When Rhonda Lee moved to Carolina Beach with her husband Zeke in 2016, she felt like a fish out of water. She had just retired, didn’t know anybody, and missed her friends near Arlington, Virginia.
Sometime during her first weeks here, she went shopping and met a woman who invited her to her first Island Women meeting. “It was dinner at Big Daddys,” Rhonda recalled. Soon she heard the board ask for volunteers to help with the reusable bag project. Since designing a map on the bag had become too expensive, they planned to cover the bag with logos from sponsors. That didn’t sit well with Rhonda who spent 35 years working at a government agency that made maps for the military. “I was a cartographer and graphic designer,” she said. She told them, “I can get a map on there.”
After that, things started falling into place. “I joined Island Women, found a church, and had a big project to work on. I knew everything was going to be fine.”
Eventually, Rhonda took over many of the Island Women graphic design needs. “I have the skill, the equipment, and the software to do it,” she said. “It’s the best way I can give back.” She also co-chaired committees and became involved in other Island charities such as Martha’s Kitchen and the Island Arts Council (IAC). She’s now IAC's vice chair.
While Rhonda plans to stay involved because she believes it keeps her mind healthy, she needs to make time for other things. She has aging parents in her hometown of Sanford to look after, and extensive travel plans. She and Zeke recently returned from a transatlantic cruise to Morocco and the Canary Islands and continued on to the Azores Islands. Now they are planning their next trip to Australia, New Zealand, and Tahiti. She also wants to take more painting classes. The 2025 reusable bag will be her last.
Her contributions have not gone unnoticed. “Rhonda has expressed her passion for Island Women through her artistic talent and the many years spent creating the reusable bag,” said Eileen Clute, Island Women’s president-elect. “Rhonda’s passion continues to shine through as she ensures a warm handoff of her responsibilities to her successor. Thank you, Rhonda, for the years you spent producing fun-filled bags that bring smiles to many people.”
Rhonda says being part of Island Women helped her create a life of her own when she moved here. That’s why she encourages new members to get involved right away. “Go to everything. Volunteer. See what you like. There will be something that clicks.” It’s hard to make friends when you move to a new place, she acknowledged, but volunteering for events is a great way to meet people. “It’s wonderful when you can meet people and make friends and you don’t have to be invited. As an Island Women member, you are welcome.”