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GFWC of Tennessee Champions Cooperative Giving Project with Soles4Souls

Challenge accepted! Tennessee members were listening when newly-installed GFWC President Mary Ellen Brock rolled out the Grand Initiatives at the GFWC Convention in St. Louis. Incoming Tennessee President, Beth Smith, suddenly received a text: “Hey girl, did you know that Soles4Souls is headquartered in Nashville?” That’s all it took to get the shoe storm started!

Smith reached out to Megan Welsh, Community Partnership Specialist with Soles4Souls, and invited her to attend GFWC of Tennessee’s Summer Board Training where Megan would introduce Soles4Souls to more than 70 clubwomen. President Smith challenged the members to participate in Tennessee’s Every Member Matters campaign to collect 1,241 pairs, one for every Tennessee clubwoman; the response was: “We’re in it to win it!” But that goal was too small and the members knocked it out in a month! GFWC of Tennessee agreed to participate in Soles4Souls’ 25,000-pair challenge in one year’s time.

Pictured on right, President Smith, giving the first
pair of shoes to Megan Welsh, Soles4Souls, at Tennessee’s
luau-themed Summer 2018 Board Meeting.

From September 2018 to September 2019 Tennessee will collect shoes to exceed their goal, and as a bonus, Soles4Souls will give 2 members a trip to distribute shoes in Central America. The chosen members will be selected from those participating in the state’s project.

At Tennessee’s Fall Conference, held at a Nashville area state park, attendees were told they could bring shoes and local members would get them delivered to Soles4Souls processing center. Ask and they shall deliver!

President Smith, sitting on top of the shoe mountain,
and Director of Junior Clubs, Kendra Walker Patty,
standing next to over 3,000 pairs of shoes.

Trucks and vans of members and some husbands delivered the Fall Conference donations to the Soles4Souls processing center a few weeks later. Members also got to tour the facility and meet Megan’s coworkers.

Tennessee clubwomen in pink (Smith’s color) outside
Soles4Souls processing center in Nashville. On the right, Megan in navy
sitting in a box full of shoes.

Tennessee rocketed off and by the end of 2018, an email update from Megan to President Smith said, “Hi Beth- You are almost at 9,000 pairs of shoes! SO AMAZING for only five months.”  (September to December.) Shoe collection projects take center stage in Tennessee’s districts too. District 1, located in East Tennessee, worked with Megan who will be driving from Nashville to pick up over 3,000 shoes during the District 1 Spring Meeting.

In April, the GFWC of Tennessee Spring Convention will surprise members with a special announcement from Soles4Souls. We can’t announce it now and spoil it for the Tennessee women, but as soon as Megan presents it, we will provide an update with details and a current shoe count! Pictures from convention will show the “shoe” fun members had during the planned Shoe Fashion Show. Categories include: Highest Heel, Strangest Animal Theme, Sexiest Boot, Most Sparkly, and during Junior Fun Night  where members will “bling out” girl’s shoes to compete in a Shoe Pageant where members vote with money for their favorite blinged pair with the proceeds donated to Soles4Souls.

The real story here belongs to the local clubs and their members. Fired up doesn’t even begin to describe what’s happening here. Who would’ve guessed women could be so passionate over used shoes – new shoes, yes, used, no.

Pictured with the S4S team is
Jill holding the GFWC of TN sign.

Jill Jackson from the GFWC Dickson Country Woman’s Club said her familiarity with Nike’s Reuse-a-Shoe program got her interested in President Brock’s Grand Initiative. Jill said, “I had experience with Nike as my kids would wear their worst pair of shoes in the store and the associate would have to un-tag the new pair so we could leave the old ones behind. So I figured I could find a few pairs as the kids are too old now for me to buy new ones for them.” But when Jill heard about Soles4Souls at the Tennessee Summer Board she was really inspired about their work with the micro-enterprise program.

She then thought about her daughter who used to volunteer at a local thrift store, and how she said they didn’t have the space to sell that many shoes and would just get rid of them as soon they received them. Bingo!  Jill contacted the local thrift store, and now, almost weekly she takes a load home to count and sort. These aren’t small loads either; they usually fill up her minivan! Jill drives an hour each way to drop shoes off at Soles 4 Souls processing center. As of the end of February 2019, she has taken 9,158 pairs of shoes! Another 400 pairs are in her garage right now. Thankfully Jill’s husband has been a dear and even helps her with them.

