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GFWC Women’s Club of Farmingdale (New York) were on the move this past winter. The GFWC Women’s Club of Farmingdale completed two great acts of volunteerism.

Two GFWC Women’s Club of Farmingdale (New York) members, Barbara Hoerner and Val Thieke, delivered donations from club members to Adopt-A-Battalion. The donations consisted of: cookies, gum, mints, candy, granola bars, protein bars, powdered drink mixes, trail mix, nuts, beef jerky, peanut butter, jelly, and assorted toiletries. This organization sends the donated items annually to service men and women overseas in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Kuwait. Through the Adopt a Battalion Program, supporters have the opportunity to directly support these premier battalions. The program offers soldiers support for all of their immediate needs, providing qualifying IDF combat battalions the opportunity to unwind from their difficult training and responsibilities. They are able to enjoy activities such as ceremonies and events, recreational activities, and special days of fun and leisure with their fellow soldiers.

During 2019, GFWC MacClenney Woman’s Club (Florida) were on the move in making change and giving back to their community. GFWC MacClenney Woman’s Club participated in countless volunteer activities throughout the Florida area. Some of the club’s recent activities have included:

1. Collecting Personal care items to distribute in care baskets to the elderly at Claire Winston Home, MacClenny Rehab, and Wells Nursing. One of the members made homemade ornaments filled with little hearts beautifully decorated.

2. Participated in the Used Shoes Grand Initiative and gathered together gently-used shoes for the Cooperative Giving Project with Souls 4 Shoes. Some of the ladies made a trip to the drop off location.

3. Created handmade Afghans for elders in their community, which were lovingly done by ladies with the GFWC volunteer spirit.

4. Collected food to donate to Good Samaritan House in Baker County. The Club collects food each month to donate to Good Samaritan, a program in MacClenny that reaches out to people who may need extra food.

GFWC Hemet Woman’s Club (California) proudly marched in their hometown of Hemet, CA Christmas parade. The rain and chilly weather did not hold these ladies back as they proudly marched in honor of the Women’s Suffrage Movement. The ladies were able to take advantage of an opportunity to introduce the community to the clubs’ longstanding history of 114 years, their accomplishments and there role in the development of the first community library.

GFWC Chapin Woman’s Club (South Carolina) hosted a holiday open house. Members donated baked treats that were included in gift baskets for local first responders. The baskets were delivered to three Fire Stations, the local Police Department, and the Sheriff’s Office. A prayer for first responders, written by a club member, was included in the baskets for each station.

GFWC Women’s Club of Ridgefield Park (New Jersey) participated in the cookie/candy project. More than 30 dozen homemade cookies were delivered to Bleshman Reginal Day School. The cookies were used for their Valentine’s Day party.

GFWC High Springs New Century Women’s Club (Florida) hosted a “Real Men Make Soup” fundraiser for the High Springs Community School Band. Men from the community served fourteen homemade soups they created to an overflowing crowd at the clubhouse. The proceeds from the event were presented to the High Springs Community School Band Director. The table centerpieces, cans of soup, were donated to a local food bank.

GFWC Monahans Tau Lambda Study Club (Texas) held a Health Program on November 20, 2019 titled, Diabetes – What You Should Know. The event was held in the Ward County Event Center. It was a well-attended event with guest from the community, nursing students, parents, and friends. Dr. V Narguna an Endocrinologist from Odesssa Medical Center Hospital provided information on diabetes that many are unaware of and affected by. These issues could be treated by diet, exercise, and medicine to prevent further health issues that may cause heart disease, etc. GFWC Monahans Tau Lambda Study Club President presented a gift to Dr. Narguna.

GFWC Oregon City Woman’s Club (Oregon) has welcomed ten new members bringing a total of 50 active members. This past December, GFWC Oregon City Woman’s Club members were busy making blankets for homeless high schoolers, volunteering for Shop With a Cop, filling Backpack Buddy Bags full of weekend food for hungry tummies, decorating the historic Stevens-Crawford Heritage House for the holiday, and helping Clackamas Women’s Service and Angels in the Outfield with their holiday store serving victims of domestic violence and abuse. GFWC Oregon City Woman’s Club members are full of the volunteering spirit.

