Author: SMayuga

GFWC Glendale Woman’s Club 

Members of the GFWC Glendale Woman’s Club (Arizona) celebrated the club’s 120th anniversary by donating more than 1,500 books to the Glendale Elementary School libraries and the Arizona Center for African American Resources Kitabu literacy program. Club President Cheryl Kappes said they decided to host a book drive because they are focused on improving education and literacy in children and thought donating books would be great step in the right direction.

“Literacy is a true need not being met in the community,” she said. “It is something I think we can wrap our arms around. It is a project that doesn’t take a lot of work, but has a positive impact.”

Cheryl explained along with extensive donations from clubwomen, many members of the community donated books or money to purchase books.

“We had great support from the community. There are giving hearts everywhere, you just have to say what you need,” she said.

Cheryl said everyone came together for a “Birthday Bash” celebration, during which all of the new and gently used books were displayed. While there was a wide range of books from all genres for all ages donated, she said many fit the pre-school to eight-grade reading level.

“It was really exciting to see this come together,” Cheryl said.

GFWC Boise Columbian Club 

Clubwomen with the GFWC Boise Columbian Club (Idaho) spent a beautiful day this September planting five trees in a local park to help with an initiative proposed and approved by the Boise City Council. The City of Trees Challenge involves members of the community coming together to sponsor and plant 100,000 trees throughout the next decade. Club President Carol Hoidal said the members were excited to be a part of this challenge because planting trees around the city not only helps beautify the area, but also benefits the environment and improves air quality.

“We like that we are making a city park enjoyable for citizens,” Carol said. “We’re happy to be a part of this.”

She added she is glad this city-wide challenge is an opportunity for the GFWC Boise Columbian Club to continue a long tradition of helping and working cooperatively with the city council.

“We like the idea that we are supporting the city of Boise,” Carol said.

The club members plan to continue being part of the City of Trees Challenge and are looking forward to planting more trees in the spring for Arbor Day.

GFWC Woman’s League of the Lowcountry 

Members of GFWC Woman’s League of the Lowcountry (South Carolina) have been hard at work raising money while social distancing this September. For the second year in a row, clubwoman hosted a “Serving in September” event to raise money for Doors to Freedom, a licensed residential facility which provides a safe place for minor survivors of sex trafficking to experience a transformed life. The facility provides services including academic education, vocational training, life skills, and personal growth.

Club member Sandy Iams explained this fundraiser consists of clubwoman and other members of the community setting up games, events, and other activities at the location of their choice throughout September, signing that activity up as part of the fundraiser, and making a $20 donation per person to participate in the “Serving in September” event.

“We started this last year in response to the pandemic, and it was such a wonderful project,” Sandy said.

This month-long fundraiser was created because members wanted to be able to raise money for Doors to Freedom and continue their community service work, while being mindful of safe social distancing in light of COVID-19.

“We are committed to volunteering, so we think very creatively about how we can do it in any way we can,” Sandy said.

She added the activities people have set up as part of the fundraising effort include make-your-own pizza parties, crafting activities, mahjong games, yoga, and much more.

Last year, the club raised $6,500 for Doors to Freedom, and Sandy said she is pleased to see so many people from the community participating this year as well.

“(Doors to Freedom) is a wonderful organization,” she said.

GFWC Woman’s Club of Laurel, Inc. 

This September, members of the GFWC Woman’s Club of Laurel, Inc. (Maryland) were busy helping clean up their community. As part of the Adopt-A-Road program, the club adopted Bond Mill Road several years ago. Now, volunteers with the club go out about three times a year to ensure the roadway is clean and free of trash.

Club President Delysha Henry said members divide the road into sections and split the work up between whoever is able to help.

“It doesn’t take a lot of people, which is great,” she said. “… It’s a good way to get a few steps in and check out the neighborhood.”

Delysha said the Adopt-A-Road project has been a great way for clubwoman to be involved in the community and help take care of the environment. She added in addition to cleanups later in the year, members usually host a cleanup in the spring along with other conversation projects.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she said the club was unable to do as many cleanups last year but that she was pleasantly surprised to see people living along the road had helped to keep the area clean throughout the year. Nonetheless, members are excited to be able to help out more often once again.