GFWC Cookeville Junior Woman’s Club hosted a Soles4Souls Shoe Drive for their community on a Saturday in the fall, announcing the event weeks before on the local radio station.  The community showed up and donated their used shoes – over 600 pairs! So many clubwomen helping with this event, that teams drove around to local yard sales and thrift stores. The Soles for Souls trailer promoted it as well as a place to store the shoes. Another drive is planned in late April at the same place with the S4S trailer again. (Pictured CJWC members in September 2018 during their community shoe drive.)

GFWC Ladies Reading Circle and GFWC Somo Sala Circle are located in the same city, Morristown, Tennessee, and work together on several projects. The clubs placed Soles4Souls collection boxes at 10 different businesses. A press release was published in the Morristown Citizen Tribune and the Jefferson Standard Banner. 170 pairs of shoes have been collected as of February 21, 2019. Additionally, GFWC  Ladies Reading Circle President, Donna Simpson, visited Soles4Shoes Headquarters and toured their facility.

GFWC Greeneville Woman’s Club collected 496 pairs of shoes in 2018. The club’s efforts extend to the community and have received support from Cody Jennings (pictured with his Aunt Kathy and his collection box). Cody’s excitement about the project is a reflection of how this project can impact not only the recipients of the shoes, but of those of us that donate to and collect/process the shoes.

The GFWC Chilhowee Club collected 75 pairs of gently used shoes, one pair for each member. Marge Bogert and Janet Harpe (Pictured) delivered the shoes to our GFWC of Tennessee Fall Conference.

GFWC Sparta Woman’s Club has been collecting shoes on an ongoing basis since September 2018.  They held a rummage sale in October and all shoes that were not sold were kept for Soles4Souls. They have shared several posts on the local club’s Facebook page requesting donations and have been collecting and sorting them ongoing.  They also have information about Soles4Souls on their webpage.  (Pictured are members hard at work sorting and rubber banding the pairs together.)

GFWC Rutledge Woman’s Club views Soles4Souls as a great project in many ways. It has educated our community about Soles4Souls as a way to help others and by practicing recycling by donating used shoes. The clubwomen have collected over 1,000 pairs of shoes from friends and family, community and churches. (Pictured on left, Rutledge President, Pam Teague, with Megan Welsh, S4S.)

GFWC Centennial Woman’s Club of Tullahoma asked members to bring in shoes to every meeting and boy, did they bring in the shoes! In 4 months, members collected 682 pairs. For a club with 45 members, that equals 15 pairs per member.

Great job, GFWC of Tennessee!

Clubs have been busy planning for Read Across America Day (also Dr. Seuss’ birthday) since the announcement of the Dr. Seuss Grand Initiative. This week we’re sharing some of the great events that took place. Promoting literacy is a year-round goal, so keep donating books even after Read Across America Day has passed!

Literacy is a year-round

The Reed City GFWC (Michigan) teamed up with their local library to host a “Dr. Seuss Birthday Party” with an onsite Cat in the Hat to read to children. Attendees were led in the singing of Happy Birthday, enjoyed cake, and colored pictures from Dr. Seuss books. They each received a goodie bag of stickers, pencils, a bookmark, and their very own Dr. Seuss book. The books were collected by the club as part of the Dr. Seuss Grand Initiative. Each book had a book plate on the inside cover that had the GFWC emblem along with their club name. As the kick off to “Read Across America,” families were invited to use the library and select books that could be read at home. Children that could read were encouraged to set a goal for reading and try to achieve it.

The GFWC North Pinellas Woman’s Club (Florida) celebrated Read Across America Day by reading at two schools to 17 classes, doing their favorite Cat in the Hat paper plate craft, and donating books and Dr. Seuss posters.

In an effort to suppor the GFWC Dr. Seuss Grand Initiative, the GFWC Polk County Service Club (Oregon) is supporting one of the classes in the Falls City School District. They delivered 22 Dr. Seuss books, including one that was in Japanese. The school has a limited budget for their teachers, and so without outside funds and donations, they would not be able to make Read Across America Day an important event in their small community. The club was honored to be a part in helping them experience the day. Teacher Cynthia McGinnis is dressed as Charlotte from Charlotte’s Web. Students were asked to dress as their favorite book character or come in their pajamas for a day of reading.

GFWC Ossoli Circle (Tennessee) donated copies of Hooray for Diffendoofer Day by Dr. Seuss to every Knox County elementary school with help from Lane Smith and Jack Prelutsky. One book was donated to Belle Morris Elementary in memory of Ossoli member Minga Barnes, who taught Special Education at Belle Morris. GFWC Ossoli Circle members Janie Bitner, President Tona Turpin, Nancy Carmon, and Roberta Pedigo, Minga’s sister-in-law, presented this special copy to the Principal of Belle Morris, Terry Hursey. Many members donated a book in honor of their children or grandchildren, and some were given in memory of teachers and principals.