GFWC Woman’s Club of Parsippany Troy Hills (New Jersey) held its Fifth Annual Spelling Bee. Twenty-seven students were selected from area Fifth Grade Elementary Schools to participate in the Spelling Bee, which was held at Parsippany Hills High School. More than 125 parents, family members, and friends watched the students as they approached the microphone to spell each word. Judging the event were Dr. Matthew Thompson, Parsippany Hills High School Principal, Kristen Comeaux, Lake Hiawatha Library Children’s Department Head, and William Westhoven, reporter at Gannett NJ Daily Record. Mary Ann Coyne, WCPTH club member and chairman of the Fifth Annual Spelling Bee, was the moderator and club member Marianne Burke was the announcer. After 32 nail-biting rounds, a winner was declared. The winning word was “duet.” Taking 1st Place was Krishil Patel from Eastlake Elementary School. Second Place was captured by Medha Vavilala from Mount Tabor Elementary School. Shritha Kethireddy, from Littleton Elementary School came in 3rd place. All three winners were invited to participate in the New Jersey State Federated Women’s Club Regional Spelling Bee.

GFWC Women’s Club of Gulfport (Mississippi) began an effort to beautify the area/green space between the downtown Gulfport Library and the Catholic Church after hurricane Katrina. Many club women donated plants from their yard, decorations, pots, benches, and spent time cleaning up the space. Each year the club tries to plant a few more perennials and continues to address areas that were in need of sprucing up. This past year has been their busiest in the garden and it shows! The library staff and patrons have been so very grateful for their efforts.

The GFWC High Springs New Century Woman’s Club (Florida) celebrated its 120th year birthday with a party. The table centerpieces were birthday bags filled with personal care items. The birthday bags were donated to Peaceful Paths, a local domestic violence agency, to be given to survivors.

GFWC High Springs New Century Woman’s Club participated in a reverse advent basket project. Each day during Advent, a food item was placed in a basket. When completed, the food was presented to Peaceful Paths for their food pantry. Toys for the children living at the Peaceful Paths facility were donated to help them for Christmas.

In 2018, in an effort to increase club participation in the GFWC Signature Project, and at the suggestion from our GFWC Mississippi President Becky C. Wright, GFWC Mississippi State Chairman for Domestic Violence Awareness and Prevention Deana Pittman made an inquiry to an organization called I Support the Girls. I Support the Girls (ISTG) is a charitable organization that is active worldwide. ISTG provides bras, menstrual hygiene products, and more to women in domestic violence shelters, girls in foster care, women in incarceration, survivors of human trafficking, homeless shelters, and even in schools–anywhere there is a need! GFWC Mississippi decided to do a drive to collect products to distribute to places in need; this led to the establishment of the I Support the Girls–Mississippi affiliation. Finishing the first completed year in Mississippi, clubs across the state have volunteered countless hours to collect, buy, wash, sort, package, and deliver more than 62,000 items to women and girls in need across the state of Mississippi in 2019!

GFWC Women’s Club (New Hampshire) participated in a Christmas Tea for Silverthorne Adult Day Care. Members of GFWC Women’s Club spent the day caroling and delivering gifts to the residents at Silverthorne. Participants were treated to tasty Christmas treats and enjoyed an evening filled with smiles and laughter!

GFWC San Buenaventura Women’s Club (California) together with GFWC Oak View Women’s Club (California) donated 80 blankets to the new homeless shelter that opened in late January in the city of Ventura California. Half of the blankets are “no sew” knotted fleece blankets made by members and half are blankets purchased and donated by members. The blankets were handed in at Ventura City Hall on January 6.

This week is our final MLK Day-themed blog. GFWC would like to thank you for all of the service projects that your club completed. You certainly promoted the GFWC brand! Read and comment on this the great things that our GFWC Clubs have participated in below:

GFWC Tellico Village Women’s Club (Tennessee) celebrated MLK Day by sewing products for Operation Smile. Members helped stuff and finish 22 Smile Dolls . They also pressed, marked, and cut ribbon for the smile splints. With the help of members, GFWC Tellico Village Women’s Club shipped and packed 46 hospital gowns, 222 Smile Splints, and 2,000 tongue depressors.

GFWC Ojai Valley Woman’s Club (California) and GFWC Oak View Women’s Club (California) donated items to be shipped to soldiers overseas. They packed boxes and joined in a day of service at For the Troops, a nonprofit organization in Simi Valley formed to be a support group for deployed men and women serving overseas.

GFWC Tremonton Women’s Civic League (Utah) helped their local library with the #girlshavenolimits STEM activity on MLK Day. Members mentored and encouraged 1st and 2nd grade students to achieve anything they put their minds to just like Ewy Rosqvist, the first woman to win the Argentine Grand Prix in 1962.

