Wanda Ward Lifetime Achievement Recipient

​In 2005, the Women’s Club of Pittsford created The Wanda Ward Lifetime Achievement Award to honor Charter member Wanda Ward. This award was given in recognition of her enduring dedication and exemplary lifetime of volunteer service to our club and the Pittsford community. Wanda loved jewelry and was bestowed with a decorative pin from People’s Pottery that was inscribed with words taken from The Collect: “Let us be large in thought, in word and in deed” and a lifetime membership to WCOP was issued gratis.
This prestigious award has continued to be infrequently presented to a distinguished club member who, like
Wanda, has demonstrated her dedication to WCOP and the community and has shown a lifetime of significant
contributions through her service work. As a token of our appreciation, this honoree will receive a silver bracelet like the one given to our Woman of the Year recipient but will include a gold link. A lifetime club membership will also, be issued gratis.
The woman who is the 2025 recipient of The Wanda Ward Lifetime Achievement Award is an active volunteer and team player with a long list of involvement in almost every club project or activity. She has been a member of WCOP for 17 years and her dedication has been proven for the long run. “Long Run” could be her moniker as she has completed five Marathons in a row and has had a long run being married for 58 years (59) in September!
She has had a long run serving on the Board of Directors holding positions on Ways & Means, Membership,
Service, Social Activities and Hospitality. A true leader, she served in 2020-2021 as Co -president with Carol Michaels during Covid -a very difficult time in WCOP history where most everything was closed and activities
cancelled. Raised in Brooklyn, NY she used the theme from the iconic twin lions at the NYC Public Library to call for members to have “Patience and Fortitude” and added Flexibility. She has been Co-chair of a Garage Sale with Barbara Kotalik, has been a Co-chair of BUNCO twice with Linda MacKenzie and is a Co-chair of the upcoming
October 2025 Garage Sale with Janet Bleeker, Susan Dodsworth, Bonnie Haugh and Linda Kremens.
This member loves making quilts and has received an award from GFWC NY Craft Contest. She supported the
Susan B. Anthony Quilt Project in 2020 which celebrated the Women’s Suffrage Centennial Anniversary. She produced a textile quilt block with Pati Robben representing the tin bluebird that was hung to encourage women in Massachusetts to vote on Nov. 2, 1920. You can look up the piece at www.susanbanthony house.org and search 2020 quilt project to view #258 “Votes for Women/Bird”.
A retired registered nurse, wife and mother of three sons - she is
absolutely devoted to her 6 grandchildren according to her husband John. She keeps very busy getting her “steps” in, and enjoys golfing, quilting,
gardening, playing BUNCO and participating in Book Club. Outside of WCOP, she has been a supporter of the Pittsford Food Cupboard, St.
Joseph’s Neighborhood Center, Friends of Pittsford Library and was
President of her Neighborhood Association.
This woman embodies the characteristics of a GFWC clubwoman: good fellowship, service, caring and generosity. I am pleased to honor and
present the 2025 Wanda Ward Lifetime Achievement Award to Eileen O’Rourke.