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By Lilly Hart

In February 1886, a year after the passing of his first wife, Thomas Edison married Mina Miller. Mina, who was raised in Akron, Ohio, came from a family that highly valued education, and instilled those values in Mina.

After they married, the couple moved to Fort Myers, Florida where Mina became an active community member. Because of the status of her husband, Mina never received the recognition she deserved for her persistent community work. However, she devoted her life to local, regional, and national activities. After a trip to New York to meet with the Chautauqua Women’s Club, Mina founded her own GFWC club in Fort Myers. The group grew quickly, and Mina invited a close friend from nearby LaBelle, Mrs. B.L. Dulaney, to attend the club meetings. Soon, Mrs. Dulaney had several cars full of women making the trip to attend the meetings. After several packed meetings, Mina approached Mrs. Dulaney and proposed that she start her own group in LaBelle. On February 3, 1930, LaBelle Community Woman’s Club (LCWC) became a reality.

LCWC hit the ground running and housed the first circulating library in 1931. The women planted trees along the major roads, set trash cans on street corners, and encouraged the city to pass ordinances to keep the town free from rubbish. During the Great Depression, the club continued to sponsor libraries, solve school problems, beautify communities, and assist in welfare work. Members devoted their efforts to war related projects during World War II and sewed for the Red Cross, participated in Bundles for Britain, helped with bond sales, and planted victory gardens.

Early special projects of the clubwomen also included forest conservation. The Royal State Park was presented to the United States government in a ceremony on December 6, 1947. At the ceremony, attended by President Harry S Truman, Florida clubwoman Mrs. W. S. Jennings was cited for her foresight in securing the lands, and GFWC Florida was cited for keeping the park open to the public. This park became the Florida Everglades National Park.

Over 119 years since its inception, the members of the GFWC Florida Federation of Women’s Clubs are still committed to identifying the needs of the local community and working to meet those needs through community service projects.

By Nancy Carmon

It was a hot, humid August in Nashville, Tennessee as the forces gathered to meet at the special session called by the governor to address the 19^th Amendment to the United States Constitution. Supporters for women’s suffrage wore yellow roses and those opposed wore red American Beauty roses. These discussions and arguments continued night and day are referred to as the “War of the Roses”.

Preceding the special session of the Tennessee House of Representatives, clubwoman and suffragist Lizzie Crozier French traveled the hills and valleys of East Tennessee lobbying lawmakers to vote yes on the 19^th Amendment.

Lizzie was born in 1851, formally educated at the Covenant of Visitation School in Washington, D.C. Widowed at 23, Lizzie devoted much of her life to women’s causes. In 1885, Lizzie visited the Sorosis Woman’s Club in New York City and returned to Knoxville inspired to organize a literary club that became GFWC Ossoli Circle.

In 1885 she established the Knoxville Female Institute, of which she would later become principal. Lizzie was also an eloquent public speaker and wrote a book called “A Manual of Elocution.” She founded the Women’s Educational and Industrial Union and was the first woman to address the Knoxville City Council, where she advocated for the appointment of a female police matron for women offenders. She assisted in the founding of the Knoxville branch of the League of American Pen Women, the PTA, the League of Women Voters, and the Unitarian Church. She was the first woman to speak before the Tennessee Bar Association and frankly said to them, “I wish I could say ‘Fellow citizens’, but since I am not accepted as a citizen by the government, I must say ‘Citizens and Fellow Servants.’”

Despite her long list of accomplishments, Lizzie primarily described herself as a suffragist and was active in the National Women’s Party. She influenced Harry Burn’s mother to write a letter to Harry, a young representative from Niota, Tennessee, to convince him to change his vote for the 19^th amendment to YES. He was wearing a red rose that morning as the special session was called to order, but in his suit coat pocket he had that eight-page letter from his mother and a yellow rose.

Harry Burn cast the deciding vote for the 19^th amendment to the Constitution of the United States. Supporters watching from the balcony threw their yellow roses into the air and over the railing onto the floor of the Tennessee House of Representatives.  The 19^th Amendment was ratified. Tennessee was the “Perfect Thirty-Six” and Lizzie Crozier French had finally achieved her life-long dream for the women of the United States—they now had the right to vote.

By President Cimi Douglass and Women’s History Chair Leigh Reynolds

Rebecca Douglas Lowe became involved in club life in November 1895 when the General Federation of Women’s Clubs met in Atlanta at the Southern States Cotton Exposition. She was elected as president of the Atlanta Woman’s Club when it formed on November 11, 1895. In 1896, Lowe invited 17 other women’s clubs to meet and form the Georgia Federation of Women’s Clubs. She became GFWC Georgia President in1897.  At the 1898 GFWC Convention in Denver, Colorado, Lowe was elected GFWC International President.

Rebecca was clear that club life was not solely a social affair when she urged “every woman interested in the advancement of her sex to join the club from those in society to those who earn their living in Atlanta factories,” and stated that her mission was “to advance the education and general welfare of women along the broadest and most beneficial lines.”

Rebecca worked to organize women’s clubs all over Georgia while influencing and educating fellow clubwomen on the importance of women pursuing higher education. She was the first name on the petition to allow women in state universities in Georgia, she promoted free kindergarten, and she wanted to “take up the trouble of the working woman and see what we can do to lighten her labor and increase her pay.” Rebecca also wanted to “to study the school teacher’s problem and find out why she is not paid as much as the men who do exactly the same work.”

In 1895, Rebecca Douglas Lowe was already trailblazing a path for equality, education, and the welfare of women and children.  Although we’ve come a long way, she continues to inspire every woman within the Georgia Federation to bravely speak up for injustice and inequality and to always help those in need.

