Author: SMayuga

GFWC Advocates for Children Week is a time of year when there’s no shortage of Volunteers in Action! Clubwomen in every corner of the country dedicate their time, energy, and resources to make an impact in children’s lives. In this blog post we’re featuring GFWC Greater West Palm Beach Women’s Club (Florida), GFWC Wisconsin, and the GFWC Southern Region, but that’s just a small glimpse into the immense influence that GFWC had during the week.

GFWC Wisconsin State President, Deb Brossard, requested and received a Proclamation from the Governor’s Office with regards to establishing October 21 to October 27 as GFWC Advocates for Children Week in Wisconsin. The Proclamation was shared on Facebook and displayed on the state website. Great job GFWC Wisconsin for raising visibility of the observance!

That’s not all they did! Clubs across Wisconsin did a variety of projects that showcase the numerous ways to support children. Lakeland Area GFWC members participated in the Food for Kidz event held at the Lakeland Union High School, Minocqua. They joined over 300 other volunteers with a goal to package 175,000 meals in a four hour period. The meals will be distributed to local food pantries and through the organization’s main headquarters to other food insecure families outside of the Lakeland Area.

The GFWC Kenosha Junior Woman’s Club made Worry Dolls that will be donated to local shelters. There’s a zipper on the doll and children can write down their worry and put it inside so the doll can take the worry away.

The GFWC Menomonie Woman’s Club had a speaker from The Foster Closet, a non-profit in Menomonie that provides clothing, blankets, hygiene items, backpacks, stuffed animals, etc., for children who are going into foster care. Club members learned that often, when children are taken from a home, especially if there is meth in the home, they literally have nothing but the clothes that they are wearing. The club had previously donated a number of tie blankets they had made along with some stuffed animals. At their October 22 meeting, the club voted to donate $200 to this organization and to collect items for the group at their December Christmas party.

As a kick off to GFWC Advocates for Children Week, the Woman’s Club of Pewaukee participated in Positively Pewaukee’s Halloween Fun Fest  by handing out Tootsie Pop Ghosts to the costumed children. Braving wind gusts of 25 mph, a freak snow storm, and bitter cold, the ladies distributed 225 “Ghosts” to excited children and parents. Frozen fingers were warmed by children’s smiles and exclamations.

Ella Dzioba, Geri Coen, Nancy Niedziela, Carole Brinkman, Deb Koepp, Ginny Lockman

Despite it being barely 40 degrees and windy, members of the GFWC-Pleasant Prairie Woman’s Club participated in the Barth Storage Trunk or Treat free event to encourage families to engage in safe trick or treating. They distributed candy and toys donated by club members, free Texas Roadhouse kids’ meal vouchers donated by Texas Roadhouse, and club information to over 1,000 children in a controlled, safe environment. Everyone had a great time seeing all the kids dressed up in their costumes and plan on attending next year too.

The GFWC Brillion Woman’s Club collected children’s books to donate to children in area who wouldn’t have their own book to keep. The club is also collecting Dr. Suess books for one of the 2018-2020 Grand Initiatives. The GFWC De Pere Woman’s Club installed a Little Free Library! GFWC Shorewood Woman’s Club held a Rummage Sale with proceeds from the sale going back in the community. Several members have also contributed Dr. Suess books or funds specifically for the Grand Initiative.

The GFWC Woman’s Club of Greenfield did a formal presentation of a Buddy Bench that they purchased for Glenwood School. Members met with the Public Relations Representative from Milwaukee Public Schools, the school principal, and four of the students to have their pictures taken with them and the bench. The purpose of the Buddy Bench is for children to demonstrate that they care about each other.  Some children have difficulty interacting with other children at recess or they could be new to the school and haven’t made any friends as yet.  The students are told if they see someone sitting on the bench it means they are looking for a friend and they should go and talk to them.

The GFWC North Shore Junior Woman’s club is in its third year of participation in the Emerging Readers program through United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County. They are paired with two children they sponsor. They encourage their passion for reading throughout the school year by donating books quarterly that pair with their interests and reading level. The children send back hand written thank you cards after each donation. The club’s first donation occurred on October 25 and they have a great selection to drop off. This is an activity the members of the club really enjoy participating in.

The GFWC Spooner Woman’s Club collected hats, mittens, and socks and took them to the elementary school nurse, while the GFWC Amery Woman’s Club sponsored a Ticket Train at the local elementary school. Members manned a cart and visited each classroom, and children received tickets for good behavior and got to pick out a prize from the Ticket Train.

