Medium brings messages from beyond for Melbourne’s Woman’s Club fundraiser
And the winner for most creative fundraising goes to: the Melbourne Woman’s Club for recruiting internationally known psychic medium Jeffrey Wands as the draw for their major annual fundraiser.
Similar organizations may sponsor a luncheon or a fashion show, but the ladies of this club went for Wands’ ability to connect with the dearly departed.
Wands, who will be in Melbourne on Friday, Jan. 19, has appeared on the “Today” show and on A&E’s “Mediums: We See Dead People,” is the author of six books, including “On Death and Grieving” and “The Psychic in You.” He also hosts “Psychic Sundays,” a weekly call-in radio show on WALK 97.5 FM in New York and online at walkradio.com.
“Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” tapped unto Wands’ affinity to connect with the residents of the Great Beyond when they needed a pro to “clear” unwanted “energy” from the deceased occupants of a Maine home the show wanted to tear down and redo.
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“This particular family had been living in this home, generation after generation for at least the past 100 years or more,” said Wands, who lives in New York but tours the country to help people connect with loved ones who have slipped the surly bonds of earth.
Wands has been a practicing medium for more than three decades and has a long waiting list of clients around the globe.
“This will be the fourth time we’ve had Jeffrey come to Melbourne,” said club spokesperson Marion Ambrose. “People who have attended these events have been amazed with Jeffreys talents.”
The Melbourne Woman’s Club, which is part of the General Federation of Women's Clubs, is on to a winner with Wands, whose programs usually are sellouts.
Whether or not you believe mediums can divine the past or present, you have to admit that what will happen with the money Wands helps generate for the club is awesome indeed.
The club donated $5,000 to Hacienda Girls’ Ranch, a safe haven for young girls from families where neglect, domestic violence, drugs and incarceration are part of life.
Then there is Jetty, the Canine Companions for Independence puppy the Club is sponsoring.
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“Jetty is now in her formal training to become a companion to a handicapped person,” said Ambrose.
Jetty will be partnered with an individual with disabilities at no cost to the person.
“Over the years, GFWC Melbourne Woman’s Club has adopted over 20 Canine Companion puppies,” said Ambrose.
The club, for many years has provided scholarships to local high school seniors. It expanded the program to include residents of Hacienda Girls’ Ranch and to women already in the work force who want to improve their lives through education but who aren’t eligible for traditional scholarships.
Aileen Del Rio, who has gone back to school to pursue a career in nursing, is the latest scholarship recipient.
“I’m so grateful to GFWC Melbourne Woman’s Club for helping me go back to school and set my life in a new, positive direction,” said Del Rio.
The club’s scholarship will certainly help Del Rio, who was struggling with three dead-end jobs.
In December, club members visited Fellsmere Elementary School to deliver toys and clothing for the entire pre-kindergarten class. Club members also provided Christmas dinner for 85 needy families.
Indeed, the ladies of GFWC Melbourne Woman’s Club are a group of awesome gals.
If you believe that the dead walk among us and are eager to share their wisdom with the clueless living, the club’s “Evening with Jeffrey Wands” is for you. Even if you don’t believe, go check it out. Who knows, Wands may change your mind, and at the very least, you will enjoy an entertaining evening while helping an organization that is out of this world.
The GFWC Melbourne Woman’s Club will host psychic medium Jeffrey Wands from 7 to 10 p.m., Friday, Jan. 19, at the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #37, 1049 Julia Drive, Melbourne. Refreshments will be served.
Tickets are $35 and available by calling 321-794-8901 or at brownpapertickets.com.
Evening with Jeffrey Wands
What: A psychic fundraiser for the GFWC Melbourne Woman's Club
When: 7-10 p.m. Friday, Jan. 19
Where: Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #37, 1049 Julia Drive, Melbourne
Tickets: $35
Info: 321-794-8901 or brownpapertickets.com
Sonnenberg is a Melbourne-based freelance writer.