Looking to Meet New People?

Tired of spending all day talking to the under-8 crowd? Looking for something to do besides watching football every weekend? Need a change from the same-old “dinner and a movie” night out? Believe it or not, you don’t have to be new to town to benefit from the Westfield Newcomers Club, which is holding its annual meet-and-greet family barbeque on Saturday at Tamaques Park.

The Westfield Newcomers Club is a volunteer organization whose goal is to facilitate social connections between individuals, couples, parents, and children—basically anybody looking to meet people in the community—and serve as a local resource of information. Established in 1944, there are now over 140 members in the club. Membership dues are $30 per year, which president Adrian Pastore says is “the bargain of Westfield.” The fee covers the club’s many activities, parties, and events held throughout the year.

“The Newcomers Club is really dedicated to getting to know people and making things fun for people who are new to Westfield, just had a baby or are just looking to make new friends,” said Pastore. “We do about five or six events a month. A lot of the activities are free or really inexpensive, and we always partner with local businesses where we can for our events. We make sure members get a lot for their $30.”

Members-only programs cover a vast array of categories, including monthly “Women’s Dinners” and activities, a Book Club group, and social outings for couples, as well as two children’s events per month and a community service project per quarter. The Club also runs a “Sunshine” campaign, sending flowers or a cooked meal to new parents or those who have experienced a death in a family.

The Newcomers Club also solicits recipes from members and local restaurants and publishes an annual cookbook to raise money for a charity organization as well as the club. This year’s proceeds will benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s “Light the Night” walk that will take place in downtown Westfield on October 3.

To offset program costs that annual dues do not cover, the Newcomers Club sells ads in their monthly newsletter and annual directory. It recruits members through brochures handed out at the Festfall and Spring Fling street fairs and via the Welcome Lady and local real estate agents.

According to Pastore, the main reasons people join the club are to find out what’s going on in town, meet people with similar interests, and seek help or advice on where to find local babysitters, retailers, and other area-specific information.

“You can come to everything and you can come to nothing,” stated Pastore. “It’s up to you. Out of the 140 members, not everybody actively participates. Some people join us just to have access to the newsletter and our Yahoo message board. People go there to find out what others think about the local schools, doctors, and basically anything. We’re an invaluable resource whether you’re new here, need some handiwork done, had a baby, or just want to see what people are up to. People are still moving into Westfield, which is good news, and people are having babies who want play dates. Whatever you have a question about, put it up there on the Westfield Newcomers Club universe and you shall receive.”