ABOUT US

Truckee Family Club is a thriving, supportive, and extremely active community of families primarily targeted to those with children under five years of age and open to families with children up to 18 years old.   Our goal is to make new friends for ourselves and for our children, to help and support each other through the challenges and thrills of parenting, and to have lots of fun along the way!

For our most recent events and activities, events which are open to non-members, partnerships and sponsors, check out our In the News section.

BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP

  • Book Club A club for all readers, with no pressure to read every book. We read books that take place all over the world and then meet every six weeks to discuss and consume wine and food that coincide with the country where the book takes place. You may have not read the book but you don't want to miss the food!

    You aren’t expected to attend all meetings so please call the meeting hostess to confirm your attendance.

    To find out where the next meeting is, see the Truckee Family Club online Calendar.

    Previous picks include:

    The Historian, by Elizabeth Kostova
    The Devil Wears Prada, by Lauren Weisberger
    The Other Boleyn Girl, by Philippa Gregory
    Life of Pi, by Yann Martel
    The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd
    Bel Canto, by Ann Patchett
    Don't Let's Go To The Dogs Tonight, by Alexandra Fuller
    Imagining Argentina, by Lawerance Thorton
    DaVinci Code, by Dan Brown
    Under The Banner of Heaven, by Jon Krakauer
    I Don't Know How She Does It, by Allison Pearson
  • Community Service Activities The Truckee Family Club takes pride in being an active contributor to various community organizations. In the recent past, we have contributed to:

    • The KidZone Museum
    • Project MANA
    • Sierra Nevada Children's Services
    • Truckee Community Christmas
    • The Truckee Youth Music Program
    • Arts for the Schools

    Our Fundraising Coordinator is responsible for organizing events, such as raffles and rummage sales, which raise monies for ongoing community philanthropy and TFC activities.
  • Cookbook Fundraiser Truckee Family Club is excited to present our second cook book, "Truckee's Tasty Treasures," with over 200 recipes gathered from local restaurants, our members and their friends and family. Our famous local contributors include:

Cottonwood Restaurant
Dragonfly Restaurant
Earthly Delights
Florian’s Fine Wines & Specialty Foods
Joe’s Coffee
Moody’s Bistro
Old Greenwood
Truckee Trattoria
Wild Goose

The cover features the work of local photographer Scott Thompson:

    “Everywhere you look within the Tahoe area, your eyes can find something beautiful. Seeing it again is not as easy. In an area where the elements are constantly changing the land, what we see will constantly change. From year to year, season to season, day to day, Tahoe is never the same.” - Scott Thompson

The price per cookbook is $11.95 and is available by contacting TFC. Copies can also be purchased at Joe's Coffee, Florian's Fine Wine and Specialty Foods, and the Bookshelf at Hooligan Rock (Gateway Shopping Center, near Safeway).

The proceeds from the sale of the cookbooks will be used to benefit local charities.

  • Family Outings TFC is a great organization for getting to know other families in town, especially through the playgroups. But what about meeting people in TFC who have families with children of different ages or in other playgroups?

    Our special events include:

    • Annual Picnic - The end-of-summer picnic is held at West End Beach, Donner Lake, unless it snows (like in 2004) when the picnic is held at the Glenshire Clubhouse.
    • Holiday Party - This is an adults-only function; in 2003 and 2004 the party has been held at Dragonfly Restaurant in Truckee; in 2005 at Moody's and in 2006 at Coyotte Moon.
    • Family Nights - This event was started several years ago by meeting intermittently at various family-friendly dining venues, most recently at the Northwoods Clubhouse Bar & Grill.
    • Mom’s Night Out - A great way to socialize with other moms without having to run after fleeing children. Past favorites have been wine pairing, beading, shopping and movies.
    • Dad’s Nights Out - The men in the family a chance to catch up with each other and trade tips and tricks without moms or kids. This is a program created because the men seemed jealous of all the fun to be had on the Mom’s Nights Out.

    See the TFC online calendar for upcoming events.