On Read Across America Day, GFWC President Mary Ellen Brock and President-elect Marian St.Clair accompanied members of the GFWC District of Columbia on a visit to the Ronald McDonald House in Washington, D.C.  The group took items for a Dr. Seuss birthday party, including cupcakes and party favors, for the families staying there. Dr. Seuss books were also donated, including books donated by clubwomen across the country for GFWC to distribute in Washington, D.C. A variety of items from the Ronald McDonald House wish list were also donated. The group toured the facility, which serves families who come not just from the local area, but also from many states in the U.S. and numerous foreign countries to seek medical treatment for children at facilities in the area, including Children’s National Hospital.

Members of the Henry Clay Woman’s Club of GFWC (Virginia) sponsored a Dr. Seuss Birthday Celebration at the Richard S. Gillis, Jr./Ashland Branch Library. The celebration included snacks, games, a scavenger hunt, and readings by the librarian.  Children were also encouraged to apply for a library card of their own.

The Mira Mesa Women’s Club (California) used the Buy Nothing Facebook Group (a kind of gift economy where communities can share free items or experiences with each other) to get donations for shoes. The club collected athletic shoes of all brands and took 91 pairs to a Nike Store, where the shoes will be kept out of landfills and be used to make new items.

Read Across America is coming up, but some clubs have already gotten a head start! The Vienna Woman’s Club (Virginia) is collecting Dr. Seuss books for distribution by March 2 to the “Little Library” in the waiting room of the Adult Detention Center, operated by the Office of the Sheriff of Fairfax County. Their liaison is a 2^nd Lieutenant whose father built a small library to shelve books for children to read and take home – children who are visiting their incarcerated family members.

The GFWC Ad Astra Club (Kansas) received a Literacy Grant from GFWC, along with a grant from Thrivent Financial. These grants, in addition to books donated by club members,  enabled the club to donate 50 Dr. Seuss books to the Read Across America Event. It allowed them to purchase enough books to give a book to each child in attendance at the event!

The San Diego Woman’s Club (California) packed 725 Dr. Seuss books to donate to three elementary schools, one homeless students’ school, Ronald McDonald House, a domestic violence shelter, and a new local library. Books will be given to the children at the schools for their own home library in time for Read Across America celebrations at the schools. There were 16 different titles and a book plate was placed inside each book commemorating the occasion.

On a blustery, cold day, a warm and receptive audience was held captive at the Human Trafficking Symposium held at the Hospitality House in Central Park. The symposium was sponsored by the GFWC clubs in the Fredericksburg, Virginia area that included the Woman’s Club of Fredericksburg, the GFWC Mary Ball Woman’s Club, and the King George Woman’s Club.

Over 100 guests heard a panel which included the poignant and personal stories of Amy, a human trafficking survivor, and Susan, mother of a human trafficking survivor, as well as the expertise of professionals who work to eliminate this insidious crime. These professionals included: Michele Trampe, Executive Director of the Central Virginia Justice Initiative, DeDe Wallace, Victim Assistance Specialist with Homeland Security Investigation for Virginia, First Sergeant Rob Grella, Jr., Stafford County Sheriff’s Office, Special Investigation Unit, and Bill Woolfe, Executive Director of Just Ask Prevention, former Human Trafficking Detective and FBI Task Force.  After the discussion, a networking lunch was served where guests could interact with the panel.

This event was inspired by GFWC Virginia State President Kelly Lane’s Project, “Step Up to Stop Human Trafficking.” The symposium was deemed a huge success. The issue of Human Trafficking continued with a visit to the General Assembly in Richmond on January 31^st by Barbara Williams, President of the Woman’s Club of Fredericksburg and Legislative Chair, Dianne Watson, along with Suzie Smith, President of GFWC Mary Ball Woman’s Club and 1^st VP, Elizabeth Louis-Ferdinand.  Organized by Meg Bohmke, Stafford Board of Supervisors member, the visit entailed meetings with two legislators, Delegate Bob Thomas and Delegate Charniele Herring, and Delegate Gilbert’s Legislative Aide to discuss House bills 2778 and 2470. They were pleasantly surprised to find that each person they spoke to was well informed on the issue and felt that it was a productive and successful visit.

