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GFWC Honors Our Veterans

By Hope Royer
GFWC Public Issues Community Service Program Chairman

We are reminded every year on Veterans Day of the tremendous debt of gratitude we owe to our military personnel. They are our heroes, both past and present.

On Veterans Day and throughout the calendar year, GFWC clubwomen support and express their gratitude for the over 22 million veterans living in the United States.

Whether they’re hosting a “Barbecue for the Troops” fundraiser, inviting homeless veterans to a “Bring a Vet to Lunch” meeting, or hosting group sew days to make adaptive clothes for wounded service personnel, GFWC clubwomen are committed to helping veterans.

Through GFWC’s Public Issues Community Service Program and its partner organizations, Sew Much Comfort and the USO, GFWC clubwomen have countless opportunities to educate their communities on the needs of military families. Clubwomen advocate for legislation supporting active and veteran military personnel, and help veterans with the often difficult transition back to their communities.

 

“Real heroes don’t wear capes. They wear dog tags.”

 

Veterans give so much to our country on a daily basis, but sadly, the commitment and sacrifices made by veterans often go unnoticed. In response to this, GFWC announced its support of Green Light A Vet, a national campaign to increase awareness and support for veterans through a visible symbol. GFWC encourages its members and their communities to change a porch light to green to recognize veterans year-round.

GFWC Public Issues Partner Sew Much Comfort is the only national organization that provides adaptive clothing at no cost to support the unique needs of our wounded service personnel from all branches of the military and the National Guard. More than 147,000 pieces of adaptive clothing have been provided over the past eleven years. GFWC clubs support Sew Much Comfort by providing seamstresses and through in-kind and financial donations. Donating adaptive clothing to wounded service members gives them a sense of comfort as they recover and provides them with a reminder of our gratitude for their service.

As USO approaches its 75th Anniversary in February, GFWC clubwomen will continue to provide active support to help lift the spirits of troops and families. Clubs provide in-kind and financial donations, and help provide “No Dough Dinners” for military families in financial distress. These dinners usually take place once a month right before payday and help families not only by lifting some of their financial burden, but also providing a place for fun and fellowship.

In addition to volunteering at local USO centers, Clubwomen support the United Through Reading program, in which children of deployed parents receive a DVD of their mom or dad reading them a bedtime story, by donating books and DVDS, hosting book drives, and raising money for the program.

GFWC clubwomen will proudly fly the flag of the United States of America in honor of our nation’s veterans as they organized and attend community wide celebrations on Veterans Day. Well beyond November 11, GFWC clubwomen will continue to honor our nation’s heroes, both past and present.

“Real heroes do not wear capes. They wear dog tags.” Thank you to all the veterans who sacrifice so much so that we may live in freedom.

Domestic Violence Awareness Month 2015

GFWC President Babs J. Condon meets with Vice President Joe Biden during a reception celebrating the 21st anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act.  (Official White House Photo by David Lienemann)
 
As a national leader in the fight to end domestic violence, GFWC clubwomen were especially active in their communities during Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Check out these Facebook and Twitter posts from across the country.

GFWC Members Advocate for Domestic Violence Prevention

 

By Chris Sienkilewski
GFWC Signature Project Committee Chairman

As Chairman of the GFWC Signature Project Committee: Domestic Violence Awareness and Prevention for the past three years, I not only have watched our members learn more about what domestic violence is, but also saw GFWC members become true advocates for this project.

Our members begin with simple discussions about their own lives as they read GFWC’s Clubwoman Magazine or the weekly News&Notes. They bring this information to their clubs, and what starts as a simple discussion about the issue then becomes stories about their own experiences, whether from personal accounts or about family members and friends. Their discussions move to action plans, and our members work with their local and state organizations to become educators and advocates in their communities.

Eventually, the discussions moved to approaching lawmakers both in their own states and nationally. Our members learned quickly that the most crucial element to changing awareness and perception about domestic violence is to educate policymakers about the problems of domestic violence based on the real-life experiences of women. Each and every day, our members are supporting these issues through discussions, community speakers, innovative and creative projects that support shelters and victims, and increasing the leverage that can be brought to bear on politicians and other government officials.

And through these conversations, we have dispelled myths about domestic violence:

  • A national study found that 29% of women and 22% of men had experienced physical, sexual, or psychological intimate partner violence during their lifetime.
  • Abuse can come in many forms, such as sexual, physical, verbal, and emotional. When a person in a relationship repeatedly scares, hurts, or puts down the other person, it is abuse. Harassment, intimidation, forced or coerced isolation from friends and family and having an independent social life, humiliation, threats of harm to you or your family or pets, threats of suicide if you leave, violating your privacy, limiting your independence and personal choices are all examples of abuse.
  • Domestic violence takes on many forms, from emotional and psychological abuse to physical and sexual abuse. Sexual abuse ranges from true sexual assault, to harassment and exploitation.
  • Elder abuse is on the rise. As the population grows older, so do instances of abuse against older people, especially women. Elder abuse takes many forms, such as physical, sexual and emotional abuse.
  • The psychological impact of a child being raised in an abusive household can be profound. Many children develop cognitive and psychological problems after having experienced abuse second-hand. Eating disorders, sleeping disorders, depression, aggressive behavior, destructive rages, stuttering, shaking, and declined problem-solving skills are all symptoms of such abuse.

As October 2015 Domestic Violence Awareness Month comes to a close, I applaud the efforts of GFWC Clubwomen across this country in their support of the GFWC Signature Project. There is still so much work to do and our members are up to the task of showing the world that domestic violence can be diminished or eliminated.