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With school coming back into session, it’s hard to miss the vibrant Back-to-School displays at your local retail stores. As much as kids might mourn the end of summer, picking out a new wardrobe, freshly sharpened color pencils, and all the items on their supply list can be a fun experience. Unfortunately, it can also be an expensive ordeal for their parents, especially for families with multiple children.

Fortunately, GFWC clubwomen rose to the challenge of making sure that the children in their communities, no matter their financial situation, have access to the supplies they need for school. All of these clubs found different and creative means of collecting items, but all methods had the same level of impact: children will be better equipped to do well in class.

The GFWC Woman’s Club of Denville-Rockaway (New Jersey) established collection sites for school supplies in three different towns. Several local businesses volunteered to help, showing a great level of community cooperation. The club collected $500 worth of school supplies, which they distributed to four different nonprofits. Since the club doesn’t have summer meetings, the project can be difficult to organize, but project coordinator Susan Kleczynski says, “I have to give my team a lot of credit,” and drew on the phrase, “Many hands make light work,” because even with many members on vacation, everyone tried to chip in and commit to the project.

The GFWC Pocono Mountain Women’s Club (Pennsylvania) also collected school supplies throughout the summer, filling twenty nylon backpacks with $400 worth of supplies, including pens, crayons, rulers, and much more. They donated the bags to their local pantry, and even had leftover supplies that they plan to give away to the school or community church.

The GFWC Swartz Creek Women’s Club continued its annual support of Guiding Harbor, a residential and foster care program started by GFWC Michigan. Each year, club members collect school supplies like markers, notebooks, and backpacks to donate to school age boys and girls. Last year they donated $749 worth of supplies, and this year they expect a great result as well, with supplies quickly arriving.

Gift cards were an innovative idea this summer, with the Woman’s Club of Parsippany Troy Hills (New Jersey) hosting a Back-to-School drive where they collected gift cards for purchasing school clothes, as well as collected lunch snacks for the kids at shelters. Similarly, the Needham Women’s Club (Massachusetts) gave gift cards to their local Community Counsel to help them purchase school supplies for local children in need.

GFWC Escanaba (Michigan) took part in a “Wishes on Wheels” campaign and collected school supplies throughout August. Then they were given a list of students in the area who needed the help, adding a personal touch to the donation process.

Parents and their children aren’t the only ones who have to worry about school supply prices; teachers do too! The Jonesville Junior Guild (Louisiana) thoughtfully gifted teachers with double-duty caddies filled with school supplies that teachers might otherwise run out of in their classroom throughout the school year.

No family should have to worry about their child’s education being impacted by their inability to afford school supplies. Luckily, GFWC clubwomen across the country made it their mission to make sure children have what they need to succeed.

This Saturday, August 26, marks the 46th celebration of Women’s Equality Day! Women’s Equality Day was first designated in 1971 at the urging of New York Congresswoman Bella Abzug. as a way to commemorate the ratification of the 19th Amendment.

The 19th Amendment guarantees women the right to vote by denying the ability of the states and federal government to restrict voting rights on the basis of sex. Observance of Women’s Equality Day helps to celebrate this monumental achievement to which GFWC was so integrally tied. However, it also highlights the struggle beyond the vote, and continuing efforts towards full equality. This is a journey which the women of GFWC have, and continue to, contribute so much.

When President Richard Nixon issued Proclamation 4236, declaring the first Women’s Equality Day, he wrote that “The struggle for women’s suffrage… was only the first step toward full and equal participation of women in our Nation’s life. In recent years, we have made other giant strides by attacking sex discrimination through our laws and by paving new avenues to equal economic opportunity for women. Today, in virtually every sector of our society, women are making important contributions to the quality of American life. And yet, much still remains to be done.” The women of GFWC took this call to action to heart.

The women of GFWC marched, protested, and organized for our right to vote, and persisted in struggling for equality well beyond the suffrage movement. In 1923, GFWC became an outspoken advocate for the Equal Rights Amendment, and remained so through the 1980s. The women of GFWC have championed women’s education since its founding and were essential contributors to the second wave of feminist movements in the mid-20th century.