At their January meeting, the GFWC Capital City Woman’s Club (Florida) collected dolls for a domestic violence awareness project. The club presented over 30 dolls to Sandra Collins with the Handle Me With Care Dolls Foundation. These dolls are given to survivor of physical and mental abuse. Sandra Collins talked about her history of being a survivor of domestic violence and what she is doing to help other survivors—young and old. Sandra joined the club that night (and she is already recruiting other new members!) and the club looks forward to having her as a new club member.

Inspired by a Facebook article they read, a couple of members from the Marlborough Junior Woman’s Club (Massachusetts) researched the possibility of installing sensory paths in all the Marlborough Public Schools. A sensory pathway utilizes a series of movements (walks, jumps, leaps, reaching, hand motions etc.) to decrease active classroom behaviors while increasing awareness of coping techniques.

Their first installation is in use at a local elementary school. Their team will work with the high school in the future to build additional pieces needed, adding what the specialists and kids need and want! They intend to have the pathway impact all kids at appropriate levels of learning. Each path is $1500. The elementary school wanted to help with the pathway for its students, so they donated $1000.

During a chance discussion with a friend, a member communicated the club’s plans. Her friend works at Boston Scientific in the grant department. She caught the club’s enthusiasm and wrote a $1500 grant for the Marlborough Junior Woman’s Club to continue to put another path in a school in 2019.

The club published their project on their Facebook page and gained viral status – reaching other schools and clubwomen from around the country! They heard from a New Jersey Club, teachers in Ohio and Massachusetts, and even GFWC Treasurer Jolie Frankfurth in Florida! It’s an amazing project that they are very happy to have started with their club.

The Marlborough Junior Woman’s Club has 68 hardworking members who are currently working on grants and donations to ensure that the other three elementary schools and the one early childhood education center will all get these sensory paths. They are happy to help anyone with information as they build theirs! Their advice – find the school psychologist, the principal, and the custodian, and build your team of dedicated volunteers. This will truly take a village and it is worth it.

The GFWC Crescent City Woman’s Club (Florida) completed 46 blankets during a meeting in January to be sent to Operation Smile, the State Project of Florida State President Sharon Carter Oliphant.

Members of the Homemakers of Hickman Mills (Missouri) wrapped up 2018 by collecting 40 hats, 16 pairs of gloves and mittens, 5 scarves, and miscellaneous slippers to be donated to the Community Assistance Council and GAP.

Members of the Women’s Club West Side (Pennsylvania) purchased and donated 454 pairs of women’s and children’s socks to the domestic violence center in Wilkes-Barre and the Catherine McAuley House in Plymouth.  This “Step Away from Abuse” project was part of the GFWC State Presidents Project. Pictured are Gail Frank, GFWC West Side President, Becky McCuen, and Co-Chairman Eileen Gallagher.

The GFWC Women’s Club of San Bernardino (California) collected socks for the Toasty Toes project. They collected over 500 pairs that will be delivered to a domestic violence shelter and a homeless shelter in San Bernardino.

When Georgia State President Tina Daniel heard about the challenge to plant trees as one of the Seven Grand Initiatives, she thought, “This will be an easy one.” But in her own words, “Wow! Was this president wrong!” Locating affordable trees, getting them shipped by Georgia’s Arbor Day on February 15, and locating a place to plant 100 seedlings proved to be more difficult than she thought, but definitely worth it! The Tallulah Falls State Park (TFS) was gracious enough to allow the GFWC Georgia Federation to plant the seedlings, giving them a list of various native trees they need to help with erosion issues. Tina was finally able to locate Warren County Nursery in Minnville, TN to help with a cost friendly native seedling to ship by the needed February 15 date. On February 15, they had their third day of preparing the TFS State President’s Garden for their rededication on June 1, 2019. They planted a tree in their garden in memory and honor of their life directors. After working in the garden, they gathered at Tallulah Falls State park and planted 100 seedlings in the gorge.

With so much in the news about human trafficking, the Parsippany Woman’s Club (New Jersey) decided to help with the S.O.A.P. (Save Our Adolescents from Prostitution) Project, a hands-on outreach to fight sex trafficking at large events and in communities. After purchasing a case of 1,000 bars of soap, members of the club got together and put “hotline” labels on each bar of soap. The soap was then given to a representative from a local group that collaborates with the New Jersey Coalition Against Human Trafficking (NJCAHT) for distribution to area hotels.

The GFWC Sokico Woman’s Club (Washington) members Linda Butcher and Betty MacMaster delivered dictionaries to a 3rd grade class.

