Time was, when there was a major fire in town, members of the Secaucus Volunteer Fire Department would arrive at the scene and extinguish the blaze – and a supportive group of young wives would show up to serve them coffee and hot chocolate.
At its peak, the Ladies Auxiliary of the Secaucus Exempt Firemen’s Association probably included as many as 40 or 50 members – women who would have fun and socialize with one another, but who also supported the local firefighters and raised money for charity.
But like many such organizations over the years, membership in the Ladies Auxiliary waxed and waned. In recent years, as the average age of the organization’s members has increased, the membership dwindled to the point where just a handful of women still participate in group functions.
They continue the organization’s charitable work, although in a limited capacity.
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With membership now down to about 16 or 17 people, Olsen said the auxiliary realized it had to recruit new members or risk extinction.
The group is planning a membership drive to bring new women into the auxiliary. Next month, on Feb. 13 the organization will hold a breakfast at Washington Hook and Ladder at 272 County Avenue from 8 a.m. to noon.
‘We go way back’
Founded in 1934, the Ladies Auxiliary has long been a social and charitable organization with ties to the Secaucus Volunteer Fire Department.
Membership, explained current organization vice president Connie Schoenrock, was open to women who were married to firefighters who had been with the department for at least seven years.
There was, for a time, a separate group for women who were married to firefighters who had been with the department for less than five years. But this group, known around town as the “blue shirts,” eventually disbanded and was absorbed into the Ladies Auxiliary, which was known as the “red shirts.”
And just as membership in the Volunteer Fire Department runs in families, so, too, did membership in the Ladies Auxiliary.
“My grandfather was a chief, so my grandmother was involved,” said Olsen. “I have a cousin who’s a member [of the auxiliary], and her grandfather was also a chief. My father was also a fireman. My great uncle was one of the people who started the Washington Hook and Ladder. So, we go back.”
Charitable work
The group also raises money for the New Jersey Firemen’s Home, a retirement and nursing facility for former paid and volunteer firefighters in Boonton.
The home, which first opened its doors in 1898, houses about 60 to 70 elderly residents and is currently undergoing renovations to its 112-year-old building.
In the past, money raised in Secaucus through Ladies Auxiliary fundraisers has been donated to the home to purchase such items as new bedspreads or to help with building improvements.
“Years ago, even before I joined, they did a lot of card parties and social functions to build up the treasury. And this money was then donated to the New Jersey Firemen’s Home,” said Schoenrock, wife of current Secaucus Volunteer Fire Chief George Schoenrock, who has been a member for about 25 years.
The small core of women currently involved in the auxiliary continue this charitable work, although in a much more limited capacity.
“We’ll still send cards or small gifts or small donations,” said Olsen. “But we are limited in what we can do because we’re so small.”
Olsen and Schoenrock would like to do more and hope next month’s membership drive – which they’re billing as a “pancake breakfast” – will pull in enough new people that they’ll be able to do more for the home in Boonton in the future.
Already they have reason to be hopeful.
Thee younger women have recently expressed interest in the Ladies Auxiliary, and the group believes they might be able to pull in other young new members.
Tickets to the Feb. 13 pancake breakfast are $10 for adults and $5 for children. To purchase tickets in advance, call Jane Olsen at (201) 330-9147. The breakfast will begin at 8 a.m. at Washington Hook and Ladder, 27 County Ave.
E-mail E. Assata Wright at awright@hudsonreporter.com.