Today, we continue to advocate for women’s equality through support of equal pay laws, through our volunteer work with women who have survived or are struggling to overcome abuse, and through empowering women to take an active role in their homes and their communities. GFWC will always support and fight for the equal rights of women. Please take time to reflect upon those women who have fought for your rights, and we hope you will continue their legacy. Happy Women’s Equality Day!

The Mayfield Women’s Club (Ohio) is celebrating its 50th anniversary as part of GFWC. To commemorate the club’s founding, members held a “Women of Substance” themed banquet. The banquet’s keynote speaker was Cathy Weber, a charter member of the club. Below are Cathy’s eloquent and heartfelt remarks.
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I am celebrating being in this organization for 50 years. I am also married for 50 plus years and have 3 children who are all in their 50’s. I find it amazing to be a part of this organization for 50 years.

Our club has done so many things over the years. I’ll share just a few. You realize that most of us were in our 20’s or early 30’s at the time we began, so some of the things I will mention were easily done, but today would be too hard for most of us.

In 1976, our club celebrated the 200 years of the Declaration of Independence. It was the bicentennial and Mayfield Hts. had a 4th of July Parade and a few of the club members rode in a convertible, to represent the club. I was dressed as Betsy Ross and carried a flag. My 10-year-old son was dressed in that period of clothes and was with us. We have pictures in our scrapbooks to share with club members and our community.

When our club first started we met at Marshall Ford car dealer, which used to be on Mayfield Road. Shortly after that we met Mayfield High School and from there we moved to Mayfield Library. As our club got bigger, we moved to the Ross DeJohn Center in Mayfield Heights and we now are privileged to be meeting in Mayfield Village in their new beautiful Community Center facility.

Some of the projects we were involved with in the early years include purchasing and dedicating a Peace Pool on the grounds of Mayfield Library where it stood for many years until the Library parking lot was remodeled. We also purchased an OFWC roadside sign which is still standing on SOM Center Road in Mayfield Village. We planted flowers at the historical house, and we painted a wooden fence at the Mayfield cemetery which was is on Wilson Mills. Now that fence has been replaced by a wrought iron fence.

For many years several of us would go to the state convention held in Columbus, Ohio, and stay overnight.  They have a whole weekend of activities and meetings of the Junior Clubs and the Women’s Clubs. We are still doing the Junior projects, so we are considered a Junior club. We actually started as Mayfield Junior Women’s Club, but we voted and dropped the “Junior” because many of us did not look quite like Juniors! At those conventions we could see the Federation at work and share and learn from other clubs.

We had many socials and sometimes they included our husbands. We had an annual Christmas Party for couples at one of the member’s home which was always fun. We also had many clambakes at the home of Betty Jo Mooney which was a grand time. Some of us even swam in her pool. Other socials were bowling, attending local plays in nearby cities, and many other outings too long to list.

Some of our fundraisers took lots more time and energy. We had a few rummage sales which were a big undertaking and took lots of time to prepare. We had plant sales, where we unloaded the truck of hanging baskets and flats. We made and sold a cookbook.

We helped with a waffle wagon for several years during the weekend of the 4th of July event in Mayfield Hts. We powder sugared the waffles, bagged them, and collected the money which the owner split with us at the end of every night. One of our members even made aprons with our club’s name embroidered on them. Betty Jo is now storing them and maybe we will use them on another project one of these days. We also had bunny bingo at a local school for several years and some of our husbands helped by being the bingo caller.

During these years, our members became close friends. We had our board meetings at a member’s home on the first Monday of the month. We had time to socialize after the meetings and share our lives with each other. Some of my very best friends were made in this club. They have been a support for me, as well as each other, and the community.

When I had two major back surgeries with rods and screws, this club made meals for my family for over three weeks which was a beautiful show of their love.

During my club years, I worked on many committees and held the office of Second Vice President, First Vice President, and was President in 1973 and 2003, 2004, and 2005. Never was the job too overwhelming as these members are quick to volunteer to help wherever needed.

I did not mention one of our most important reason for our group is the welfare projects which are numerous. Our biggest project has been at the Metro Health Nursing Facility, previously called Sunny Acres. In 1969, we started to play bingo with some of the residents during the day. Years later, we began hosting a Christmas Party in the evening. We now bring in the Mayfield Swing choir, and provide cookies and punch, and Christmas gifts for all.