The GFWC Woman’s Club of the Denville-Rockaway (New Jersey) women volunteered for the fifth year in a row at the Habitat for Humanity Restore. They cleaned shelves, restocked, and replaced items on the floor.

GFWC Georgia posted 21 service project ideas leading up to MLK Day on their Facebook and YouTube channels. In addition to clubs doing their own individual projects, GFWC Georgia did two state-wide projects! The first was working in the State President’s Garden at the Tallulah Falls School, and the other was “packing the pantry” at local Ronald McDonald Houses throughout the state. You can watch their video here!

GFWC Ohio Director of Junior Clubs Esther Gartland joined GFWC Ohio Junior Cyberlinks (Ohio) club president Pam Vines and members to bag over 200 donated hand and feet warmers, socks, hats, gloves, and scarves for the Giving Tree located at the Niles Fire Department. The members also put a care package of food staples, bath items, along with socks, pants, and scarves for a World War 2 veteran. The third project members did was make valentines to be distributed with a treat at the local VA. What a heart warming day of projects on a cold MLK Day!

The GFWC Viera Woman’s Club (Florida) chose three projects! They picked up trash on Murrell Road, made Blankets to be used for Operation Smile, and cooked dinner for The Haven, a shelter for children.

Members of GFWC Hastings Women’s Club (Michigan) donated 222 cans of vegetable/meat soup cans to the Barry County Cares Food Bank. The group gathered for brunch to hear how Barry County Cares serves their community.

Representatives from fourteen GFWC California Federation of Women’s Clubs, along with other organizations (AAUW, Business and Professional Women, etc.) attended a Covina Woman’s Club Domestic Violence Action Coalition (DVAC) event. DVAC members assembled 24 purses which will be distributed to homeless female veterans. The purses contained hygiene kits along with socks, wash cloths, wallets, notepads, and other special gifts.

The GFWC Plant City Woman’s Club (Florida) hosted a day of recognition of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. called “His Dream, Our Destiny.” Six elementary and middle school students presented essays they had written about King and how his tireless crusade for civil rights has impacted their own lives decades later. Jeanette Richardson detailed the history of the Negro National Anthem, which was sung by the attendees. Mr. Keith Worth recited King’s iconic “I Have a Dream” speech in its entirety from memory. It was a moving and happy celebration with a great attendance. The students were treated to Certificates and a Goody Bag for their efforts.

The GFWC Saxonburg District Woman’s Club (Pennsylvania) made and hand-delivered 18 aprons to “Austin’s Place” for their clients. These clients are physically and mentally challenged individuals who spend the day at Austin’s Place. The aprons will be used for craft time and whenever needed.

The GFWC Grundy Woman’s Club (Virginia) spent the day reading to students in Head Start Programs. Six clubwomen read Martin’s Big Words: The Life of Martin Luther King, Jr. by Doreen Rappaport to seven classes throughout their home county in Southwestern Virginia. The public library, which partnered with the women’s club for this project, donated the books to each Head Start class in return for the club’s volunteer service. In the first photo, clubwomen Sandy Stiltner and Bertha Street present the book donations to Head Start educators. In the second photo, clubwoman JoBeth Wampler reads to Head Start students in Council, Virginia.

The GFWC Thompson Falls Woman’s Club (Montana) assembled 200 “Vial of Life” kits on Friday and then distributed them at the grocery store, pharmacy, and ambulance hall. Each kit contains three items: first a form to complete with your medical conditions, medications, allergies, emergency contacts, etc. Second, a baggie with a Vial of Life label on the front to go on the fridge, or (as originally designed a few decades ago) in a repurposed pill bottle with the Vial of Life label to place in the fridge.  To complete the kit, a decal for the front door informing first responders to check the fridge. Almost all the kits were distributed, and most club members did not get one! Two hundred more decals have been ordered and there are plans for a second distribution in February. In a town of under 1200 residents, this means nearly every home will have a kit!

The San Gabriel Woman’s Club (Texas) had four members volunteer to help with the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Project in Georgetown. Approximately 80 teens came to participate in several projects to benefit the community, using their day off from classes to make a difference! All of the organizations that participated are after school places for students to get help and stay out of trouble. The Georgetown Project is a community-based nonprofit organization that builds and sustains a healthier culture and capacity for all children, youth, and families in the Georgetown area. Their craft was making giant felt parts for Mr. Potato Head to be used with young children to create nurturing early environments important to their social, emotional, and cognitive development.  Another craft was making Valentine cards to be distributed to the elderly in their Meals on Wheels package.

