When Debbie Scott moved to Kure Beach from Lancaster, PA, nearly three years ago, her main mission was to figure out how to meet people. “My neighbor told me to join Island Women,” Debbie said. “I didn’t know that she wasn’t even a member!” Debbie went to the Island Women website that day and joined. Then she started checking out the upcoming events.
Within days she was helping to decorate the float for the Christmas parade. In the next few months, she signed up to do more. She joined the S.H.E. Committee, played Pokeno, and helped with Little Pink Houses, Missed Pleasure Island, and the Flock of Food Trucks, to name a few. “It’s such a neat, fun way to get involved in your community and make friends right away,” she said. “Everything we do, even if it’s picking up trash on the beach, you do it with other people. You can talk and have fun. I love the feeling I get from being in Island Women and giving back to the community through volunteering. And I have fun and meet people at the same time.”
Although she works full-time for Pfizer, Debbie makes time to co-chair the membership committee and is a lead for Flamingo Bingo. “Most of the things we do are in the evenings, or I can schedule them around my schedule.” She’s also a mentor to new members. “I think it’s great to do things for new members, from making them feel welcome at meetings to flocking them. That’s why I joined the membership committee.”
When Debbe meets a new member, she advises them on how to get the most out of the organization and helps them make connections in other ways around the Island. For example, she recently mentored a new member who wanted to play pickleball and foster dogs. Debbie helped her on both fronts, partly through Island Women who enjoy the same activities.
“The sooner you dive into Island Women volunteering and other events, the more you will get out of the organization,” she said. “That’s how you meet people and give back.”