“I think it’s good that we have been able to maintain this area all these years,” Delysha said.

GFWC Illinois 

GFWC Illinois clubwomen were hard at work throughout the last several months in an effort to support pregnant women veterans and pregnant spouses of male veterans. Jo Ann Johansen, club president of the GFWC Northwest Suburban Woman’s Club, said members from several clubs and Districts around the state came together to donate new baby items to the Hines VA Hospital in Illinois.

Jo Ann explained after speaking with the maternal care coordinator at the hospital, clubwomen from various Districts decided they wanted to help with the organization’s Drive-thru Baby Shower, which took place at the hospital’s housing center in September.

To prepare for this event, from April to September clubwomen donated more than $12,000 worth of baby items and $1,300 in gift cards. Members then gathered to help sort and organize these donations.

Thanks to the generosity of a local army recruitment center donating a couple of trucks and some volunteers, clubwomen were able to transport all of the donations to the hospital. During the Drive-thru Baby Shower, staff gave out the items to approved families while clubwomen greeted the families with a warm welcome.

“It was just wonderful,” Jo Ann said. “We had such fun collecting everything, sorting it, and seeing the faces of the families. It was very heartwarming.”

She added the generosity of members resulted in a surplus of items for this year’s event.

“They were so pleased that they had so many items they could use them next year,” she said. “This was a great unity project.”

GFWC Women’s Club of Holden Beach 

A few members of GFWC Women’s Club of Holden Beach (North Carolina) have been doing their part to support wildlife and the environment through the Sea Biscuit Wildlife Shelter in Brunswick County, North Carolina. The Sea Biscuit Wildlife Shelter is a nonprofit wild bird rehabilitation organization that provides medical treatment for wild birds that are injured, sick, or orphaned. Since opening, the nonprofit has helped return thousands of wild birds to their natural habitats.

Environment Committee Co-Chairmen Cindy Lee and Pam Foertsch arranged for a field trip to the shelter, and upon learning of the important work of the shelter volunteers and their needs, members of the Environment Committee set to work raising money and donating travel crates for the wild birds.

In addition to the donations, the committee was entrusted to help transport two rehabilitated pelicans to Murrell’s Inlet.

In an article in the shelter’s newsletter, Cindy said although they were nervous about taking on the responsibility of freeing the birds, they were excited to help.

“It was such an experience that gave us all hope and joy to see these birds back to their natural habitat,” she said.

Since that first release, Cindy has continued to help transport wild birds for the shelter, even taking a class at the shelter to become comfortable scooping up and transporting injured pelicans and corralling other wild birds.

“It has been an honor to learn so much and be a part of this team,” she said.

GFWC Woman’s Club of Denville Rockaway 

Members of the GFWC Woman’s Club of Denville Rockaway (New Jersey) came together this year to support the Joey Bella Memorial Fund. This nonprofit organization was started in 1988 and aims to support local families trying to cope with caring for an ill or injured child through financial assistance and emotional support.

Susan Richardson, a member of the GFWC Woman’s Club of Denville Rockaway who works with the Joey Bella Memorial Fund, said the organization hosts a “Tricky Tray” fundraising event each year to raise money to help the families in need.

“This is our biggest fundraiser for the organization,” Susan said. A “Tricky Tray” event is a combination of a silent auction and a raffle in which participants can purchase tickets to enter for the chance to win various prizes.

Although the event has been taking place for many years, Susan said this is the third year the woman’s club has been involved by organizing donated items into gift baskets and helping sell tickets during the event, which took place on September 11.

She said 10 clubwomen participated and donated 246 combined hours of their time.

“They worked hard and they became really dedicated to the cause,” Susan said. “…They were very generous with their time and items that went into the baskets.”

The gift baskets included items donated by local businesses and organizations, as well as some club members. In total, more than 200 baskets were put together for the “Tricky Tray” event.