The NEST (Nurturing, Empowering, Supporting for Tomorrow)— associated with the Georgetown Project— is a safe haven after the bell rings that offers basic needs, counseling, academic and enrichment support for high school students who are homeless, at-risk, or living in transition. They made “welcome bags” for new students who come to The NEST.  The bags were decorated with kind words and stuffed with hand-made stress balls, welcome notes, and personal care items.

The Upward Bound (UB) program is designed for high school students who have the potential to succeed in college and could benefit from: tutoring, academic enrichment, precollege skills development, career counseling, college visits, cultural enrichments and year-round academic and social support. UB provides opportunities for its scholars to succeed in high school and ultimately in college. Their craft was “Snowman Soup” – a cup with hot cocoa mix, marshmallows, and a candy cane. These will be donated to The Williamson County Child Advocacy Center.

The fourth project they helped with was the Georgetown Y. The craft was to weave bracelets which will go the “Gold Star Kids” – those children who have lost a military parent.

Eight GFWC Minnesota clubs participated in Martin Luther King Jr. Day activities: GFWC Nevis Study Club, Grand Rapids Northstar Women’s Club, GFWC Starbuck Study Club, GFWC Winthrop Women’s Club, Ladies Tourist Club GFWC, GFWC Belgrade Reader’s Club, GFWC Women’s Study Club of Litchfield, GFWC Potpourri Glenwood. Here is one example from the GFWC Ladies Tourist Club. Their activity began 3 weeks before when they began collecting items and ended on MLK Day when they delivered items to the Committee Against Domestic Abuse (C.A.D.A.) House in Mankato. The first items collected were slippers, clogs, and pantyhose in the amount of $1903 from a shoe store that closed for business. A drugstore donated 26 items valued at $95 plus cash and check for $45. Two other collection points gathered a large variety of useful items including: journals, planners, hygiene items, pajamas, socks, underwear, hair dye, xhap stick, bars of soap, and much more.

We want to again thank all the clubs who did such tremendous work in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service. We can’t wait to see what you bring to the table next year!

There were so many incredible MLK Day of Service projects last week that we had to dedicate another Volunteers in Action post to feature more.

The GFWC Grundy Center Woman’s Club (Iowa) invited a local 4-H Club led by a club member to join them in making basic bags to be given to their local domestic violence/abuse and sexual assault agency, Crisis Intervention Services. Fifteen 4-H kids attended the event.

Sixteen clubwomen from the GFWC Rhinelander Woman’s Club (Wisconsin) braved sub-zero temperatures to make no-sew blankets for Operation Smile, completing 23 with a few more that clubwomen took home to finish. Everyone had a good time chatting, being together, and serving the greater good.

The GFWC Manistique (Michigan) gave $5 gift certificates to all bus drivers, maintenance workers, and janitors at the local schools to tell them how appreciated they are!

The Woman’s Club of Point Pleasant (New Jersey) held a very successful Day of Service despite the zero degree wind chills. They wanted to do something for several more of GFWC’s Seven Grand Initiatives, and succeeded with projects that related to Soles4Souls, the Legislative Action Center, and women in the military. Club members joined members of the community in a variety of service projects at their clubhouse. Projects ranged from simple collections of various items to more involved hands-on projects. Projects included: food collection for poor, collecting shoes for Soles4Souls, collecting linens for the pet shelter, writing valentine notes to women in the military, making blankets for CASA, creating tray favors for nursing home, Capes 4 Kids, Legislative Action Center, making birthday bags and collecting used cell phones for domestic violence shelters, crocheting squares for an afghan, distributing directions for preemie hats and stocking for soldiers.

The Woman’s Club of Loudon (Virginia) adopted March of Dimes’ new self-care kit project. They completed 102 kits in one night! The project was a hit and simple to complete.

Shafter Woman’s Club (California) members Barbara Gladden and Colleen Diltz led their first GFWC Grand Initiative in their town by honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service with a White Ribbon Campaign. Shafter policemen, council people, parks and recreation, the high school principal, and even pastors wore white ribbons and said, “I pledge never to commit, condone, or stay silent about violence against women and girls.”

The GFWC Auburn Junior Woman’s Club (Massachusetts) delivered food to the Auburn Mass Fire Department and the Auburn Police Department. Both establishments were extremely thankful to be thought of by the club on the day of service. Later that night the club attached tags that said, “Take me if you need me. What happens to you, matters to us,” in English and Spanish to hats, mittens, scarves, and blankets as part of our Warm Hands, Warm Hearts Project. Volunteers braved the cold last night to distribute these items downtown.