The GFWC Woman’s Club of Monroe’s annual Christmas Stocking Program is well underway. The program’s main purpose is to give children in need a merrier Christmas. Last year they touched more than 900 children’s lives.  Club members devoted volunteer hours this week by either calling people to shop, gathering names, meeting with local businesses for the toy drive, and other steps that need to be completed before the beginning of November.

The GFWC Blanchardville Woman’s Club delivered personal care items to a place that works with children who will give them to children in need. The club collected about 20 toothbrushes, 22 tubes of toothpaste, 15 containers of shampoo, 5 packages of female hygiene items, 8 deodorants, 15 soaps of different kinds, 7 bottles of body wash, 50 small container items, and a razor. Many grateful children will be able to use these items to help experience a better day-to-day life. The club intends to keep full shelves at the site for future needs.

The GFWC Southern Region showed it’s true southern charm by supporting the GFWC Advocates for Children week. Clubs across the region read to children, supported Special Olympic athletes, collected books, held milk and cookies activities for Heifer International, focused on anti-bullying campaigns, and raised money for March of Dimes. The GFWC Southern Region Conference took place during Advocates for Children Week, so the Directors of Junior Clubs from Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina co-hosted a junior fun night called “The HeartBeat Of Our Future” to support GFWC Partner March of Dimes. They played bingo and tenzies, raising $1030.00! It was a great way to kick start Advocates for Children Week, and they hope to continue the fun next year.

The GFWC Rhinelander Woman’s Club has an ongoing commitment to advocate and educate children. During the month of October, some club members read in local daycare centers and then donated the books through a program called “Food for the Mind.” Others met with middle school Language Arts teachers and school principals to initiate a new endeavor, their first involvement with the GFWC Youth Writing Contest. Several members made plans and reserved dates for their 22^nd Helen Mears Art Contest exhibit to be held in April at their public art gallery, ArtStart. October is their big month for sending out donations, many of which will benefit the community’s youth and the youth in their international outreach. Some of these donations included: Kids in Need Youth Program, Girls on the Run of the Northwoods, Trees for Tomorrow scholarships, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin-Community Services, Potency of Poetry middle school poetry workshop, Food for the Mind, YMCA of the Northwoods, Rhinelander District Library, KIND science news magazine for grades 3-5, Operation Smile, Shot @Life, and UNICEF.

Members of the GFWC Greater West Palm Beach Women’s Club (Florida) delivered 41 pajamas to the children in Harmony House, the Domestic Assault shelter in Palm Beach County, to mark Advocates for Children week. The club hopes the new pjs will bring smiles to the children.

Pictured from left to right: Member Linda Ferris; Mary Cauthen, Director of Domestic Violence Services at YWCA; and members Linda Walker and Sharon Bounds.

We always have Volunteers in Action to showcase because GFWC clubs are constantly on the move, planning new ways to improve their community and executing it with wonderful results. We treasure the opportunity to share events and projects that clubs do, so if you have something to share, send it to PR@GFWC.org for the chance to be featured on our blog. In the meantime, check out some of these great ideas!

GFWC Paradise Valley Woman’s Club (Arizona) donated 1,000 pencils to Sweetwater Community School in Phoenix., and mailed 500 pencils to President Brock for a DC school. “USA Today” had results of a poll in September that pencils were the most requested by teachers, so the club decided collecting pencils would be a fun project. At the next meeting, members brought pencils by the package and already reached their goal after only one meeting!

Pictured: Joan Stempski, President of Paradise Valley Woman’s Club; Diane Silvestri, Principal; and Doris Berry, GFWC Arizona President

In preparation of November as Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month, the GFWC El Portal Woman’s Club (Florida) hosted the Mayor and a representative from the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network to educate members about the horrific disease, and to plan for their collaboration walk on November 4, which is a 3 mile community walk that asks the town to come out, wear purple, and join the fight. Additionally, the club will light up the Village of El Portal by selling outdoor light bulbs to raise awareness.

The Lake City Michigan Women’s Club (Michigan) decorated lampposts with corn stalks, ribbons, and pumpkins and gourds, just in time for the homecoming parade and the beautiful fall colors. Local Centennial Farm, Ardis Dairy Farm, kindly donated over 1000 corn stalks and hundreds of pumpkins and gourds. Another local farmer, Murray’s Farm Market, drove by and immediately called the Chamber of Commerce office to express delight with the new look of downtown and to offer more pumpkins and gourds.

