The Ladies of the Evening, or L.O.T.E., all started when most of the women involved could not attend the Seal Beach Junior Women’s Club because they were older than the age limit for the Junior’s membership.
In 1987, the Seal Beach Junior Women’s Club pushed out some of the members – not only because they had passed the age limit but some of the women could not make it to the meetings during the day.
The Ladies of the Evening’s name was born because the meetings were at night, making it easier for the working members who could not make it to the Seal Beach Women’s Club meetings during the day to be involved. The busy and older women did not want to quit the club, but they still wanted to do community service and have social events with their friends.
The women came together and decided to continue in their community service projects, but in a new club.
L.O.T.E was created 25 years ago for women over 40. The only guidelines were that you had to be at least 40 and you had to live or work in Seal Beach.
Diana Carroll was the first chairman for the group, which was limited to 25 members.
The club still stands by that number and L.O.T.E has a waiting list of women waiting to get their chance at the fun community service projects.
As soon as one of the members of L.O.T.E. cannot continue with the club, there is always someone waiting to fill that person’s spot.
Today, the club is still talked about in a positive way and still carries some original members.
“The club is a lot of fun,” said Daisy Funk.
Funk was referring to the many trips the club members took together and the many charitable events that L.O.T.E ladies put on together.
“The club is about friendship, kindness, giving, and love,” said Funk.
The L.O.T.E. members are very close and spend so much time together that friendship would be expected to happen between the ladies.
Once a month the ladies get together and discuss their ideas and upcoming projects. The meetings are always preferred to take place at one of the member’s houses but sometimes the 25 members cannot fit in one of the small Seal Beach houses.
L.O.T.E raises money with in the club members. They do an auction every year to fund different charitable projects but most of the money that they give to charity is out of the member’s pockets.
The club is involved many activities and charities such as buying calling card for troops, adopting families for the holidays and the White Elephant Auction.
Most of all L.O.T.E is there to help other clubs and to help Seal Beach projects. The women help with car shows, the kite festivals, backed goods for the police and fire volunteers, and they give teddy bears to lifeguards. The teddy bears are there in the towers to give to a child who is lost and scared. While the lifeguard tries to find the kid’s parents, the child can hold on to the teddy bear for comfort.
The L.O.T.E. club does not seem to be slowing down any time soon.