The Batesville Junior Woman’s League (Mississippi) began their MLK Day of Service at the assisted living home, conversing the residents and putting up handmade snowmen on all of their doors.  They also dropped by the fire station with fruit and muffins for the firefighters on duty as a little thank you for all they do for the community. Their last project was Pick up Panola. Trash has become a sore spot in their community, so they spent the next few hours picking up trash in three different areas of the county.

The GFWC Service Guild of Covington (Georgia) collected “the Wish List” from Washington Street Community Center. Frosty the Snowman garnered the attention of passerby, while members collected sporting equipment, art supplies, board games, money donations and more! It took two large SUVs to load all the donations! L to R: Service Guild members Lynn Garrett, Pam Barnes, Diane Loeble, Peggy Hawley, Betty McFadden, Frosty (Kathy Rhoades), and Marianne.

The GFWC Seward Woman’s Club (Nebraska) donated gently used purses and items to fill them, including bottled water, tissues, feminine products, shampoo, lotion, wet wipes, gum, raisins, granola bars, toothbrushes and toothpaste, Band-Aids, socks, mittens, and hand warmers. The club had read that a purse is one of those private things that a woman has just for her, and many times that is lost or set aside during homelessness. They handed the purses out to homeless women because to have that small gift with needed items helps them claim a piece of themselves often lost during their journey.

The GFWC High Springs New Century Woman’s Club’s (Florida) project was “Bunnies, Books, and Bandages.” They collected children’s books to be donated to two local daycare centers and created bunnies out of washcloths for the children to read to. They also sewed Operation Smile bandages, which are splints used to prevent children from bending their arms after receiving facial surgery.

The GFWC Tellico Village (Tennessee) held a sewing bee for Operation Smile. A group of 15 ladies cut and knotted blankets, stuffed dolls, and sewed arm bands for Operation Smile patients.

The Dequincy Study Club (Louisiana) provided the Dequincy Senior Center with refreshments, bingo prizes, and lunch to the appreciation of the seniors!

Thirteen members (and one granddaughter) of the GFWC Greater West Palm Beach Women’s Club (Florida) donated cat and dog food, litter, toys, blankets and sheets to the Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League. They also toured the facility and learned that they offer portable vaccine clinic for the community, do 60 planned surgeries per day, and have a nursery to bottle-feed. The 141 volunteers and staff are 80 percent women, and greeted the club with a smile during their hour tour.

The GFWC Erwin Monday Club (Tennessee) resupplied the Little Lending Libraries which were placed around Erwin by last year’s Chamber of Commerce Leadership Class. These little “libraries” are boxes placed around the community to promote reading by allowing people to easily access books and to share them with others. The idea behind the project is that readers will “take a book and leave a book,” thus keeping the boxes supplied. Over time, the books are recycled so that others can read, but since some of the books do not get returned and because avid readers may have read all of the available books, the Monday Club saw a need for the Little Lending Libraries to be restocked. Club members donated books, either pulling them from their own libraries or purchasing them. Then on MLK Day of Service, they went in teams to restock the boxes. The books placed were selected to appeal to young children, teens, or adults, including fiction and nonfiction, self-improvement, how-to, and devotional books. Hopefully there’s something for everyone! By promoting reading throughout the community, the club hopes to help in the fulfillment of MLK’s dream of embracing the goal of true education: intelligence plus character. Reading allows all people access to a larger world of ideas. The quote on one of the library boxes says, “Reading does for your mind what exercise does for your body.”

Check back next week for our final round of MLK Day of Service success stories!

This week we’re featuring a few clubs who participated in the MLK Day of Service!

The Chapin Woman’s Club (South Carolina) held a shoe drive for Soles4Souls. They collected and packed 19 boxes for a total of 275 pairs of shoes on MLK Day! They advertised in Nextdoor, on Facebook and through their local Chamber of Commerce newsletter. The club had boxes for donations at their local town hall, chamber of commerce, and even members’ porches. They still had shoes being delivered even as they were packing boxes!

The GFWC North Pinellas Woman’s Club (Florida) and GFWC St. Petersburg Junior Woman’s Club (Florida) promoted literacy equality with a Little Free Library. They gave away 3,500 books thanks to a service award they received from the MLK Day of Service Project.

The GFWC Woman’s Club of Deerfield Beach (Florida) celebrated 100 years of volunteer service and participated in the MLK Parade in their community.

