‘From utter despair to celebration,’ Bradenton Woman’s Club set to reopen

In September, Hurricane Irma ripped off the roof of the Bradenton Woman’s Club, 1705 Manatee Ave. W., and soaked its almost century-old wooden floors that have witnessed generations of dancers spinning and twirling across the floor.

Members thought the 104-year run of charitable work in the community was coming to an end.

“We went from utter despair to celebration,” said Rebecca Biro, club treasurer. “I just want to say thank you to the community. Without their support, we would not be back and after 104 years of supporting the community, they turned around and supported us.”

That sense of despair heightened as the estimates to repair the 1913 building and the 1921 wooden floor started pouring in at close to $200,000. They turned to the community for help and the community heard their call. To date, donations have topped $180,000, which was enough to save and refurbish the original floors and install a new roof.

More work is needed and the club still owes $20,000 on the roof, which CRM South Roofing Solutions began working on the day after Irma and continued that work on what essentially was a handshake deal. CRM also discounted its work significantly.

The community did the rest. The gofundme.com site that was established pulled in a little more than $7,000, and the remaining $173,000 came in the form of checks directly to the club ranging from $25 to $1,000 or more.

“The comments I received from people donating said it’s a historic building that needed to be saved and many said how much they have loved coming here over the years,” Biro said. “We’ve had our weekly dances for the past 15 years and it’s a part of life for a good many people. That’s their night out and there are very few dance places like this with a big floor to do ballroom.”

The doors to the club will reopen Dec. 30 for a grand reopening dance featuring the Mellow Tones, which perform 1940s style music at 5 p.m.

At 7:30 p.m., 3 of a Kind will take the stage, adding a little country flair to the ballroom atmosphere.

“They sound a bit country, but it’s ballroom. It may be a George Strait waltz, but it’s still a waltz,” Biro said.

Gutters still need to be installed, the parking lot needs to be resurfaced and the windows are in pretty bad shape, so fundraising continues and donations are still being accepted at bradentonwomansclub.com or by calling Biro at 941-896-6541.

The Bradenton Woman’s Club is held together by 24 members, compared to 400 in its heyday. New members are encouraged and the facility is open for private rental events, which combined with its dances and annual charity gala brings in thousands of dollars that help local agencies such as Habitat for Humanity, Boys and Girls Club, Council on Aging, Meals on Wheels and more.

This story was originally published December 22, 2017 at 12:33 PM with the headline "‘From utter despair to celebration,’ Bradenton Woman’s Club set to reopen."