Sheryn Blocher has always enjoyed working with people and being an educator. After receiving her bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in education, she taught kindergarten and first grade all over the country, including Kansas, Texas, Illinois, and Tennessee. Blocher retired from teaching in 1987, allowing her to pursue on other passions.
Due to her husband Arch’s work with the International Paper Company, the pair eventually landed in Annapolis in the mid-1990s. Blocher began volunteering as docent with Historic Annapolis in 1996, and soon became their part-time volunteer coordinator, a position she held until 2000. Over the years, Blocher has spent significant time dedicated to various volunteer projects, including serving as a board member for the Hammond-Harwood House, as well as contributing to the full-size reproduction of the Star-Spangled Banner.
Blocher first heard about Severn Town Club when she attended a memorial service for a friend who had been a member. “When I went to the service and the reception, all the women at the table were [from] Severn Town Club,” she explains. “I was listening to them, and I thought, ‘This is something I want to find out about.’ That was six years ago and I haven’t looked back since.”
She became a member of Severn Town Club (STC) in 2013. She has served on the Membership Committee as co-chair, and in 2015 and 2016, Blocher chaired STC’s annual Holly Ball. The Holly Ball is a fundraising dinner that raises money and awareness for a chosen nonprofit organization. The selected organization receives 75 percent of the proceeds, while the other 25 percent is allocated to organizations who have applied for Severn Town Club grants. The 56th Holly Ball was held in late November and benefited Anne Arundel County CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates).
“Sheryn has a can-do attitude that inspires us all,” Severn Town Club member Aida Cipriani says. “Her tireless efforts contribute to the betterment of our Anne Arundel County citizens with the monetary grants we award to worthy causes.”
Blocher currently serves as Severn Town Club’s board president, a title she will hold until June of this year. As president, Blocher attends and runs board meetings, assists with the Holly Ball, and contributes to various sections in Severn Town Club’s monthly newsletter, The Crier. Every month, she writes her “From the President” letter, contributes to the “Sharing and Caring” section, and showcases a STC member in “Spotlight.”
“I’ve expanded [‘Spotlight’] quite a bit [since we started that section],” Blocher says. “I try to be as hands-on as I can with the board members and other members in general, and listen to what they have to say because they’ve got great ideas and a lot of follow-through.”
Blocher believes that her experience as a teacher and as a volunteer coordinator has impacted her presidency and volunteerism with STC. “You have to make sure that you’re making it worthwhile for them to spend their time there, give them worthwhile things to do, and communicate and try to bring people together within the group.”
“Sheryn’s enthusiasm, with her organizational skills and dedication, has brought closer ties to the members and our commitment to service,” STC member Sandy Murray says.
Severn Town Club is a women-led organization—something that is very important to Blocher.
“When I grew up you had about three options,” she explains. “You were a nurse, a secretary, or a teacher. Just reading the backgrounds of some of these women, it is simply amazing what they’ve done. To see these women and what they can do and how well they do it, and how much fun they have [is important]. When I read about what other people are doing in this ‘Spotlight’ feature, I think it connects the members.”
For more information on Severn Town Club, visit severntownclub.org