The Chamber took the club’s picture and posted it on their Facebook page. The photo has over 2.5k likes., which is incredible for a small town like theirs! Several local people also stopped into the Chamber office to compliment the club’s creativity, and one fine gentleman even donated to their causes. The club even made the front page of the local paper. The following week they continued their beautification efforts by cleaning up the highway just outside of town.

We always have Volunteers in Action to showcase because GFWC clubs are constantly on the move, planning new ways to improve their community and executing it with wonderful results. We treasure the opportunity to share events and projects that clubs do, so if you have something to share, send it to PR@GFWC.org for the chance to be featured on our blog. In the meantime, check out some of these great ideas!

GFWC Illinois Executive Committee and State Board members wore purple hair at their Fall Board Meeting to demonstrate support for the GFWC Signature Program Purple Hair Project.  Amee Lee, Education Community Service Program Junior Representative, has had her hair dyed purple for the month of October because GFWC Illinois members, clubs, and districts raised nearly $2,000 for the Success for Survivors Scholarship Fund.  Amee has posted a video on the GFWC Illinois’ Facebook Page.

GFWC Florida Junior Public Issues Chairman Vi Zonfrelli assembled informative posters to encourage clubwomen to support one of the Seven Grand Initiatives: Women in the Military. The posters gave visitors a wealth of ideas for how they can make a difference through volunteering and supporting veterans programs. One poster included points of contact for military and veteran related organizations. This was a great way to get everyone thinking about what they can do for Veteran’s Day!

Members of the Manchester CT Women’s Club (Connecticut) built “Superwoman,” a scarecrow for the Downtown Manchester Scarecrow Festival. It was a fun way to draw members together and an easy way to increase community awareness of the club, which was federated in March.  Superwoman will join dozens of other scarecrows on the Main Street as people vote for their favorites on Facebook. The club hopes their scarecrow has a good chance at winning bragging rights!

We always have Volunteers in Action to showcase because GFWC clubs are constantly on the move, planning new ways to improve their community and executing it with wonderful results. We treasure the opportunity to share events and projects that clubs do, so if you have something to share, send it to PR@GFWC.org for the chance to be featured on our blog. In the meantime, check out some of these great ideas!

In accordance with the 2018-2020 Administration’s Seven Grand Initiatives, members of the GFWC Service Guild of Covington (Georgia) donated Dr. Seuss books at their September meeting. Clubs like them are helping GFWC meet its goal for members to donate 1,000 Dr. Seuss books by March of 2020!

Between volunteer projects, clubs often take action in a different way— with membership events to attract more volunteers! Members of the GFWC Morehead Woman’s Club (Kentucky) held a Dress for a Mess Door Hanger Paint Party as a membership event. Attendees enjoyed the craft and plenty of food. The event proved to be a success with 12 of 13 attendees joining the club!

We always have Volunteers in Action to showcase because GFWC clubs are constantly on the move, planning new ways to improve their community and executing it with wonderful results. We treasure the opportunity to share events and projects that clubs do, so if you have something to share, send it to PR@GFWC.org for the chance to be featured on our blog. In the meantime, check out some of these great ideas!

The Woman’s Century Club of Nampa (Idaho) entered a patriotic float in the local Parade America. The date commemorated the ending of World War I. There were red poppies strewn about the bed, and members played the story of the battlefield of Flanders’ Field to educate the community.

In honor of National Day of Service and Remembrance on 9-11, many clubs paid tribute. The GFWC Temple Terrace Woman’s Club (Florida) hosts an annual First Responders Breakfast! The club members are happy and proud to show their appreciation by providing a delicious home cooked meal for the men and women who do so much for their city.

The GFWC High Springs New Century Woman’s Club (Florida) honors first responders by presenting the Fire, Police, and Emergency Medical Technicians in their local cities with baskets filled with snacks and fruit.

We always have Volunteers in Action to showcase because GFWC clubs are constantly on the move, planning new ways to improve their community and executing it with wonderful results. We treasure the opportunity to share events and projects that clubs do, so if you have something to share, send it to PR@GFWC.org for the chance to be featured on our blog. In the meantime, check out some of these great ideas!

The newly formed GFWC South Baldwin Woman’s Club (Alabama) already has a hallmark activity to make their mark in their community.  They are proud to sponsor Gulf Shores Goes Pink, an event which will have municipal buildings and bridges light up in pink to honor Breast Cancer Awareness Month this October. They are excited to make this an annual tradition to help raise awareness of women’s health issues. On October 1st, Gulf Shores mayor Robert Craft will sign a proclamation to make October officially Breast Cancer Awareness Month in their town, and will kick off the event! It will feature pink firetrucks and police cars, with volunteers from Gulf Shores Fire & Rescue manning the grills.