This is just the tip of the iceberg in what we do.

Here’s hoping I can help out for a few more years in this very special organization. Thank you for listening.”

By: Cimi Douglass, President; Judy Reece, Communications Chair; Britton Rogers, Social Media

Kindness. Is it contagious? Well the Atlanta Woman’s Club (AWC) thinks it is. What if we lived each day with the purpose of making a difference in someone’s life? Would it be contagious? Could it begin that ripple effect of spreading peace, love, and kindness within our communities? The Atlanta Woman’s Club believes it will.

At the Atlanta Woman’s Club’s June meeting members were challenged to participate in AWC’s Spread the Love Challenge throughout the summer. Each week, AWC will challenge its members and Facebook friends to do ONE RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS. A Random Act of Kindness will be posted each week and AWC would like you to join them and consider putting it into action. Some challenges will be easy and some will force members to dig a little deeper. Whether you choose to participate in the challenge that week or choose your own random act of kindness, what’s important is that you attempt to find ways to spread love and kindness in the communities you live. If you accomplish the task, AWC would love for you to share your experience by posting it on their Facebook page.

Most of us will never be involved in solving the big world problems, so… what CAN you do?  It’s easy, you can spread the love, one person at a time, one project at a time. We may not be able to end homelessness or war, but little random acts of kindness can make a big difference. It’s simple and takes just a minute of effort on your part but it can have lasting results for the people around us – people we may never see again, but who will remember the kind gesture or puts a smile on someone’s face and maybe, just maybe some will even pass it on.

So are you up for the challenge?

Here are some examples:

• Surprise our firemen! Visit a fire station–deliver fresh fruit, cupcakes, watermelon or other goodies.
• Leave a nice note on the windshield of a car
• Give a server a generous tip with a nice written compliment
• Pay for the order of the person behind you
• Bring treats to the office to share with co-workers

By GFWC President-elect Mary Ellen Brock

GFWC’s Strategic Plan contains our Mission Statement, our fundamental reason for existence and the scope of our activities; our Vision Statement, an inspirational description of what we would like to achieve in the future; our Core Values, the basic elements of how we go about our work; and the particulars of the plan. GFWC’s Strategic Plan helps build consensus and clarity of GFWC’s mission, values and goals.

What is a Strategic Plan? Let’s say I asked you to go outside right now, get into a car that’s waiting there, turn it on and drive away. You may, and rightly so, be puzzled by this, and ask “Where am I going and how do I get there?” You would want a map with your destination and directions. A Strategic Plan is just that—a map for an organization. It identifies destinations or goals and outlines directions or strategies to reach them. If I handed you such a map, you would be able to know where you’re going and how to get there.

GFWC’s Strategic Plan charts a course of action for GFWC by focusing on the future and providing an opportunity to influence that future. The Strategic Planning Committee developed the current GFWC Strategic Plan and the Board of Directors adopted it in June 2016.

Within the next week, I want you to become familiar with GFWC’s Strategic Plan. It is available on the website. Click Resources, scroll down and click on “Strategic Plan.” Download it! Read it!

The Strategic Plan identifies six major issues facing GFWC. We remember it as two Ms, two Ps, an L and an F. Or, try this method: “Many More People Prefer Live Flowers.” Commit it to memory and you will always remember our issues.

Two Ms, two Ps, an L and an F. Two Ms stand for Membership and Management. Two Ps refer to Public Awareness and Programs. L stands for Leadership. And F represents Financial Stability. Membership, Management, Public Awareness, Programs, Leadership and Financial Stability.

Let’s look at these in more detail.

Our goal is to increase GFWC membership. One of the strategies is to reinforce the concept that membership is everyone’s responsibility. For example, a club or state could provide monetary incentive to a member for bringing in a new  .

Good management leads to a well-governed and well-run organization. We want to provide ongoing education and information to ensure fulfillment of Board responsibilities. In this instance, a Club or State might hold a meeting for incoming and outgoing officers and board members to exchange files, ideas and job descriptions.

