The teams have been set, the hammies have been stretched, and Tully Bowl signs have been painted and repurposed with phrases such as Roll North and something using a # (hashtag).  Yes, its that time of the year for the Pecan Bowl, but this is a special one as it marks the tenth anniversary of this event.  The first Pecan Bowl started as a pick-up game on New Year’s Day in 2012, and now features games with over 100 players from all over our neighborhood plus fans, announcers, check presentations, fly-overs, and someone claims they once saw the Boz on the East sideline telling them their linebackers weren’t intense enough.  Yes, this event has history, it has rivalry, and it is the  hallmark event for the WMC season as it is our largest fundraiser in any given year.   This is a busy week for all as we get ready, but we got you covered for everything you need to know about how to register for Thursday and when to come out and watch on Saturday.

Register for Thursday Happy Hour

Pecan Bowl X Gameday Schedule

What:

The tenth installment of the Pecan Bowl – two football games of epic proportions and a an opportunity to recognize our giving partners in between.

When:

Saturday, December 12^th – 9 am, North vs West,

Saturday, December 12^th – 10:30, Check presentations from the WMC to FamilyPoint Resources and Spring Branch Education Foundation (SBEF)

Saturday, December 12^th – 11 am, East vs South

Saturday, December 12^th – 12:30 pm, Boxed BBQ Lunch and Drinks at the Wilchester Pool

 Where:

Taco Cabana Memorial Stadium Field and Polo Grounds (the field behind Westchester, located on Yorkchester in Wilchester West)

Why:

It’s our most-exciting event of the year, whether you are watching or playing, all are welcome.  Nothing to do, but to show up and enjoy a beautiful Saturday in the neighborhood and learn more about how the WMC supports organizations in our area.

At Pecan Bowl X, we will be following the same COVID guidelines as SBMSA, please click the link to the right to review.  We ask that you wear a face mask when Social Distancing is not possible.

The BBQ lunch will be served as a box lunch for those who registered for Pecan Bowl.

We also want to thank all of our sponsors for making this event possible and supporting our Giving Partners!

Dear Men of Wilchester, Wilchester West, Nottingham, and Nottingham West,

We hope this note finds you well and you enjoyed the giving update that we sent last week.  As we mentioned in that update, we are kicking off the annual membership drive, and everything in this note will give you what you need for the upcoming year for the Wilchester Men’s Club (WMC).  That being said, this year is different. 

The first change you will see for the 2020-2021 year is that we are moving from a purchased membership model to a free membership with suggested donation levels.  Rather than buying a membership for the upcoming year, a membership is now free and will solely be based on signing up.  All those who live in Nottingham, Nottingham West, Wilchester, and Wilchester West are welcome, and by signing up with your preferred email, you can stay updated on developments with WMC.

The second change you will notice will be the sign-up process.  To make signing up for membership easier, we’ve recently redone the WMC website.  Some of the enhancements will allow you to get rid of duplicate emails that may be in our system, select events that you want to stay on top of, and even choose ways you may want to get involved.  We hope that this will improve your experience engaging with the WMC and further connect you with opportunities to participate in WMC activities and connect with your neighbors.

Become a Member Make a Donation

There are many unknowns regarding our Thursday night get-togethers, Fall WashersFest, and even Pecan Bowl, to just name a few. What we can say unequivocally is that as soon as we feel we are able to hold an event, we will do so in earnest.

Yet, we are not a bunch of knuckle-dragging neanderthals (outside of PB championships), we are evolving and will be making several changes this year that not only respond to the new normal but will also continue to help the WMC pursue its mission, which is to bring together and strengthen our community through events and activities while also investing back into our community through our three pillars of giving: Education, Youth Outreach and Neighbors in Need. Said another more succinct way, our mission is “Doin Good.”

There are several reasons for the change. First, we cannot, in good faith, tell any person signing up that we will be able to provide the same level of activities and events as we have done in the past. When we are able to host the monthly get-togethers, they will be free to attend. We would continue the practice of “pay-to-play” for other events, such as Pecan Bowl and Softball.

Second, our hope is that once we restart monthly events, it will be an opportunity to bring in neighbors who may have never participated in a WMC event before and support our vision of helping bring neighbors together by making wider participation easier.

Third, by switching to a donation model, we believe we can harness the power of your donation from corporate matching programs. Many of our past and anticipated members work for companies that will match your donation to WMC. In this regard, WMC will assist your effort to maximize any donation you are inclined to make by providing whatever information you need to use your company’s match. In addition to the corporate match, we also believe that this should make a donation tax-deductible for you. I’m not a tax attorney, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn last night….but you should still consult your tax adviser on this last point.