GFWC Ripley Women’s Club (Ohio) donated $250 to the Ronald McDonald House in Cincinnati, OH. Members also helped served lunch in honor of MLK Day.

MLK Day of Service was such a great success for our GFWC Clubs that we had to take another week to share these amazing projects with you! Read and comment on some of the great projects that our GFWC Clubs have participated in below.

Members of GFWC Woman’s Club of Parsippany Troy Hills (New Jersey) came together once again for MLK Day of Service. This year they decided to complete several smaller projects. Members assembled 100 Vial of Life Packets, which will be distributed at a forthcoming event at the Parsippany Community Center. Members also assembled gift bags that will be delivered to the Lyons VA Hospital for distribution to the women in the trauma unit. Their final project was to make 375 bookmarks with information about Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) for distribution to their local library. These bookmarks are always welcome by the library patrons.

GFWC Woman’s Club of Caldwell (New Jersey), in cooperation with the West Caldwell Library, ran a service project making fleece hats and scarves for children and women in need at the Oasis Center in Paterson. Individuals from the public and club members cut out and sewed sets of fleece hats and scarves in a variety of sizes (toddler to adult medium). The library provided the meeting room and sewing machines for the club to use. A total of 38 hat and scarf sets were made.

GFWC Nampa Woman’s Century Club (Idaho) celebrated MLK Day with a service project at Lighthouse Mission. Members served lunch to guests and enjoyed making new friends.

GFWC Cranston Community Women’s Club (Rhode Island) collected necessary items from all GFWC Rhode Island clubs at their recent state meeting and brought them to the Ronald McDonald House affiliated with Hasbro Children’s Hospital for children in Providence. They arranged to cook a Mexican meal for the parents of children undergoing treatment for cancer. Club members from Cranston Community Women’s Club also had a tour of the facility after cooking, serving, and cleaning up. More than 50 families were in attendance.

GFWC Southwest Region Woman’s Club (Colorado) gathered on MLK Day of Service and connected with a deployed Marine unit in Afghanistan. Members made 65 neck coolers to send to service men and women. They enjoyed cutting, tearing, sewing, turning, filling, and completing these camouflaged coolers. The coolers were shipped off with care instructions, a link to the club’s website, and a lot of love from GFWC Southwest Region Woman’s Club!

GFWC Selbyville Community Club (Delaware) conducted a month long campaign to collect warm coats, sweatshirts, and socks for homeless veterans. More than 950 pieces of clothing were donated by members of the community. Club members sorted, folded, and packed the items to be distributed statewide by the Delaware Center for Homeless Veterans.

MLK Day of Service was such a great success for our GFWC Clubs that we had to take another week to share these amazing projects with you! Read and comment on some of the great projects that our GFWC Clubs have participated in below.

GFWC Hudson Woman’s Club (New Hampshire) volunteered at Hudson’s St. John, XXIII food pantry. Members organized Feeding Our Kids bags and Easter baskets for upcoming distribution. GFWC Hudson Woman’s Club spent more than 20 hours participating in this project, and in return received the good feeling of accomplishment and camaraderie!

GFWC Women’s Club of Indian River (Delaware) helped people stay warn this MLK Day. Members of the club handed out gloves at Giant, a local grocery store. Customers were thrilled with their efforts to help them stay warm during a cold day.

GFWC Woman’s Club of Rutherford (New Jersey) prepared Blizzard Bags for elders and home-bound in Bergen County. The bags were filled with food and snacks so that if the weather prevents residents from getting to the grocery store, they had a small emergency supply of things to eat and drink. This year the club prepared 60 bags which will be distributed by Meals on Wheels.

GFWC High Springs New Century Woman’s Club (Florida) packed 76 “Snack Packs” for Ronald McDonald House. The bags will be given to family members to take with them when visiting their children at Shands Hospital. Other packs will be placed in the family visiting room at the hospital. GFWC High Springs New Century Woman’s Club also created handmade valentine cards that will be given to residents for Valentine’s Day.

GFWC Dolley Madison Woman’s Club (North Carolina) collected toiletries and paper products for the Women’s Domestic Violence Shelter in the city of Greensboro. All members participated and they collected approximately $200 in products for the shelter.

GFWC Dover Area Woman’s Club (New Hampshire) collected and donated canned goods to The Dover Food Pantry. The club collected 40 cans and 30 pounds of food.