The GFWC Women’s Club of Mountain Top (Pennsylvania) participated in National Night Out held by their local first responders. The club provided children with a card to color and present to a first responder at the event to thank them for their service. The event gave the club a chance to reach out to members of their community while also raising their own visibility as important members of the community.

Clubs like the GFWC Northboro Junior Woman’s Club are helping shape the next generation of young women. The club is in full swing prepping for their 11^th Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Conference. The free conference gives hundreds of middle school girls from their community and the surrounding towns an opportunity to explore careers where women have been underrepresented. They get to work with professional women in fields such as forensic chemistry, robotics, surgery, DNA extraction, veterinary medicine, nursing, computer programing, dentistry, and more!

The conference is an excellent chance for young girls to be exposed to fields that have historically been male-dominated. The day begins with a light breakfast and a keynote speaker. There are 16 hands-on workshops, 40 minutes each, and the girls get to choose four to attend. After their workshops, there’s a “networking” lunch.

Studies show that girls lose interest in math and science when they’re in middle school. The conference attempts to break that pattern by actively engaging with preadolescent girls and presenting them with women role models in STEM fields. Every year the Women in STEM Conference has an increasing number of both participants and presenters, with many returnees. Last year’s conference consisted of 20 professional women in STEM, and 170 passionate middle school girls. The workshops they offer are varied and dynamic. Girls can investigate a crime scene with a forensic chemist, construct and race “bristlebots” (mini toothbrush robots), create a zip line with a materials scientist, extract DNA from strawberries, and so much more.

The GFWC Dublin San Ramon Women’s Club (California) sponsors a Teen Job Fair every year. It began as a small idea in 2003 with about 20 teenagers, but now it’s a major event! The fair exists to provide teenagers with information and strategies that will help their transition into higher education or the work force. Like many job fairs, teenagers can speak with over 30 businesses. But the club goes above and beyond that and offers teens the chance to have a one-on-one with a career panelist, attend a workshop, and participate in a mock interview. The club offers free lunch, and there’s even a workshop for the parents so they can better prepare and assist their children.

Children and teenagers are the future, and by hosting conferences and career fairs, GFWC clubs are making sure adolescents in their communities are excited, engaged, and prepared for it!

There are tried and true fundraising techniques that bring GFWC clubs success every year, but sometimes a club thinks outside the box. When Marian Ambrose became the new president of the GFWC Melbourne Woman’s Club (Florida) four years ago, she searched for a way to raise funds that was both entertaining and fairly easy. She tried to think of something that hadn’t been done before that would appeal to a large group of people. That’s where the idea of a GFWC Psychic Fundraiser was born, and it’s been going strong ever since!

The club invited famous psychic medium, Jeffrey Wands, to do a presentation. He “read” the audience for an hour or so. During a 20 minute break, the club served cookies, cakes, and beverages to the audience. They also took the opportunity to play a video that showed the club’s charitable activities, allowing them to attract potential members. Afterwards, Jeffrey held an hour and a half Q&A, followed by a book signing.

This year, the club raised additional money during the event with raffles. Jeffrey donated some of his books, as well as a free private reading for one lucky winner. The evening resulted in $3,400 in profit for the club. It was also a victory in engaging their community and getting interest in the club. They received emails and text messages thanking them for providing an enjoyable and moving experience, with requests to be put on the mailing list so they’d know when Jeffrey would return. By offering an imaginative event unlike any other in their community, the club established a successful fundraising tactic that continues to draw a crowd each year.

They aren’t the only ones with mystical fundraising ideas. The Century Club of Amsterdam (New York) held its fifth Psychic Fair in 2017. The club always hosts it in October because the Halloween mood makes it the time of the year with the most interest.

The club enjoys welcoming the public into their home, especially for an exciting event like their fair. Psychics decorate their space to fit the mood, and the club sets up dividers to give them privacy. In addition to psychic readings, guests can enjoy tarot cards, stones, palm readings, and aura reflections. Since there’s often a wait for the different types of readings, the club offers lunch for their guests. There are also vendors with jewelry, leather goods, oils, massages, and cleansing sessions, so there’s something for everyone!

By tapping into the otherworldly, these GFWC clubs have created unique events that serve them well. We don’t need a fortunate teller to know their success will continue.

While Valentine’s Day is mostly associated with romance, it has become more common to celebrate all forms of love. GFWC clubs take the holiday as an opportunity to open their hearts to their communities. The GFWC Junior Woman’s Club of Jacksonville (Florida) likes to show their love for the troops on Valentine’s Day. This year they made over 200 cards to send with candy!

