TMC's 125 Years of Contributions to Women's History and Madison

The Thursday Morning Club (TMC), the largest women’s club in New Jersey, has had a significant impact on the Madison Community in its 125-year history, perhaps more than any other volunteer group. The TMC is a member of the state Federation of Women’s Clubs and the General Federation of Women’s Clubs, both groups dedicated to addressing the social problems of the day.

This is just a brief summary of notable TMC accomplishments over their 125-year history:

• In 1906, TMC hired the first District Nurse, Cora Payn, who arrived on October 15, 1906, a registered nurse from NYC. Since no provision had been made to purchase equipment, they held a shower and purchased not only Miss Payn’s supplies, but outfitted her as well.
• In 1907, TMC convinced the Borough to support the creation of a Madison Shade Tree Commission, an organization that continues to this day.
• In 1908, TMC set a precedent for community outreach by creating the first playground on the grounds of the Madison Athletic Association, now Dodge Field.
• April, 1910, TMC initiated a Tuberculosis Committee in the Borough and petitioned Mayor and Council to rent a building as an Isolation Hospital for contagious diseases. In the same year, TMC petitioned State government to inspect and safeguard milk for tuberculosis and also petitioned for pasteurization of milk.
• On January 24, 1911, the leaders of TMC, armed with over 10,000 signatures from 100 NJ women’s clubs, traveled to Princeton where Gov. Woodrow Wilson supported their effort. The bill to place women on all elected school boards was defeated, but the bill to place a woman on all appointed school boards was passed and became law in NJ on May 18, 1911.
• In 1913, given the high infant mortality rate, the “Baby Keep-Well Station and Clinic was established. The TMC, began training mothers at the Settlement House (now Madison Community House) in all aspects of child care.
• As a result of instructing Nurse Payn to undertake the first medical survey of school children, the first school nurse was hired.
• In 1913, TMC opened a fully operational kindergarten class with 27 children under the age of 5 enrolled.
• The “Diet Kitchen” began in 1913 for nutritional work with children.
• In 1915, TMC began holding an annual rummage sale which developed in a few years into the Thrift Shop where clothing and household items were sold a very low cost to low-income families. The last notice for the Thrift Shop appeared in 1950 when the TMC Thrift Shop merged with one begun by the Red Cross in the 40s, now the Independent Thrift Shop on Kings Road.
• This was followed in 1921 by a Dental Clinic
• In 1934, TMC women cooperated with the Red Cross by helping set up printing presses in an upstairs room for printing books for the blind. In 1937, over 600 volumes were produced in the Settlement House. TMC members taught Braille and provided optical examinations and glasses
• In 1938, TMC formed the Madison Friends of the Library, today know as Friends of the Madison Public Library.
• There had been many story-telling classes and nursery groups in the interim, but a full-blown professional Nursery School began in 1960 for 3-year-olds and 4-year olds. In December 1960, this nursery school became the 1st settlement house nursery school to receive a Certificate of Approval from the Department of Education in Trenton. This is now the Madison Community House Preschool.
• In 1972, TMC began to offer “After School Enrichment Classes”. These classes were taught by volunteers under the direction of the MCH Director, included arts, crafts, sewing, dancing, cooking, stitching, and knitting.
• A primary task of the Thursday Morning Club is to look into the community to determine what is needed to improve the quality of life of its citizenry. A 1980s survey lead to the development of the “Time Out Adult Day Care Center” in 1988. Its mission was to provide social adult day care service to dependent adults (elderly and/or physically, developmentally or functionally disabled) and supportive services to their caregivers.
• In 2000, have once again TMC looked to community needs and understanding the increase in the number of homes with two working parents, created the Before and After School Child Care program. The purpose of this program is to support the parents of children attending the elementary schools in this Borough (all three of them) by providing quality childcare beyond the normal school hours; in the early morning and late afternoon/evening. All holiday camps are held at the Madison Community House. BASCC also offers a summer camp held on-site at the Madison Community House. This program continues to this day.

For more information about the The Thursday Morning Club or any of our programs, please visit our website at www.thursdaymorningclub.org