Susan said it was wonderful to see everyone working together to raise money to help families facing difficult situations in the community.

GFWC Women’s Civic League, Inc. 

On July 27, an informal ribbon cutting ceremony was held for a new Little Free Library at the Utah State University-Tremonton campus. The GFWC Women’s Civic League, Inc. (Utah), and Utah State University worked together to donate materials to build and fill the Little Free Library that will now house books for people of all ages.

GFWC Utah State President and GFWC Women’s Civic League, Inc. member Linda Kuwana said when trying to think of a good project to promote reading and education, clubwomen agreed this would be a great opportunity.

“We tried to make it something everybody could use, and it is available for everybody,” she said. “…We felt like (the library) benefitted the community as a whole and we are trying to encourage more reading for adults and kids.”

Linda explained the local library has limited hours and that some families are unable to take their children there when it is open, and this Little Free Library will hopefully offer a solution.

“Being such a small town, libraries open later in the day, but this is open all day long,” she said. “It’s a convenience to all people.”

GFWC Bitterroot Woman’s Club and Foundation 

Members of GFWC Bitterroot Woman’s Club and Foundation (Montana) have been hard at work creating no-sew blanket kits for people to make fleece blankets for dogs, cats, and other animals brought to the Bitterroot Humane Society. Club President Cathy Barth said the club first reached out to the Darby Public Library to see if there were any ways they could help, and the no-sew blanket kit project was born.

As part of this project, clubwomen donated patterned fleece that they organized into kits with instructions for making small blankets from the Bitterroot Humane Society.

“They are just delightful little prints,” Cathy said. “Our ladies really came through with the materials.”

The blanket kits were then taken to the library, where children and adults could pick them up to make the blankets and then deliver the completed projects to the Humane Society.

“It is a lovely project,” Cathy said. “…There’s no shortage of animals who need comfort or kids who need projects.”

Cathy explained the club decided to take on the project as a way to help the small town of Darby within Bitterroot Valley.

“It is important to our club to stay connected throughout the entire valley. This was a project that keeps our name out there and in the hearts and minds of the people of the valley,” Cathy said. “…This valley is a wonderful place to work with volunteer groups. People around here have really big hearts.”

GFWC Women’s Club of Farmingdale 

GFWC Women’s Club of Farmingdale (New York) members have been busy throughout the summer collecting professional clothing, including work suits, shoes, and accessories, to support the local chapter of Dress for Success on Long Island. Publicity Chairman Maria Ortolani said the women’s club is always looking for new ways to give back to the community and this project fit the criteria. Organized by member Diane Getzelman, the club collected more than 25 bags of clothing and accessories for this cause and delivered them with the help of club President Tina Diamond to the Dress for Success warehouse storage site. This organization is a global, nonprofit organization that empowers women to achieve economic independence by providing a network of support, professional attire, and the developmental tools to help women thrive in work and in life. Recipients of the clothing and support services will go on interviews or start new jobs “dressed for success.”

“It definitely helps women in the community who struggle to be able to afford work clothing and who don’t have access to these types of services,” Maria said.

As the items were handed to the volunteers at the warehouse, they explained that the women who use the services come into a “boutique” with a mentor who helps them choose the best outfit and accessories to make their presentation to a future employer. More than 200 local nonprofit organizations refer these job-ready women to Dress for Success, including domestic violence agencies, homeless shelters, and veteran organizations. If a job is secured, the women can return to receive a week’s worth of work clothes. This includes accessories, shoes, and a coat if necessary. Aside from clothing, these women also get career counseling.

Maria explained although this is the first time the club has worked with Dress for Success, the project was a hit among members and she would love to see them do this again.

“First impressions are important and (the clothing) makes the women feel more confident,” she said. “…This was a great program to do over the summer.”

GFWC North Central Junior Alumnae Club 

Members of the GFWC North Central Junior Alumnae Club (West Virginia) are helping current military members and veterans through Operation Paperback, a national, nonprofit organization whose volunteers collect gently-used books and send them to U.S. troops overseas, as well as veterans and military families nationally. Club President Cindy Jenkins said clubwomen donate books to the organization, and they are then mailed out to people who can enjoy them.