GFWC North Pinellas Women’s Club (Florida), GFWC St. Petersburg Junior Women’s Club (Florida), and GFWC St. Petersburg Juniorettes joined together and celebrated MLK Day by giving away 1,000 books. This project was made possible by a service award from the 2020 MLK Day of Service Project.

GFWC Nevis Women’s Club (Minnesota) spent MLK Day of Service sewing 34 shields and 13 bags for Days for Girls. Members spent a total of 46.5 hours sewing. It was a great time for all volunteers!

GFWC Zion Woman’s Club (Illinois) hosted its third annual tea, a charitable fundraiser, at Shiloh House. Approximately 60 guests attended and enjoyed a variety of traditional and wonderful tea delicacies catered by The Sweet Stop of Winthrop Harbor. During the event, five young students of Zion Conservatory of Music performed traditional music on the piano.

GFWC Oregon City Woman’s Club (Oregon) gathered craft supplies for St. Jude’s Hospital from members and other clubs in Oregon. Members created 70 waiting room bags full of crayons, colored pencils, paper, coloring books, and puzzles to help brighten those long days.

For the 20th year, the Berea community celebrated the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with a day of speakers, marching, and music. After the march, GFWC Berea Woman’s Club (Kentucky) greeted guest with light refreshments. More than 150 Berea College and community members gathered at First Christian Church to indulge in the chatter and refreshments.

MLK Day of Service was a huge success for our GFWC Clubs all over the globe! Clubs and Federations all over have truly made this MLK Day a day on and not a day off. Read and comment on the first grouping of many great projects that our GFWC Clubs have participated in below.

The GFWC Pea Ridge Woman’s Club (West Virginia) had a very rewarding day at the City Mission of Huntington. Kyle Bryant, a local barber, wanted to give back to the community by giving free haircuts to the men at the Mission. Home Life Community Service Program Chairman Stephanie Carter arranged for Kyle to visit Mission and provide free haircuts in honor of the MLK Day of Service. Members went and served doughnuts and coffee to the gentlemen waiting to get their hair cut. Kyle cut more than a dozen heads and beard trims. The men were so happy and you could tell it was a real boost to their self-esteem. The smiles on their faces were priceless. Local television stations came out to cover this great event and spread the word.

GFWC Jubilee Woman’s Club (Alabama) chose to participate in MLK Day of Service by making no-sew fleece blankets. Club members completed 17 blankets to be donated to Lighthouse of Baldwin County, a shelter and crisis center for survivors of rape and domestic violence. The fleece fabric was donated by a group of women from a local church. It was an honor to serve with all the other clubs in the country on such a meaningful day!

In observance of MLK Day of Service, GFWC Murray Woman’s Club (Kentucky) members donated snacks to Main Street Youth Center. The snacks were provided for Main Street Youth Center’s their after school program.

GFWC Junior Woman’s Club of Walpole (Massachusetts) hosted, cooked, and served a “soul-satisfying” meal for Breaking Bread. Breaking Bread is a program offered by Walpole Families of Faith, which invites local individuals, businesses, and organizations to serve a free, hot meal to individuals and families every Monday evening. GFWC Junior Woman’s Club of Walpole has been participating in Breaking Bread for years. A member is in charge of securing dates (typically 2–3 times per year), another member takes on the role of head chef, and additional members serve as kitchen helpers, servers, and bakers. It’s a wonderful opportunity for club members to come together and support their local community in a special way that “feeds the soul” of all who participate.

GFWC Arlington Juniorettes (New Jersey) joined GFWC Clubs across the country in completing a service project on MLK Day of Service. With the help of local business partners, The Observer Newspaper, Arlington Pharmacy & Surgical, and Midtown Pharmacy, members placed boxes out to collect feminine hygiene products (pads, tampons, and feminine wipes). The products will be placed in smaller discreet packages that will soon be made available in local schools, food pantries, and community centers for easy access.

GFWC Georgia joined together to make donations to Georgia Cares. Georgia Cares is a state organization helping survivors of sex trafficking. Monetary and in kind donations were made.

GFWC Greater West Palm Beach Women’s Club (Florida) observed MLK Day of Service by donating more than $500 worth of food, diapers, wipes, formula, children’s clothing, backpacks with school supplies, and hygiene items to the Guatemalan-Maya Center. The Guatemalan-Maya Center is a local organization that helps migrants and their families. President Mary Evelyn Mitchell and Jeff Anne Pike met with the director the week before and obtained a list of items they needed. Members donated $20.20 each. In addition to money, some members donated children’s clothes and food.

