"We have members who have been in the group for 20 to 30 years," says Chris Dykes, president-elect of the social club Who's New In Madison. Considering the name of the group, that might seem a little incongruous, but Who's New has no term limit for membership. When you think about it, it makes sense; it would be a little rude to force someone to leave a group they enjoy just because they're not "new" anymore.

In fact, you don't really even have to be new to join. "September is our amnesty month, in which people who have been living in Madison for longer than two years can join the group," Dykes says. And if, by some strange occurrence, you actually are new in Madison, you can join at any time.

This formula has ensured that the 72-year-old group has more than 400 members and 45 interest groups. "We often have new ideas," reports Dykes. "Anyone who has an idea and is willing to get a group started and chaired is usually given a green light. We have cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, we have an adventure outings group. We also have a number of bridge groups, book clubs, bowling, and tennis, to name but a few."

There is a monthly "Not-Just-Wine-And-Cheese" social, and a monthly luncheon that meets in local venues and invites local speakers to address topics of interest. Each year the club sponsors a local charity (this year it's Briarpatch) as part of their focus on Madison.

Coffee hours for recent members occur three or four times per year, but ironically, this left a gap in serving the ongoing practical needs of-yes-people who were new to Madison. "One of our members this year felt we needed a group specifically to answer the needs of people who had just arrived in Madison," explains Dykes, "so she formed the interest group 'After the Boxes Are Unpacked.' This is for people who are really new and want to get a feel for Madison and meet other people who are also new and need to make new friendships. The point is to give them a supportive network because when you're new to a place it can be very difficult. This group's a great platform for that."

The growing emphasis on people who are have truly just gotten here, as opposed to being somewhere in their first two years, may come from the fact that "the Web site is causing people who haven't even moved here yet to call ahead and make plans to join! I think they're reassured they've got this network here to support them once they've moved."

Certainly that was what Dykes herself was looking for when she arrived here three years ago. "I was aware that newcomer's groups were available in different parts of the US, so when I moved here, I went online to see if there was one in Madison. I actually couldn't find one online when I looked" (this problem has since been rectified) "but I found out about Who's New by word of mouth."

As it happened, a newcomer's coffee was just coming up at the time she made her inquiry, and she was able to attend and become a new member. "I think it's a great way to get to know an area and meet people in the same situation as you are.

"I've been in other newcomers' groups and not found them as welcoming as this group. The main priority is to make people feel welcome and to just get them rooted into the network so they do start to make friends and get involved in group activities. So they aren't lonely. Its success is measured by the fact that people never want to leave."

Group Welcomes New Residents, Wisconsin State Journal September 20, 2003