympics, Hacienda Girls Ranch of Melbourne, Smile International, Christmas Child, as well as to many local community projects.
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