GFWC Woman’s Club of Smithfield (Virginia) organized books and cleaned the community room at the Jersey Park Complex. Every Wednesday afternoon, GFWC Woman’s Club of Smithfield host an after school tutoring program for at-risk students at the Jersey Park Complex. Club members volunteer their time to teach and assist with homework for students who need extra help. They also provide an after school snack. Members cleaned, mopped, and helped make the room a little bit brighter. Students entering the room commented on how nice it looked and smelled!

GFWC Woman’s Club of Cayce (South Carolina) created cancer care caps for local cancer patients out of fleece. This is the second year that GFWC Woman’s Club of Cayce did a cut and sew session as their MLK Day of Service project. This year they cut 137 caps and sewed 11.

GFWC Meadowlarks had a “Little Free Pantry” donated to them from St. Mark’s Church. Many of these boxes sit outside churches throughout Cheyenne to enable community and church members to fill them with nonperishable goods, toiletries, and other items. Community members in need can take from these boxes for their families. The box that GFWC Meadowlarks received was placed in the local AMVETS Post 10 building, with whom GFWC Meadowlarks partner. AMVETS painted the pantry, and GFWC Meadowlarks filled it with goods for community members.

GFWC High Springs New Century Woman’s Club (Florida) filled bags with snack items and water for the homeless and others that just needed an extra boost. The care bags will be donated to the High Springs Police Department to be carried in their patrol cars. The bags are greatly appreciated and will be put to good use. Several of them are used when officers encounter people without any food.

GFWC Woman’s League of the Lowcountry (South Carolina) hosted a holiday party for the members of Jasper County Boys & Girls Club in Ridgeland, South Carolina. At the party, cookies, milk, and ice cream were served. In addition to snacks, holiday gifts were given to the boys and girls. A $1,750 check was presented to Heather McDonough by club officers Sharon Quinter, and Mary O’Brien. The donation was provided to help cover the December tuition for the 70 children who attend the after school program.

On November 7, GFWC Mississippi clubwomen from across the state participated in Read for the Record, organized by Jumpstart, in partnership with Mississippi Public Broadcasting. More than a dozen of members and juniorettes read Thank You Omu by author Oge Mora to more than 400 children and adults in daycares, schools, and nursing homes. It was a great experience for all!

Wednesday, November 20, the GFWC Women’s Club of Farmingdale (New York) had a great representation at St. Kilian’s Outreach Center. Members of GFWC Women’s Club of Farmingdale donated several dozen bags filled with grocery items for Thanksgiving. A special thanks to Rosemary Emigholz for stepping up to chair the club’s Welfare Committee and her helpers who made this generous contribution possible.

GFWC High Springs New Century Women’s Club (Florida) celebrated its 120th birthday with a birthday bash. City officials, members from GFWC District 5, and community members attended the party. GFWC High Springs New Century Women’s Club received a “Certificate of Appreciation” from the city for their contributions to the community. Members with 50 or more years of service to GFWC were honored with gifts. Their Past President was honored with beautiful roses. The table centerpieces were birthday bags filled with all kinds of personal items. The items were things that domestic violence survivors could benefit from when they are forced to relocate. After the party, the bags were donated to Peaceful Paths, a local domestic violence shelter. In honor of the club’s 120th birthday, two grants of $120 each were awarded to two committees for an upcoming project they have planned.

GFWC Service Guild of Covington (Georgia) participated in the Annual Christmas Parade in Covington on December 7. Their theme this year was “Frosting our Community with the Volunteer Spirit.” Their frosty the snowman and six angels won a first place Blue Ribbon Award! Kathy Rhoades participated as Frosty while Unice Stevens, Teri Jones, Pam Barnes, Carolyn Bennett, Paula Wilkins, and Denise Stanford dressed as snow angels. A special thanks to GFWC Service Guild of Covington’s ‘Member Hubbies’ Robert Rhoades and Joe Wayne Barnes who help make the float work!

Members of GFWC West Side Women’s Club (Pennsylvania) recently volunteered to paint the windows at the Community Counseling Service in Wilkes-Barre for the holidays. This project was organized by the Luksha-Roche family to commemorate the 22-year anniversary of Edward Luksha passing. Edward was a former therapist with Community Counseling Services.

Pictured at the event are GFWC – West Side Club Members Rosemary Luksha, Irene Mackiewicz, Deidre Kaminski, Terry Ross, Bonnie MacDonald, and Barbara Roche (absent from the photo: Tara Rhodes).