Subject: Article from the Let's Go Newspaper
Subject: Article about the Valley Singles Club in the Let's Go Newspaper 2006
Date: Thu, 02 Feb 2006 
From: Valley Singles Club CC: Debbie Dehner
 
* Energetic cowgirl finds passion in organization* 

Whether she’s teaching a class in line dancing to a mob of avid participants or organizing an activity for the
 Valley Singles Club, this tall, red-headed cowgirl sizzles with energy.

"I guess I feel like I have a calling for this," Debbie Dehner admits without ego. "I love people, love being around people, and I love socializing.

" Dehner is the founder and President of the Valley Singles Club, which she runs from her home in Fountain Hills.

 She is quick to clarify that the club is not exclusively for Fountain Hills residents; it is a Valley-wide club. The misconception came about when she first organized the club and named it the Fountain Hills Social Club.

"People would call and ask me if they had to live in Fountain Hills to belong," she recalls. So the name was changed.

Now, the 60-some members of the club come from all parts of the Valley, and Dehner makes sure everyone gets a fair break on travel distances by scheduling activities all over the Valley.

In addition, they join cooperatively with other singles groups around the Valley to combine their numbers for participation in many events, including their happy hours with four other clubs.

The club is as far from being a lonely hearts club as you can get. Yes, there is always the hope that you might meet your "soul mate" by getting involved in a singles group.

But Valley Singles Club members find they have joined a club that gives them much more.

They also get a great friendship network, as well as now having the opportunity to finally do a lot of things that singles are generally unable to do alone, such as going to shows, sporting events and other Valley events.

And there is always the support there for those who need help working through divorces by being with others who have "been there.

" "They say, ‘it’s so helpful talking to someone who has already been through a divorce,’" Dehner says.

This is why one of the regular activities of the club is the mini-seminars Dehner arranges, such as the discussions on various stages of relationships by guest speakers like Jack Friedland, a Fountain Hills relationship counselor.

Dehner has a knack for organization, and the club runs smoothly. But it wasn’t always that way.

When Dehner first started the club in 2000, she did the best she could trying to run it basically by herself.

But in 2001 she had some surgery which resulted in complications, and she was laid up for a year.

Before she could do anything about it, the club was dying, and she faced the possibility of closing it down.

"But I began receiving phone calls from members asking me not to close the club, that we needed it," she recalls.

So, like any spunky redheaded cowgirl would do, she took the bull by the horns.

She started delegating chores to people.

She advertised the club in the newspapers and on the radio.

Membership increased rapidly.

After a period of trial-and-error, and constant reorganization to find what would work best, the club and Dehner were on their feet and running again about the same time.

Today the Valley Singles Club is the fastest-growing singles club in the area, she says, with more than 60 active members, and a newsletter circulation of 120.

And on Jan. 14, the club celebrated its fifth anniversary.

Where does one catch the kind of fever that gets an organization like this started, and keeps it from going under?
 
"It was just there when I started the club," Dehner says simply. "I was just kind of winging everything.

" She adds, "It was something I always wanted to do -- start a club. I also always wanted to be a dancer, and I’m just following my dreams and my goals.

" Dehner’s dancing specialty is line dancing. She is a cowgirl through and through, and proudly boasts five pairs of western boots and five western hats in different colors to match her mood (although she cheerfully admits to loving the red best).

And this long, lanky cowgirl (five foot 11-1/4 inches to be exact), who has participated in the Red-Heads Beauty Pageant, did a long-running TV commercial and is a member of the Central Arizona Tall Club Society, has also taught line dancing all over the Valley for 12 years.

When the opportunity came to start a singles club, Dehner said she had wanted to reach out and help people who were going through a divorce like she had, people "who were lonely, needing a friend or just wanting to do something with others rather than doing it by themselves," she says.

"That’s how our club motto came to be, ‘Don’t Do It Alone,’" she says.

Dehner emphasizes that the club is not a dating service or matchmaking organization. It is a social club for singles. Their members range in age from approximately 35 to 85, with the majority in the middle.

And sharing many of their activities with other singles groups in the Valley greatly increases their social contacts and friendships.

Aside from ongoing activities such as pool parties, happy hours, game nights, bowling, house parties, dancing and eating out, they take advantage of many of the cultural activities in the Valley, including sports events, movies, plays and other entertainment events.

When a member has an idea for a new activity or event for the group, Dehner encourages them to try their hand at making the arrangements. And she and others are always there to help them.

Membership fees are only $25 per year, and potential members can take a trial period of three months for $10, which includes participation in group activities and receiving the monthly newsletter. If the person decides to join, the $10 is applied toward the year’s membership fee.

Upcoming events for the club include happy hours, karaoke, the new members night and social, and a singles dance on Friday, Feb. 3. They also will participate in the valley-wide Singles Fair and Valentine’s Ball on Feb. 11 at the Double Tree Paradise Valley Resort, which is attended by hundreds.

Members of the Valley Singles Club are supportive of each other in many ways, not only on a personal level, but in the organization. Member Carol Williamson recently responded to Dehner’s request for help in creating a web site. As a result, www.valleysinglesclub.com has been launched.
 
Dehner is proud of the fact that at least one lasting relationship has developed among her members and hopes there will be many others along the way.

And who doesn’t need a hug once in a while, especially from such supportive friends?

"We greet each other with hugs and say goodbye with hugs," Dehner says. "We welcome all newcomers the same way.

" "This is where we will meet new friends or perhaps even make a lasting relationship," she smiles knowingly.

For information about upcoming events, or the Valley Singles Club, call Dehner at (480) 837-9449, and keep an eye on the new website as it unfolds.

This story was featured in the February, 2006 edition.