Public Awareness  is recognized universally as GFWC’s key strategies. This may mean using  approved GFWC emblem and/or logos on shirts or other items.

Programs, both Special and Community Service Programs, measure the value and impact of Club activities on the community. A yearly evaluation procedure for each program/project recognizes what is and is not working. End programs or projects that don’t show results.

Leadership comes from educating and fostering GFWC leaders. To this end, a Club or State could provide “Parliamentary Pointers” in its newsletters or at its meeting.

All GFWC Clubs aim to assure the organization’s Financial Stability goal. For example, celebrating the 1922 purchase of 1734 N Street, GFWC Headquarters, through donations to the Capital Campaign-Campaign for the Future is a means to that end. A Club/ State might celebrate by having a cake with members purchasing a candle with the proceeds going to the Campaign for the Future.

It is very easy for your club or state to implement a part of the Strategic Plan in your ongoing or planned events, and we are here to help and advise you along the way.

There is one more very important letter: U. You are a vital component, necessary for the success and fulfillment of GFWC goals. Every GFWC Club member is vital to reaching the destinations and accomplishing the goals.

We are all on the road to success together. I need you to take the drive, but don’t drive alone; carpool with your Club, district, region and state to reach the destinations and accomplish the goals together.

Your GFWC Core Value Implementation Toolkit: ‘Putting the Strategic Plan into Action, Step by Step’ is available on the GFWC website to help you start or fine tune your projects. And of course GFWC also offers roadside assistance. Just call GFWC and one of the volunteer or staff mechanics will answer your questions and help you get back on the road.

In ‘Alice in Wonderland,’ the Cheshire cat tells Alice, “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there.” To that we say, read the GFWC Strategic Plan so you know exactly where we are all headed.

So now it’s time to start your engines! See you at the finish line!.

By Jennifer Marie Conaway McMullen   

Born on October 22, 1924 in Ohio, I attended local schools and worked as a legal secretary until my family relocated to Arizona in 1943. While working in accounting and helping out in my family’s café in Tempe, Arizona, as an 18-year old, I met a number of airmen from the surrounding airfields, one of whom was named McMullen. He often said to me “You should meet my younger brother, you’d be good together.” The following summer, one of my co-workers who was a cousin of Gene Kelly, the movie star, said he and his family were travelling to Hollywood to visit Gene and asked me to come along, so I took a chance and traveled to California.

After a few days in a Los Angeles hotel, I went to Eagle Rock, California to stay with an acquaintance, who lived in a one-bedroom apartment with a friend. My new roommates both worked in the office at Lockheed Aircraft in Burbank, California. After interviewing at Lockheed, I was hired as a riveter in their aircraft factory. The entire area was camouflaged under a very large burlap tarp painted with homes, trees, even fire hydrants to depict a scene of suburban life.

Housing was at a premium and we had to share the two twin beds in a small apartment in Eagle Rock, which worked out fine as they worked the day shift and I worked the graveyard shift from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m. We all worked seven days a week.

I initially began my job bucking rivets and later moved up to being the riveter. For safety reasons all women were required to wear a scarf tied over their hair. We worked mainly on sections of airplanes. One of the planes was top secret, and we never viewed the plane in its entirety. I later learned it was the one and only Lockheed XP58 Chain Lightning, a long range fighter plane. The paycheck was good for the time and I used it wisely as I was entirely on my own. The majority of my co-workers were women, a few older men, and soldiers who worked during their military leave. The women worked on large presses as well as using rivet guns in the area where I was stationed.

I was happy to be working at a defense plant to help the war effort, as my two brothers were in the service, the elder in the South Pacific and the younger in France and Belgium. I was very fortunate that they both came home safely at the end of the war.

After working as a riveter for about seven months, I obtained a job in Los Angeles as a legal secretary and therefore left my Lockheed job and had to acquire new lodgings. Since I was still in contact with that young McMullen pilot, he suggested that I contact his mother as she had an empty bedroom since his younger brother was away in the Air Corps. So that worked out well, his mother and I became good friends, and when the war ended I was on the streets of Los Angeles amongst all the hugging and kissing that you see depicted in photos of that time. It was indeed a joyous day!

