Oskaloosa women form Golden Goose Club to support community improvement projects

Golden Goose Club board members are, from left: Treasurer Jill Brumbaugh, President Jennifer Main and Secretary Vicky Collette.

Having a true desire to make a positive difference in the Oskaloosa community, Jennifer Main, Vicky Collette and Jill Brumbaugh formed the Golden Goose Club and set out to find 100 women to share in their idea.

It’s a simple idea that has a powerful impact – members make a $100 quarterly donation and pay $10 annual dues, or a total of $410 a year. Members present community betterment ideas and the group votes on their favorite project.

“Because we are focused on community improvement projects, donations to the club are tax-deductible,” Main explained. “We currently have 59 members, but our goal is to get 100 or more. Then, four times a year, members present projects and the club votes on what they believe is the best and that project receives the money.”

Main said there are a lot of women in Oskaloosa who really care about what happens in the community. “There are also a lot of community improvement projects that don’t get done due to lack of funding. With the Golden Goose Club, there is power in numbers and the more members we have, the more we can fund these projects that benefit us all.”

At the Golden Goose Club’s first organizational meeting, member Shawn Langkamp mentioned a plaque at the hospital indicating that the first $5,000 donated to build the hospital was contributed by the Oskaloosa Women’s Club in 1907.

“Those ladies made a contribution to the community that is still being felt today,” Langkamp stressed. “With the Golden Goose Club, we’re not necessarily implementers of great community projects, but we are funders. It’s like planting a seed that someday may grow into a wonderful mainstay of Oskaloosa.”

“It’s inspiring to see what can happen when you bring a group of women together,” Collette said. “When women combine their financial resources through focused philanthropy, real change can become a reality.”

According to Collette, so far membership to the group has been by word of mouth. “People lead such busy lives, so the idea of the Golden Goose Club is very appealing – only four meetings a year and no baking or fundraising required!”

At the group’s first full quarterly meeting on March 17, three projects were presented for consideration. Those projects included replacement of tile in the concrete around the bandstand to match the tiles on the side of the bandstand, setting the lighting on the large artificial Christmas tree in the downtown square to music, and beautification of the alley between Smokey Row and Bridal Dreams downtown.

Members voted to award the first quarter funds to the alley project. “We have $6,000 to help with creating a space downtown for people to meet and gather,” Brumbaugh explained. “Members loved the idea of an outdoor lounge area for residents and a place where visitors can go that reflects the heritage of our community.”

As the group’s treasurer, Brumbaugh stressed that funds are not released to any project until invoices of it being finished are submitted. While the first three projects presented were all focused on the downtown area, the group will consider any community benefit project in Oskaloosa.

The next meeting of the Golden Goose Club is set for June 16 at 6 pm. The group will meet on the third floor of the Oskaloosa Public Library, where all meetings will be held unless members are notified of a change.

Anyone interested in joining the group is welcome. Dues of $10 and the quarterly $100 are due by June 1 to be eligible to vote at the next meeting. For more information, please call Main at 515-202-5047; Collette at 641-295-0955 or Brumbaugh at 641-660-1312.