  • In-A-Pinch Truckee Family Club is all about families helping families. Our In-A-Pinch program (also known as “Hot Meal Mammas”) is a program that provides meals to families who have recently had a baby, surgery, bed rest or family emergency. Dinners are prepared and delivered by our Club members to Club families after baby arrives. When you are busy trying to figure out how to adjust to life with a new or another child, you need not worry about making dinner. You can decide when you would like to have the dinners delivered - for instance if you have family staying with you who can help you for the first few weeks, you can arrange to have the dinners started after that.
    Many women are currently expecting so we need more meal volunteers to keep our wonderful program working so well. It’s a fun and easy way to help another family and to meet the new baby.

    Meals are available to Club members in good volunteer standing.
  • Bi-Monthly Newsletter Each member receives a newsletter containing description of upcoming events, interesting articles and contributions from members. The newsletter is also online, so members may opt out of receiving a paper copy.

    Advertising is available at the bargain price of $10 per issue, or $50 for 6 issues.
  • Playgroups Playgroups offer our children the opportunity to learn how to socialize with others not only by playing with other kids, but by watching the way parents interact with each other. Playgroups generally meet once a week, but are individual in that choice. Members meet in each other's homes or public venues such as parks. Some actually plan activities for the kids, while others get together and let the children have free play. It's all up to each playgroup to decide how they'd like to approach their playtime.

    TFC provides a “matchmaking service,” helping families find groups based on location and ages. The Playgroup Coordinator is a volunteer who keeps track of the groups and their members; the Coordinator also ensures that all members are placed in a playgroup that is comfortable for them. If a parent is interested in joining a playgroup, the Playgroup Coordinator will check for an existing playgroup with similar aged kids; otherwise, a new playgroup can be established with other interested parents.

    The club is incredibly lucky to have a number of playgroups open to current members in a wide assortment of age ranges from birth on up to around 5. We're also working on a new baby playgroup. 

  • Softball Team Many years Truckee Family Club has the opportunity to create a co-ed softball team of moms and dads to play against other Truckee adult teams. It's exercise and fun for all; even the kids come to watch and play with friends. No experience is necessary but, of course helpful. The rules are similar to baseball with a few exceptions for safety (we’re not in the pros).

    This league is through the Truckee Donner Recreation & Park District and runs May through August. The games are every Thursday night for both “C” and “D” League (“A” and “B” Leagues being the best teams). Truckee Family Club will pay the team sponsor fee and each player may pay a player fee.

    There are no mandatory uniforms for this league, but some teams do create t-shirts. Cleats are helpful, but not mandatory. You will only need to have your own mitt.

    Every year TFC needs a volunteer coach and assistant coach who organize the players, collect player fees, and arrange a couple of practices; the games begin with player positions and batting lineup (girl, boy alternating).

    With Truckee Family Club sponsoring the games, it’s a win/win situation for all. Thanks and have fun and Play Ball!

Membership Dues: All of these programs and services are free for members, and membership is $30 per year (prorated) plus several hours of volunteer service sometime during the year. (Please see New Member Guidelines.) The volunteer requirement is what makes our organization so dynamic and successful AND helps you make friends in the community!

To Join, please download our Membership Application, or email us or call us at (530) 579-1825 to have an application mailed to you.

Other Activities that are are on the drawing board:

 

Babysitting Co-op

• Never get caught without a sitter again.
• Maintain close-knit ties with other TFC families.
• Get to know each other well!

What is a co-op?
Sits are traded on a point system (no money). When a sit is needed, the member contacts the monthly secretary who calls potential sitters. The secretary logs all of the completed hours. Every month, a different member is the secretary. The group meets bi-monthly to socialize and to discuss any issues which may arise.

In order to become a member, certain criteria must be met:

• A safety check of your home
• Proof of liability insurance
• A signed medical authorization

Sits for children can only take place in homes without guns. (If you are a responsible gun owner and wish more information about starting another co-op, please contact the current co-op to help you get started).

The babysitting co-op is available to all TFC members.