Friends in the Hills (FITH), a Fountain Hills-based women’s social club, held its first leadership celebration event at the Desert Canyon Grill Wednesday, Oct. 16.

It was a chance for club leadership to thank current and past participants including more than 50 activity chairs for their work on behalf of the organization.

The club’s activities are varied and new groups are formed based on member interests, according to a press release.

Current activities include everything from hiking to Mah-Jongg, tennis to evenings out, book clubs and crafting.

Members receive a monthly bulletin to help them choose and participate, and activities are led by one or more chairs.

“We all agree that our activity chairs are the heart and backbone of Friends in the Hills,” says current club president Maryann O’Connor. “We’ve been planning this event for some time as a way of both thanking them and providing them some help in doing their work.”

Wednesday’s celebration included social networking along with some leadership development exercises, instruction in the details of the FITH website along with food and drink.

The club’s board of directors plans to make it an annual event.

FITH was formed in the early days of Fountain Hills and currently has more than 450 members. The club holds a monthly luncheon, coffee meetings for prospective members and special events for recent, “tweeners” and longtime members.

An upcoming major event is the annual Holiday Gala to be held the evening of Dec. 8 at We-ko-pa Resort.

For more information on FITH and its activities, visit friendsinthehillsaz.org.