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Celebrating Freedom: GFWC Marks Banned Books Week and Promotes Legacy of Literacy

October 2, 2007

In 2006, GFWC members volunteered more than 800,000 hours on projects related to education. more than $5.2 million was raised for these programs, which thrived in communities throughout the country. Clubwomen worked to educate children, adults, and each other through a wide variety of successful projects.

• Epsilon Sigma Omicron (ESO), GFWC’s honorary educational society,  grew in popularity during the 2006 club year. Twenty-eight states reported active clubs and most reported increased participation.
• Georgia clubs rallied against the practice of banning certain authors and books by promoting Banned Book Week in September 2006. Clubs handed out a list of banned books to raise public awareness. 
• Other clubs sponsored libraries in unusual places, such as the GFWC Rhinelander Woman’s Club, who opened libraries for children at local food banks.

The primary way that GFWC clubs promote Lifelong Learning is through their support of numerous scholarships, giving high school seniors the option of higher education. Clubs also provide camperships to enable children to attend a variety of programs, field trips, and camps.

GFWC members partnered with such organizations as Reading is Fundamental, Books for Babies, First Book, and community based literacy councils and afterschool programs to promote literacy. GFWC members also promoted family literacy by encouraging parents to read to their children at home.

GFWC members also tackled the issue of adult literacy and teaching courses on English as a Second Language  and tutoring adults for citizenship tests. These varied and successful programs have allowed clubwomen to reach their entire communities and promote education throughout the country. 

• The Mississippi Federation of Women's Clubs distributed funds received for Hurricane Recovery to the Waveland Elementary School to put a computer and printer in every classroom. The school lost everything in Hurricane Katrina, including a new computer lab.
• The Las Vegas Woman’s Club of New Mexico saw a sincere need for a bilingual dictionary for third graders in local schools.   Clubwomen received a grant from a local bank and were able to donate 195 dictionaries to 20 third grade classes.
• The Northboro Jr. Woman’s Club of Massachusetts held a Women in Science and Math Conference to help encourage young women to explore careers in those fields by introducing them to successful female role models.
• The GFWC Women’s Club of South County in Rhode Island partnered with the local library to deliver books prepared by the librarian on the first and third Tuesday of every month to 25 home-bound seniors and nursing homes. In addition to delivering good literature, these volunteers also deliver friendship as they spend time visiting.
• The Randall Progressive Study Club of Kansas packed ten boxes of books donated by the Randall Library to send to Better World Books in Indiana, where they will be distributed to towns to help start libraries.
   

Let us know what your club is doing to promote literacy and lifelong learning!