She said the club decided to participate in Operation Paperback as a way to not only help military members and their families, but also to recycle books and give them to people who will continue to appreciate the books.

“We would do anything for our soldiers. They are over there for us,” Cindy said. “…It’s a way to show we care about them.”

As of July, Cindy said members have donated 127 paperback and hardback books, and they hope to continue this project in the future to hopefully bring some peace to the people who receive the novels.

“As time goes on, we will be able to acquire more books,” she said. “… I think books are a way to escape but it can also be a way to learn. It’s a stress relief.”

GFWC Murray Women’s Civic Guild 

Members of GFWC Murray Women’s Civic Guild (Utah) stayed busy during the past year of the COVID-19 pandemic by collecting can tabs to recycle to donate the proceeds to Ronald McDonald House Charities. Clubwoman Kathy Calhoun-Damon said 10 members participated in the donation drive and the club was able to collect 15 pounds of can tabs to benefit the nonprofit organization.

Kathy said this was a great project because members were able to participate and make a difference while social distancing and staying healthy.

“While everyone was staying home during COVID-19, they were trying to think of a project they could do, and that ended up being the perfect one,” she said. “They felt it was a win-win situation.”

The money raised through recycling the can tabs was used to support the cost of Ronald McDonald House Charities’ operations. This organization provides a temporary home-away-from-home that serves families of children receiving treatment at area hospitals.

Kathy said the clubwomen were happy to be able to do something to help families going through difficult situations and that they are appreciative of the work Ronald McDonald House Charities does to support these families.

“They were thrilled that they could have a worthwhile and valuable impact,” she said. “…The support is so important for the recovery of the children and their families.”

GFWC Women’s Club of Farmingdale 

In the interest of serving the Farmingdale community, the GFWC Women’s Club of Farmingdale (New York) is always looking for new and interesting ways to fundraise. One of the club’s newest members, Nancy Carman, had the perfect solution for a beautiful summer night – Night at the Movies.

Publicity Chairman Maria Ortolani said the club members set up outdoor canopies and offered popcorn, candy, and soft drinks to guests, who paid a small entry fee and could purchase raffle tickets. She said the goal of the outdoor movie event was to raise funds for the club to be able to help various community organizations.

“All the fundraising that we do ends up helping the community in different ways,” Maria said, adding the club aims to use the money they collect for scholarship awards for students, to make donations to soup kitchens and elder adult centers, and more.

One of these community programs helped by the club’s fundraising and donations is St. Kilian’s Outreach Program, which gives back to people in need in the community. In July, clubwomen collected 26 bags full of groceries, household goods, canned food, toiletries, and baby items to be donated to the outreach program.

“At every meeting and every function, we ask for donations,” Maria said. “It’s local and we are helping the community with their needs and they are so appreciative.”

GFWC Woman’s Club of Fairmont 

GFWC Woman’s Club of Fairmont (West Virginia) had a busy year working on their Blessings from the Basement project. Club Vice President Marcella Yaremchuk said this project was started about five years ago when she worked to clean out the basement of the clubhouse so members would have a place to store donations that could go to homeless shelters.

The project has grown and Blessings from the Basement now helps many people in need in the area. Clubwomen work with facilities that help those with addition, veterans’ agencies, domestic violence shelters, hospitals, and more. Marcella said these agencies will refer people in need to the club, and they will help in any way they can. The club has donated items such as furniture, linens, household goods, pots and pans, boxes of food, and more.

In 2020, Marcella said the club was able to help about 125 people through their donation project, and have offered assistance to more than 140 people in 2021 already.

She said the members are always happy to help whoever they can in the community, regardless of their circumstances, and hope to encourage others to give back if they can as well.

“People will help people if they know there is a need and we have been making a lot of progress in making the need known,” Marcella said.

GFWC High Springs New Century Woman’s Club 

Members of the GFWC High Springs New Century Woman’s Club (Florida) worked together to raise money to purchase protective hoods for their local fire departments.

