Sacramento Swiss Club
Sacramento Swiss Heritage Club
Sacramento Swiss Culture Club
Swiss in Sacramento
Swiss developed Sacramento
John Sutter started the city "The New
Helvetia"
About Us & Past Publications
Swiss Sacramento Swiss Sacramento Swiss Sacramento Swiss
         HOW IT ALL  BEGAN
         From the original Bylaws, 1892


Founding of the Sacramento Helvetia Verein on March 1, 1892.

    Three able, strong and healthy men with names:  
    Johann Schärer from the canton Aargau;  
    Albert Bürgi from the canton Aargau;
    Karl Schilter from the canton Schwyz.
  They took the courage to gather signatures to establish a Swiss Club in   
Sacramento.  It took much effort and honor to find 20-30 signatures,
which agreed to found a Verein.

  We are thankful, that these three Swiss, accomplished the founding of a   
club.   Thereafter every registered candidate, was notified to have a
small meeting on March 13, 1892 at Ebner’s Hotel to discuss any further
business.

                          LADIES' SOCIETY 1922 - 2011

    1922, May 11th the Swiss Ladies' Society officially opened their first
    meeting, to cultivate friendship and sociability and to strengthen the
    appreciation of Swiss heritage in Sacramento.  

    When the men and women's clubs merged, the society dissolved on
    December 7, 2011 when the Ladies held their last meeting at the Turn
    Verein Hall and joined the men for the first official Men's AND
    Women's Helvetia Verein Meeting.  

                                          December 2011
  With a majority vote, Ladies' Society President, Kathy Omlin and Men's  
SHV President Ed Lambert merged the two separate clubs into one.
The Sacramento Helvetia Verein is a club for both men and women with  
Swiss Heritage or married to a spouse of Swiss Heritage.

    To  cultivate friendship among its members and to
    maintain and strengthen Swiss heritage, the Verein will
    hold festivities of patriotic and social character.

    A  regular meeting of the Verein shall be held on the first Wednesday of
    each month.

    A  general meeting shall be held annually on the first Saturday in
    February for the purpose of electing officers, annual reports of officers and
    committees and transaction of other business.
    A  “Book Committee” of three members shall be appointed by the
    President at the January meeting, whose duty it shall be to audit all ledgers and
    records of the Recording Secretary, Financial Secretary, Treasurer and
    Trustees and submit a written report at the general meeting in February.

    Other committees, standing or special, such as the "Social Committee",
    shall be appointed by the President as the Verein or the Executive Board from
    time to time deems necessary to carry on the work of the  Verein.  The
    President shall be an ex-officio member of all committees.

    Annual Festivals open to the public include Spring May Picnic, Summer
    Dinner Dance, Fall November Metzgete and a Winter December Christmas
    Party.  Lots of music, lots of food and lots of fun!   
    A special meeting may be called by the officers of the Verein or by written
    request of seven members in good standing.

    A  permanent “Sick Committee” consisting of the President, Vice
    President and Financial Secretary shall take care of all business relating to
    disabled members as established in the Bylaws.
                            From our Bylaws:

   1.  Election Process & Officers'
Duties/Descriptions: click here

   2. About the Sacramento Swiss Helvetia Verein
    This Swiss organization shall be known as SACRAMENTO
    HELVETIA  VEREIN.

    The headquarters of the Verein shall be located in the City
    and County of  Sacramento, State of California.  

   3. Purpose
    The purpose of the Verein is to cultivate friendship and
    sociability among its members, maintain and strengthen
    understanding and appreciation of Swiss  heritage.
More About
The Sacramento Swiss Ladies Society (SSL)

The SSL was an organization originally called Sacramento Helvetia Frauen and Toechter
Verein. The organization was established in 1922 “to cultivate mutual sociability among
its members and rendering financial aid in case of sickness.”  The Society was open to
women of Swiss ancestry.  From its original establishment the SSL cosponsored large-
scale cultural, social events with the men’s Sacramento Helvetia Verein. The Ladies
Society also hosted the Jass parties until the event became less attended.  The SSL used
their funds to support local charities and worthy causes. The SSL volunteered to adopt
and beautify a Swiss heritage plot at the Sacramento Historic City Cemetery. The SSL
initiated the annual donations of canned goods, financial and children’s gifts to the
Sacramento Food Bank.  Naturally, the Ladies Society included cooking and baking
traditions. The annual Christmas Cookie Exchange was always a popular event. The SSL
also managed assembling the 1996 publication of the “Swiss American Favorites”
cookbook that includes numerous traditional Swiss recipes.

The goals and activities of the SSL were always closely linked to the men’s SHV. Over the
years the topic of merging the two clubs repeatedly arose. Financial and decreasing
membership considerations led the two clubs to combine loyalty and commitment to their
Swiss heritage into a single, united organization. The SSL joined with the men’s
Sacramento Helvetia Verein in 2012. The SSL enjoyed an 89 year history. The final
meeting for the SSL under President Katherine Omlin was December 2011 and the first
meeting of the combined SHV was held January 2012 with Ed Lambert as the President.

Together the SHV continues to offer fantastic activities and events to maintain links to its
common Swiss heritage. It aims to keep Swiss traditions and culture alive through
solidarity and sharing with its members for years to come.