Lastly, the WMC calendar is being set and will be out shortly. In years past, there have been six or so monthly events at the pool, plus Pecan Bowl, Washers Fest, Ladies Night, and Softball. Once you register as a WMC Member on the website, you will have access to the Event Calendar and be able to register to attend events. It is our sincere hope to have a calendar that closely matches that as possible, but at this point, we are still holding off on monthly events with the hope of having the first in September. We also have some audibles we may call that may introduce WMC’s first golf tourney (more on that soon).

Ok, I said several changes, but those are the three big ones. The events may be a little different, and (we hope) it will be easier to sign up for a membership, but our mission is the same. And to that end, we ask that you keep WMC’s mission robust by considering a donation to WMC. By donating, you support the mission of galvanizing the close-knit ties within this community while paying forward good into the community where we work, live, and play. It is through your donations that we will be able to maintain the legacy of giving that you see below.

With a donation, you not only support a fantastic mission, but there are several gifts that we’d like to provide in recognition of your support.  All donation levels are appreciated, and here is a list of the recognized levels on the website.

Ok, that’s it.  To summarize.

Wilchester Men’s Club is still here and pursuing its mission.

Sign up for membership on the website.

Please kindly consider a donation.

If you donate, check to see if your employer does corporate matching.

More on the 2020-2021 calendar soon!

Wilchester Men's Club Update   It is truly unusual and unprecedented times, but the Wilchester Men’s Club (WMC) is back for the 2020-21 (school?) year and ready to continue Doin’ Good. There will be several changes to the WMC this year in an effort to adapt to the current environment, but while we finalize the last few changes we thought we would reach out and provide a brief status update of what has been going on. The one thing we are certainly not changing is our mission, which is to bring together and strengthen our community through events and activities while also investing back into our community through our three pillars of giving: Education, Youth Outreach and Neighbors in Need. We are more than just a dad’s club for Wilchester Elementary, the WMC is for all the men in this neighborhood and has developed a powerful mission to galvanize the community through fun and giving. As a 501(c)(3) giving organization, we remain as committed as ever to honoring our financial obligations to our historical giving partners including Family Point Resources, SBEF, and RaiseUp Families and to maintain financial flexibility to support neighbors in need, if and when those needs arise. We will not let them or you down and want to send a strong message that WMC’s membership and sponsors are committed to the spirit of “Doin’ Good” this upcoming 2020-2021 season. Because of sound fiscal management and the financial resources provided through membership and sponsorship these past few years, we are poised to fulfill WMC’s mission this year as we build upon 2019-20, which was the largest giving year ever in the history of the WMC. Below is a summary of what has been accomplished by your participation in the WMC membership and events over the past few years. Last year alone, you supported $68,000 in giving and donations.  So, where did that money go???  Here are a few highlights:

The WMC donated $20,000 in scholarships through the Spring Branch Education Foundation (SBEF) and were able to support the following students with scholarships: Brooks Ballard, Caroline Bruce, Rachel Cole, Ellie DiPaola, Matthew Howell – Stratford High School and Leila Madanizadeh – Westchester Academy.  In total, the SBEF awarded 122 scholarships to Spring Branch Independent School District seniors—a total of $174,900.  As you can see, we are a large supporters of SBEF, and we are in their top 10 donors with other heavy hitters like Wells Fargo, Memorial Hermann, HEB and the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation.  You can find the latest information in the SBEF Report. 

We were able to donate some meals to the front line workers at Memorial Hermann when the pandemic was first starting off and helped a few local businesses along the way by utilizing their restaurants to prepare those meals.  We were also able to help several families in our neighborhood that faced personal hardships during the past year.

We continued to support Family Point Resources (FPR) with almost $20,000 in donations.  As a reminder, their mission focuses on empowering and equipping children through enriching opportunities and supportive relationships and served 788 students in our area over the past year.  During the pandemic, the need for FPR’s services have greatly increased and they’ve been able to support students during their transition to virtual and collect grocery gift cars for family as well.

The list goes on, and will continue this year and the WMC is ready to fulfill its mission of fun and giving as we start another year.  We hope to have the membership email and more information about the upcoming year here shortly, so be on the watch for that email in the next week or so.  Until then, we hope you are safe and well and look forward to getting together as soon as we can.

Best Regards,

The Wilchester Men’s Club Board