Have fun and support our community at the Harvest of Hope
By Pat Zimmer, For The Mountain Times
Everyone is invited to an evening of elegance, entertainment, community giving, meeting old friends, and making new ones at the second annual Harvest of Hope Saturday, Sept. 25, 5 p.m. at Alpine Events. We’ll enjoy a four-course dinner, dancing to a live DJ, and a live auction.
“Our main goal is to have fun with our fundraisers,” said HWC President Nichole Watts. “We’re looking forward to another great evening this year.”
This is one of the Hoodland Women’s Club’s biggest fundraising events of the year. Last year’s event raised nearly $14,000, which went directly to support Hoodland residents in need and the local nonprofits that serve those people. It’s what HWC has been working to do in our community for more than 60 years. We’d love to see you there. You can also donate items for the auction. Purchase tickets and donate items on our website www.hoodlandwomensclub.org .
Member Feature: Nancy Padberg
As neighbors in her close-knit mountain community started moving away to be nearer to kids and grandkids, Nancy Padberg decided to check into the Lions Club Bingo as a way to meet new people. But when she looked at the website, she found URLs that didn’t work, resources not listed.
“I started going to their Board meetings, pointing out the problems on the website,” she said. “Now they’ve updated it like you wouldn’t believe.”
Nancy goes to Board meetings. The Hoodland Fire Department, Hoodland Senior Center, Hoodland Women’s Club, Clackamas Women’s Services, Hoodland Community Planning Organization. She points out where websites could use work and where databases don’t function well.
“I get the Beta tester award,” she said. “I’m a researcher. And if Nancy can’t figure it out, normal people can’t figure it out.” She put those skills to work in her career as an RN, where she developed and taught medical informatics – the science of using data and technology to track medical records and improve patient care.
And she gets results. She found information on grant resources at the Fire Department and got it shared with the Senior Center and the Lions Club. She filed a complaint about her hearing aids’ functionality and a rep from the Washington office showed up at her next audiology appointment to find out how to fix it. She’s now on the Board at the Senior Center.
“I can’t stop myself,” she laughs. “The goal is to shut Nancy up.”
Nancy is the nerve center of the small neighborhood when she and her then-husband moved 28 years ago. She raised her grandkids here. She bought walkie-talkies for everyone and runs the repeater during power outages to communicate on their designated channels. And she gives EVERYONE she meets key ring flashlights to keep people safe.
“My goal is to make sure people have the help that they need,” she said. “Nobody gets to choose who they’re born to, what country they’re born into, what color they are, what gender.
“Pretend you’re them, what would you need?”
She’s as passionate about firewood as she is about helping people. She salvages downed trees from neighbors’ property, gathers fir cones for tinder, saws cords of wood that are piled high everywhere on her acreage.
“I feel I live in heaven,” she said, gesturing to the huge old growth and seasonal creek in the yard. “Moving here was the best thing I ever did.”
Want to meet friends, network with savvy women, and give back to our Hoodland community? Join the Hoodland Women’s Club. Membership is just $25 per year. Find out more on our website at www.hoodlandwomensclub.org
Caption for Photo 1: Hoodland Women’s Club member Nancy Padberg
Caption for Photo 2: Enjoying the 2025 Harvest of Hope Gala