Retired teacher thrives as service group leader

When Clotile Berlin retired in 2007 after 28 years as a teacher and administrator with the Humble Independent School District, she was worried about what she was going to do with her time.

A friend took her to a meeting of the Kingwood Women’s Club and, impressed by the group’s commitment to serving the community, she decided to join.   Berlin now serves as president of the Kingwood Women’s Club. In this role, she presides over the club’s general meetings and board meetings and serves on various club committees. It’s a lot of work, but Berlin is fortunate to be able to rely on the club’s more than 100 active members for assistance.
  “I have a wonderful group of women who are in charge of things, and I work with them in making sure everything gets done,” she said.
  Judging by the club’s list of ongoing projects, there’s a lot of volunteer work to be done in Kingwood. The Kingwood Women’s Club supports a number of community programs and charitable organizations, including Humble Area Assistance Ministries, Friends of the Library Kingwood, the Society of St. Stephen food and clothing pantry, and the FamilyTime Thrift Shop. Last year, club members logged more than 14,500 volunteer hours. 
  “I just can’t say enough about the Kingwood Women’s Club and the hours that these women put into volunteering,” Berlin said. “It’s a wonderful organization.”
  Berlin leads the club’s regular meetings on the third Wednesday of each month at Homewood Suites Kingwood. Although the club isn’t currently accepting new members, Berlin has an open enrollment period planned for 2013.  Prospective members can submit new membership applications from Jan. 1  through Feb. 15. The Kingwood Women’s Club will also host an informational meeting at 10 a.m. Jan. 7 at Homewood Suites Kingwood, 23320 U.S. 59 N.
  When she’s not performing her duties as president of the Kingwood Women’s Club, Berlin spends her time following the various activities of her nine grandchildren, seven of whom live in Kingwood. She and her husband love to travel and recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with a family trip to Disney World.
  For more information on the Kingwood Women’s Club, email kwcweb@aol.com or visit www.kingwoodwomensclub.com. You can also connect with the Kingwood Women’s Club on Facebook.   Megan Mattingly-Arthur is a freelance writer. She can be reached at neighborhoods@chron.com.   ABOUT CLOTILE BERLIN
AGE: 72 OCCUPATION: Retired educator COMMUNITY CONNECTION: Kingwood resident FAST FACT: Yellowstone National Park is one of her favorite destinations.