Shortly thereafter in November, 1945, came the glorious day when the younger McMullen brother Mel arrived home from the China-Burma-India Theater of war and while not quite love at first sight, within six weeks we were engaged. Meanwhile my best girlfriend from Ohio had come to share my bedroom and when the older McMullen brother Jim came home on leave, they fell in love and before he was sent to Okinawa after the war, he proposed. So we ended up having a double wedding at the Air Force base in Salt Lake City, Utah on May 13, 1946. The brothers always joked that they had to marry the Ohio girls to get their bedroom back. While we lost my brother-in-law and wife some years ago, life is still a joy for Mel and me as we head into our 72nd year of merry matrimony.

We have had a great life together, reared three sons who are talented and live successful, comfortable lives. They have also given us four good-looking grandchildren.

I am a proud member of the American Rosie the Riveter Association and the Women’s Club of San Bernardino (California).

In the spirit of coming together to recognize our dynamic past and exciting future, GFWC is excited to host a special video contest. Each of the three finalist submitted a video answering the question, “What does being a GFWC clubwoman mean to you?” Now, clubwomen across the nation are invited to vote for their favorite video. The finalist are encouraged to share their submission with friends, family, and their community and encourage them to vote! Voting will take place from May 15 to May 31. Contest rules allow for a maximum of one voter per person, per day. The winning club will receive a $100 gift card for the GFWC Marketplace.

Visit the GFWC Facebook page to cast your vote.

GFWC Connecticut

GFWC Melbourne Woman’s Club (Florida)

GFWC Nevada Mesquite Club, Inc.

BY AUTHOR AND SPEAKER MARY LOU SANELLI

At the movies, I sit next to a woman I’ve seen around town for years, a woman I’ve taken special note of because she reminds me of my mother. While waiting for the film to begin, I go over and over in my head why this woman is so similar to my mom even though she has red hair — instead of brunette — and she wears silver jewelry rather than the gold accoutrement my mother prefers. Manner. That’s what it is. The perfect word for why she and my mother resemble each other. Let’s just say that if they shopped together, they’d be drawn to the same style. Or if they were to chat about the neighborhood, family, religion, or politics — though they’d likely skip religion and politics — they’d agree about most things, or politely pretend to. They are mothers from the same era. And even if they have no more in common than having married and procreated in the fifties, they have lived through much of what life has to offer, good and bad, which becomes its own loyalty in the same way veterans bond over a shared war. And if May wasn’t about finding the perfect gift for mom, which it is, I would be satisfied with a quick scan of how I feel about the woman sitting next to me, then I’d lean back to enjoy the trailers. But tonight I’m looking at her from the inside out, where perspective is always more about tuning in to the little voice inside you. And if I listen carefully, it’s not hard to hear why this woman has chosen a seat next to me. Oh! I knew it! What was I thinking? You see, just yesterday I bought my mother’s gift, the most exquisite 100% silk blouse that would fall over her shoulders in the most elegant way. But one glance at the woman beside me reminds how utterly inappropriate the gift is for my mother. The blouse is appropriate for, you guessed it, me. What my mother would enjoy receiving is a sweater similar to the one the woman beside me proudly wears with the words “World’s Greatest Grandmother” stitched to it’s front. Let’s back up. I need to back up here and say something I’m not especially proud of: I have been trying (and failing) to “remake” my mother most of my life. And so if, at first, I didn’t understand why this woman was affecting me so strongly, I realize now that I know exactly why. To remind me to return the silk blouse. Tomorrow. First thing. Because there is a real message here even for the most irreverent: Gift giving is about the person on the receiving end. As soon as the movie is over, I will politely ask the woman where she found her sweater. And then I will surf the net until I find it. Because of all the people I need to buy for, mom is the one I most want to please. Mom has always been the one I most want to please. Which this year I fully intend to do.

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MARY LOU SANELLI has earned a solid reputation in the literary and public-speaking community through a steady commitment to writing and through twenty years of successful public readings and presentations. She has published seven collections of poetry and three works of non-fiction, Among Friends, Falling Awake, and her newest title, A Woman Writing.  Learn more by visiting her website, www.marylousanelli.com

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