Bridget Murphy of the GFWC Morgan County Woman’s Club (Kentucky). Their club project wasn’t going to be until later this week, and so she wanted to do something special on the actual MLK Day of Service. Her thoughtful project was to crochet ten preemie hats. She will donate them to the American Heart Association in memory of Patrice Booze, a member of GFWC’s 2018-2020 Resolutions Committee Member who sadly passed away in 2018. What a touching way to honor a friend!

The Haddon Fortnightly (New Jersey) made snuggly fleece blankets for the foster children in the Court Appointed Special Advocates of New Jersey. Members and their granddaughters made 2 dozen blankets for the children of CASA, which is the Special State Project of the New Jersey State Federation.

The Circleville Junior Women’s Club (Ohio) was a triple threat for this year’s MLK Day of Service. Instead of working on one project, they worked on three! This included making bags for the homeless, making thank you bags for USO, and cutting and sending greeting cards to St. Jude’s Ranch to be repurposed.

It was 25 degrees in West Tennessee on the morning of MLK Day of Service, meaning that member attendance was low for the GFWC Henderson County Woman’s Club (Tennessee). But the cold didn’t stop two dedicated members who assisted rangers at Natchez Trace State Park by clearing brush to create better lake viewing areas.

Members of the GFWC Jubilee Woman’s Club (Alabama) made fidget pillows for people suffering from Alzheimer’s and dementia. Fidget Pillows are pillows adorned with different textures and sensory tasks that help provide safe and comforting activities for patients.

Members of the GFWC Women’s Civic League of Cheyenne, X-JWC, and Cheyenne Optimist Club (Wyoming) partnered to serve hot cocoa and cookies for the MLK March participants. They also delivered cookies to the Comea Shelter, an emergency homeless shelter.

The GFWC Valamont Woman’s Club (Tennessee) combined two of the Seven Grand Initiatives! For their MLK Day of Service, they made 30 book buddy pillows. The pillows had a pocket to slip a Dr. Seuss book in. They will be given to low-income students at a day care center for their Valentine’s Day Party! The project was made possible by a grant from the Love Like Lija Foundation.

Check back next week for even more projects clubs did for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service!

The GFWC Northboro Junior Woman’s Club (Massachusetts) used toolkits provided by UNICEF to host an Ethically Made Luncheon in December! They also showed UNICEF’s film about human trafficking, “Not My Life.” The menu was placed on every table to show where the club locally purchased the food items served, like baked apples and sea scallops!

Attendees were not charged for the luncheon, but instead were asked to donate to UNICEF if they were moved to do so. They were pleased to send a check of $533 to further UNICEF’s mission of stopping human trafficking.

The Woman’s Club of Parsippany Troy Hills (New Jersey) recently held its Fourth Annual Spelling Bee. Twenty-five students were selected from local fifth grade classes to participate, with over 100 audience members. Mary Ann Coyne, club member and chairman of the event, was moderator. Club member Marianne Burke was the pronuoncer. After twenty-five exciting rounds, the top three winners were declared. They are invited to participate in the New Jersey State Federated Women’s Club Regional Spelling Bee on February 2, and regional winners will then be invited to the State Championship at the New Jersey State Federation of Women’s Clubs of GFWC Headquarters on March 2nd. These events give students a chance to shine and show off their spelling skills!

The Elgin Junior Women’s Club (Illinois) recognize that homelessness is a significant issue in their community, with many working poor and a housing shortage. They had the organization, PADS of Elgin, come to their November General meeting to present for Home Life. During their presentation, they mentioned one of their biggest needs is for meals to be donated. They serve dinner, and now lunch, to 60+ shelter residents every day. But they don’t have the staff or funds to have a full service kitchen, so they coordinate with other organizations. When the Elgin Juniors were trying to think of a service project for MLK Day, they though prepping a meal for the organization would be a great opportunity.

The club created the event with a signup for people to provide ingredients. The event was made public in case others were interested in serving. The response was overwhelming. The signup sheet to make two meals for 60 people was completely full in 24 hours! More non-club members than club members took slots for donations, and many others asked if they could still come and help even when the slots were full.

The club ended up having 13 people come to a clubwoman’s house to make meals. They made 6 lasagnas and 5 trays of chicken and rice soup in 90 minutes. The women who were guests were all interested in serving again, and expressed interest in future club meetings and events. There were also almost a half dozen other women who were unable to make the event, but expressed interest in both club and another project like this one. In one small event, they were able to provide two meals for 60+ homeless people in their community, provide aid to a great organization, and get about a dozen new potential members for club! In a club of 13 women, it was a huge success. It was also very easy to replicate, so they plan on doing it again!