Sharing their enthusiasm is the Newtown Woman’s Club, GFWC, Inc. (Connecticut), who has a long tradition of supporting our country’s veterans. To make the men and women who served our nation have a special holiday, the club write notes and sends them to the veterans living at the state’s retirement home.

Retirement homes are a popular spot for GFWC Valentine’s Day projects because they want residents, especially those who don’t have loved ones to spend the day with, to remember they are valued. The annual project of the GFWC Woman’s Club of Newton (New Jersey) is to collect valentines made by school children, and deliver the colorful messages to nursing home residents. The GFWC La Cresenta Woman’s Club (California) decorated placemats for seniors at a local retirement home to brighten up their meals this year.

Valentine’s Day provides an opportunity to express all kinds of love, even love for your libraries! The GFWC Marlborough Junior Women’s Club (Massachusetts) turned Valentine’s Day into Love Your Library Day in recognition of librarians and GFWC’s history with libraries. For the past seven years, they’ve delivered cards and homemade chocolates for the librarians in two local libraries on Valentine’s Day. The Marlborough Library is less than a block from the homeless shelter, and the librarians have been instrumental in helping them get back on their feet by showing them such things as how to access their Registry of Motor Vehicles accounts. The club knows the librarians do a lot of work helping the less fortunate in their communities, and wanted to show their appreciation.

The Valentine’s Day tradition of the GFWC Qui Vive Club (Minnesota) is to deliver the club flower—red carnations— to hospital patients. A card is included with each vase, and the club members enjoy talking with the patients. Unfortunately, due to the severity of the flu this year, the club has to wait and do it closer to Easter. The GFWC Beloit Junior Woman’s Club (Wisconsin) delivers Valentines to patrons of Meals on Wheels. The holiday encourages us to show that we care, and GFWC clubs rise up to the challenge. The creativity and thoughtfulness of all of these projects just goes to show that clubwomen have no shortage of love to share.

Mardi Gras is a celebratory day, and many GFWC clubs take it as an opportunity to celebrate their communities! It’s often an indulgent holiday, with feasts and traditional foods that make it live up to its “Fat Tuesday” name. But the GFWC Western Wake Woman’s Club (North Carolina) use the day to make a difference in the lives of people who might not have access to food. They’ve volunteered for Meals On Wheels of Wake County’s Mardi Gras Ball for five years now. The club greets guests, answers questions, encourages participation in the silent auction, and hands out door prizes. The fundraiser event supports the elderly and homebound members of their community by ensuring they can be delivered meals that will lead to a healthy life.

To get into the spirit of Mardi Gras and the excitement of Bourbon Street, the GFWC St. Petersburg Junior Woman’s Club (Florida) is having their 4^th Annual Mardi Gras Bar Crawl. Participants dress up and get a swag bag that includes a mask and beads.

They get to drink, dance, and crown the King and Queen of Mardi Gras. The local bars are incredibly supportive of the Juniors and their event. They help decorate in purple, green, and gold, and offer drink specials and prizes. The club loves all of the fundraisers that allow them to continue their long tradition of service in community, but the Mardi Gras Bar Crawl might be the most fun.

Perhaps the expert in Mardi Gras events is the GFWC Frederick Woman’s Civic Club (Maryland). This February they’ll host their 57^th Annual Mardi Gras Gala, their county’s longest running event. In 1962, the historic Steiner House was going to be taken down and turned into a gas station, so the club seized the opportunity to preserve a Frederick landmark and make it into their home. The club started the Mardi Gras event to pay off the mortgage and maintain the house that was built in 1807. Over the years, they began to use the extra proceeds to fund scholarships, non-profit organizations, and the club’s Community Service Programs.

The club rents out a ballroom and courtyard for the affair, with a DJ who brings dance motivators. Three men chosen for their community participation are crowned the kings of Mardi Gras.

There is also a royal court of princesses who are high school juniors, seniors, or college freshmen. The club hosts a Princess Tea for the chosen princesses and their mothers at Steiner House. There’s a brief program with a speaker, followed by an introduction of each girl that emphasizes their achievements and the goals they’ve set for themselves. The princesses take part in a community project too. This year they made Linus Blankets for DC Candelighters, an organization that benefits children recently diagnosed with cancer and supports their families. At the Mardi Gras event, one princess is randomly selected as the Queen of Mardi Gras, and she receives a $1,000 scholarship.

If these Mardi Gras events are any indication, GFWC clubs know how to combine celebration with charity.