Moving to a new city is exciting, but it can also be lonely. Leaving a network of family and old friends behind might make getting settled into a new home feel isolating, and that’s when groups such as Naples Newcomers Clubs can make a big difference.

The original Naples Newcomers Club started in 1980 as a nonprofit social club to help women moving to Naples discover the community and meet other women new to the area.

From 40 original members, the club grew to more than 250 members, and in 2016 divided into two chapters: Naples Newcomers North (Bonita Beach Road to Pine Ridge Road) and Naples Newcomers South (Pine Ridge Road to East Naples short of Marco Island). Each club currently has about 200 members, and they both meet monthly in addition to scheduling a wide variety of activities throughout the year.

Lee Ann Gamble retired in 2020 from corporate management in the hospitality industry and moved to Naples full-time from Dallas with her husband at the end of that year. Gamble, who will be serving as president of Newcomers North in 2024, said that the club helped her make the transition after spending most of her life in Dallas.

“When we moved here, we didn’t know a single person,” she said. “My husband got involved with a golf league right off the bat through one of our neighbors. I didn’t realize how lonely I was until I joined this club, and now I have amazing friends from different walks of life with interesting and diverse backgrounds, who I probably would not have met without the Newcomers Club.

“I’ve also learned all these new, fun things about Naples—this beautiful place we live—during different club activities and speakers who come to the monthly meetings. Through this club, I feel like I’m living my best life in retirement.”

Gamble said the clubs worked hard during the pandemic in 2020 and 2021 to keep members engaged with virtual monthly meetings and many of their regular activities—book clubs, needlecraft groups and even cooking classes.

“They really did everything they could to keep the club vibrant and active during such a difficult time,” she said. “Membership [for Naples Newcomers North] dropped to 97 at that point, but we are ending 2023 with right about 200 members.”

Laura Weinert, a member of Naples Newcomers South, moved to Naples in 2019 from New York after retiring from a career in corporate finance, marketing and event planning. She also found the outreach and activities during the pandemic to be beneficial in staving off a sense of isolation, and in 2024 will be working on a program called the Sunshine Club that aims to keep members feeling connected in good times and bad.

“We rely on members to let us know the challenging things that happen in people’s lives so we can reach out and help,” Weinert said. “ We also celebrate members’ birthdays at the monthly luncheons. We recognize them, giving that feeling of sisterhood. You know, there’s nothing like women that kind of wrap their arms around you emotionally.”

It’s not just the social element that keeps members involved. Both clubs stay involved in a variety of local charities each year through donations, volunteering or both.

“ We are a social club, but charity is also very near and dear to all of our hearts,” Gamble said. “Naples Newcomers North supports three to four local charities a year. This year we’ve supported Laces of Love, Valerie’s House and the Guadalupe Center, and Empty Bowls Naples is an ongoing focus for us. We choose charities that are directly serving the needs of women or children in Collier County or Naples.”

Lisa Mash was a vice president of sales for a pharmaceutical wholesaler before retiring and moving to Naples from Columbus, Ohio, in 2021, when she joined Naples Newcomers South.

Mash, who is president-elect of the South chapter, said that charitable aspect is also a priority for the club.

“One of the reasons I’m excited to be president for this coming year is that I feel like I get so much benefit out of this club,” Mash said. “Not only did I meet a lot of people from different neighborhoods, I love that we’re supporting a new local charity each quarter.”

Recently the group has supported Shy Wolf Sanctuary and the Brotherhood Ride, dedicated to helping families of fallen police officers and firefighters, and it has donated and volunteered at Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Mash said.

Weinert added that the involvement of Newcomers South with Rookery Bay grew out of excursions to the Reserve.

“A lot of our members volunteer there now based on the educational experiences they’ve had,” Weinert said. “That ties in with the concerns about water and the environment, especially in east Naples with the very rapid development we’ve experienced. And that growth is also why our membership has gained momentum in such a short period of time, as well.”

So, what constitutes a “Naples newcomer” for each club?

For Newcomers North, women who have lived in Naples for five years or less—full time or part-time—are eligible to join, but club president Gamble said there are certain exceptions that can be made for women who have experienced a significant life-changing event.

“Say you’ve retired, or you’ve lost a spouse or life partner or experienced some other kind of major change that brings a different set of circumstances in life,” Gamble said. “ We will look at that and allow members in given those circumstances. But generally, it’s five years or less.”

Newcomers South president Mash said the group’s membership requirement is two years or less of living in Naples either full-time or part-time, with some exceptions also made for life-changing circumstances.

Both clubs have a membership fee of $50, with a one-time $50 joining fee, and members may also contribute for group-rate activities at museums and other attractions. Both clubs rotate locations for their monthly meetings, which usually take place at local country clubs or other facilities that can accommodate large groups. Members also open their homes for smaller group activities such as card games, book clubs and painting classes.

And while neither club has a formal auxiliary group for men, activities for couples take place a few times throughout the year.

Asked about the overall benefit of these groups, Newcomers South member Weinert summed it up as an opportunity to become part of the community and make lasting connections.

“When you move to a new place, it’s a huge thing for a lot of people,” she said. “It’s exciting, but it’s also daunting sometimes. I was ever so thankful to join, and it did astonish me how quickly this group fosters some real and meaningful friendships. That’s an important thing for all of us.”

For more information, visit naplesnewcomersnorth. com and naplesnewcomerssouth. com.