Author to speak at center

PASSAIC  As the Passaic Neighborhood Center for Women marks its sixth anniversary, it continues to maintain its identity as a place to empower women — many of whom have traveled far from home to make a better life for their families here. With more than 10,000 visits through its doors in the past six years, it is evident how important the mission of the center is in serving these women.

To mark this milestone, the center is hosting a fundraiser, “An Afternoon with Christina Baker Kline,” a best-selling author, who has written “Orphan Train” and “A Piece of the World.” The event is set to take place on Tuesday, Sept. 24, the center’s birthday, from noon to 3 p.m. at the Rockaway River Country Club in Denville. Tickets are $125, which includes lunch and a copy of one of the author’s books. Those who attend the luncheon will help continue the mission of the center and several sponsorships are available. There will also be raffles and time for fellowship among the attendees.

Sister of Christian Charity Ann Marie Paul, director of the center, said, “We are very thrilled to have Christina Baker Kline be the guest at our fundraiser. She is an author who writes about relationships and we, at the center, are all about relationships and having people make special connections with each other.”

The author will speak at the event and afterward she will sign books for those interested. She is the author of seven novels including her most recent book, “A Piece of the World,” which explores the real-life relationship between the artist Andrew Wyeth and his best-known painting, “Christina’s World.” An instant New York Times bestseller, “A Piece of the World,” was awarded the 2018 New England Prize for Fiction, the 2018 Maine Literary Award and a Silver Nautilus Award. Kline’s 2013 novel, “Orphan Train,” spent more than two years on the New York Times best-seller list including five weeks at No. 1. Hundreds of communities, schools and universities have chosen it as a “One Book, One Read” selection. Kline lives in New York City and in Southwest Harbor, Maine.

“This is our first time hosting an event like this,” said Sister Ann Marie. “We often get people interested in the Women’s Center because they hear about what our mission is. We expect many of our supporters to be there, along with many familiar with the work of Christina Baker Kline. We hope the afternoon event will allow those who attend to get to know one another.”

Liz Mattson, one of the center’s board members, is coordinating the luncheon fundraiser to help the center. She is a parishioner of St. Simon Parish in Green Pond who became familiar with the Passaic Neighborhood Center after attending a Pastoral Council meeting at which Sister Ann Marie was a guest speaker.

“She spoke about the women she served in Passaic and how the center was a place of refuge for them,” Mattson said. “Many of the women are mothers with young children, who are immigrants and very poor. Sister Ann Marie shared how often the mothers cannot afford diapers and that a child would have to wear the same diaper for the whole day. As a grandmother and a mother that really struck a chord with me.”

Mattson, who is an avid reader and involved with the Morristown Festival of Books, reached out to Christina Baker Kline about speaking at the fundraiser, explaining to the author the mission of the center. “The money we raise is going to directly help the women,” said Mattson.

The Passaic Neighborhood Center for Women was created as a collaborative effort of religious communities in the Paterson Diocese to help women in urban areas with the belief that when women are empowered, the family is strengthened. It is located in the former rectory of St. Nicholas Parish on Washington Place in Passaic, one of the poorest cities in the state.

Since its opening on Sept. 24, 2013, the center has provided education, training and advocacy services to under-served women in the city. It provides a safe, welcoming environment and fosters self-reliance, entrepreneurship and community participation. Through seminars, workshops and classes, the center empowers women to build better lives for themselves and their families.

The center features many enrichment classes based on the needs or interests of the women. These classes include English classes, quilting, sewing and gardening. The center has also hosted several craft sales featuring the work of the women. Children are welcomed to accompany their mothers. The community garden allows women to bring home fresh vegetables, fruits and herbs. Parishes around the Diocese donate baby diapers to help the families. In recent years, the center has also offered seminars on immigration laws.

“We respond based on the needs of the women we serve as they present them,” said Sister Ann Marie. “We increase our attendance every year and we have a few that have been here since the beginning. Sometimes the women get jobs and can no longer come, but they still keep in touch. New women who come to the center find out about us still mostly word of mouth.”

As the center continues its mission to help the women of Passaic and neighboring towns, the September fundraiser is one of its new ventures to get the word out about the center and raise funds to help as many immigrant women as possible.

“Many around the Diocese have come through to help us with donations or volunteering, and it is because of this that we’re able to continue to respond to the needs of the women,” said Sister Ann Marie.