The club’s Second Vice President Bonnie Josey said the club hosted a fundraiser at a popular local brewery and the day included music, food trucks, and raffle prize baskets. She said they raised about $3,000 during the fundraiser, and 100 percent of the proceeds went toward helping the fire departments.

“It was one of our most successful fundraisers and everyone had a great time,” she said. “People were very generous.”

Bonnie explained the protective hoods they purchased for the firefighters go over their face masks and under the rest of their equipment to protect their head, neck, and shoulders from heat, smoke, and chemicals that can result in serious health problems.

With the money raised, the clubwomen purchased 30 hoods for two area fire departments and various supplies for a third department that was not in need of hoods.

Bonnie said the members and other people in the community were all excited to help support the local fire departments in any way they could.

“Being a small town, we are very close to our fire departments and we know they didn’t have full protection,” she said.

GFWC West Side Women’s Club 

Members of GFWC West Side Women’s Club (Pennsylvania) recently completed a food drive to benefit the Al Beech West Side Food Pantry, located in the Church of Christ Uniting. Club member and Health and Wellness Chairman Nancy D’Amico said 25 clubwomen participated in the food drive and they collected several hundred dollars’ worth of food and monetary donations for the pantry.

“It was through the generosity of our members that we were able to give,” Nancy said.

She explained the food pantry serves 10 different communities with the help of volunteers and donations. In 2020 alone, Nancy said the pantry was able to serve more than two million meals and help more than 500 families in need during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“There was a huge need for help there,” she said.

Nancy said the Health and Wellness Committee wanted to work on this donation project because they are focused on the awareness and advancement of the benefits of good nutrition for everyone. She added with the continued difficulties many people are facing due to the pandemic, members thought this would be a good way to offer help.

“We just felt that it was important, especially this year,” she said.

GFWC Research Club of Limerick 

Members of the GFWC Research Club of Limerick (Maine) spent their first in-person meeting since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic making fleece-tie blankets as part of the “Linus Blanket” project. Club Co-President Sally Manchester said all of the blankets clubwomen made were donated to Caring Unlimited, a local women’s domestic violence shelter.

“This is one of the projects that is near and dear to our hearts because at one time the shelter we support had a satellite office in our town,” Sally said.

In addition to making the tie blankets, Sally said the clubwomen have completed other donation projects for the shelter in the past, including a sock donation drive and more.

“We support them all year long, but we focus our support at Christmas time,” she said, noting members try to donate toiletries, personal care items, gas cards, gift cards, and other items during the holidays.

Sally said the club wanted to work on this project to help make a difference for and show their support to women who are survivors of domestic violence.

“We’re all women, and while I personally don’t know anyone who has needed the services of a domestic violence shelter, we know that it exists and is prevalent and not enough people talk about it,” she said.

Sally added their community is fortunate to have a local shelter.

“It is important to us to support it in whatever way we can,” she said.

GFWC Yucaipa Woman’s Club 

For the fifth year in a row, members of the GFWC Yucaipa Woman’s Club (California) gathered for a “Christmas in July” event to socialize and gather donations. This year, clubwoman donated toys and snacks for Ronald McDonald House Charities. Club Trustee Virginia Cosby said this is the third year the club has raised donations for this nonprofit.

“We like what they do for families in need,” Virginia said. “We feel close to it and we know it’s well run. We know the things donated will be given and we like working with them because our efforts are appreciated and will be used the way we intended.”

Although Ronald McDonald House Charities helps children and teens of all ages, Virginia said this year members specifically brought in items for kids 0- to 2-years-old, including building blocks, teddy bears, and soft books.

“Children need toys more than just at Christmastime, so we donate during July,” she said.

Along with the members, the director of the facility attended the Christmas in July event and gave a short speech explaining how Ronald McDonald Houses work to help patients and families facing treatment for serious illnesses at the Loma Linda Hospital in Loma Linda, California.

Virginia said members plan to continue this gift-giving tradition as long as the organization needs their help.