Let me tell you about Mary Ellen Matise, she is a historian, a researcher and educator and the winner of the Martha Washington Women of History Award. This award is given by Washington’s Headquarters State Historical Site, to a woman who has made a contribution to the history of the Hudson Valley, NY through education, promotion, or preservation. Martha Washington and her husband General George Washington resided in the Hudson Valley of New York during the last days of the Revolutionary War.

Mary Ellen is the Village of Walden Historian and involved in numerous organizations that specialize in promoting local historical research, historic preservation, and educational interest in the field of history. Mary Ellen is known in the area as a presenter of historical programs to other societies and is a frequent contributor of articles to the Wallkill Valley Times. She serves as President of her local GFWC Walden Women’s Club, is a founding member of the Coldenham Preservation and Historical Society, and a mentor for the Walden Elementary History Club.

What an honor for our club member for her extraordinary work with historic preservation. The award will be presented during Women’s History Month.

By Chris Sienkielewski
GFWC Education Chairman

Whenever GFWC members come together, the conversation inevitably turns to books. It’s great to hear about books that have the power to bring you to a new world with great adventures where we can slip into someone else’s shoes. Just by sitting in a chair and reading a book, we can travel the world, meet amazing people, escape from prison, or even have lunch with the president.

GFWC members love reading and are dedicated to increasing literacy rates. Read Across America Day on March 2 is the perfect opportunity to share this passion for education and reading with the world while also promoting GFWC’s message of Living the Volunteer Spirit.

Founded in 1998, Read Across America takes place every year on March 2 to celebrate the birthday of Dr. Seuss and to motivate children to read. Last year, clubs across the country dressed up as Dr. Seuss characters, served as guest readers at elementary schools, and donated books. Below are just a few of the many ways you can participate in Read Across America Day and spread literacy throughout March.

Share your love of reading with GFWC
Many of us have read books that changed our lives and gave us a new perspective of the world. We have all finished reading a book and wished we could discuss it with someone. Have you read a good book lately? To celebrate reading and Read Across America Day, we want to hear from you. In 100 words or less, tell us about a book you recently finished or one that has made an impact in your life. What made this book so special? What is your favorite line from the book, and why?

Send your responses and a photo with your favorite book to pr@gfwc.org. The photos and responses will be compiled into a board on the GFWC Pinterest page. Sharing what you loved about your favorite books will give clubwomen ideas about new books to read and will help spark a discussion about literature. This is a great way to invite others to talk with one another about a great book!

Spread Awareness of Read Across America
Read Across America, a project of the National Education Association, offers a variety of public relations tools that you can use on your social media pages. Download artwork including ads, web banners, posters, and more by visiting http://www.nea.org/grants/61654.htm. Read Across America also offers fact sheets that demonstrate the importance of reading aloud to children.

Plan an Education Community Service Program Project
The GFWC Club Manual offers dozens of project ideas related to the Education Community Service Program, including a library tour for children, book drives, and more. Click here to download the Education section of the Club Manual and consider adapting one of these projects for your club.

Learn about Epsilon Sigma Omicron
An honorary educational society open to all dues-paying members of GFWC, Epsilon Sigma Omicron (ESO) was founded over 60 years ago and provides clubwomen with a reading program designed for self-improvement and growth. Contact your State President to verify the charter of an ESO chapter in your state. You can view a list of reading materials and learn more by clicking here.

Give the Gift of Reading
If you have children or grandchildren, spend some time reading aloud to them. Donate books to your local library or elementary school. Reach out to schools in your community and see if they need reading tutors. Start a Little Free Library in your community. Give books as birthday presents. The possibilities for sharing books with others are endless!

This March, combine your love for reading and volunteering by participating in Read Across America. Whatever activity you decide to pursue, be sure to send photos to pr@gfwc.org, and remember Dr. Seuss’s famous words: “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”

A recent posting to the GFWC App by Anita Jenkins, President of the GFWC Coco Plum Woman’s Club (Florida), has drawn attention to the number of clubs and clubwomen supporting Special Olympics. Founded in the early 1960s by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Special Olympics aims to provide people with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to discover strengths and develop new skills through sports. GFWC has a special history with the Special Olympics, as it was the Special Project of GFWC International President Juanita M. Bryant (1982-1984).

Globally, there are almost 200 million individuals living with intellectual disabilities. Intellectual disabilities are defined as limitations in cognitive functioning and difficulty with the skills necessary for day-to-day life such as being able to communicate effectively, interact with others, and take care of oneself. However, the staff and volunteers at Special Olympics “believe in a world where there are millions of different abilities but not disabilities”.

Special Olympics offers their athletes much more than the chance to participate in over 30 Olympic-style events. A wide range of services are provided including sports training, health screenings, and instruction in leadership techniques. These services help athletes meet challenges on and off the playing field with increased confidence.

Special Olympics volunteers act as coaches and trainers, officials, event organizers, fundraisers, and fans cheering in the stands. As President Jenkins says, “There is nothing more rewarding than watching an athlete cross the finish line, bowl a strike, or make a basket. If club members cannot be on the field as coaches, they should consider sitting in the grandstands and cheering on the athletes. It means so much to them.” There are hundreds of Special Olympics offices around the world, and all of them need assistance at various times during the year. Click here to find the Special Olympics Office nearest you.

By Jeanne Waseleski, GFWC Membership Committee Member

Ever meet a potential GFWC member while shopping or at the airport? Be prepared with a brief elevator speech that encourages questions and sparks interest. While talking about the Federation be enthusiastic. Your personality is key to making potential members want to find out more. Everyone naturally gravitates towards positive people. Use business cards  and brochures to invite the community. Special events and fundraisers also are helpful tools to increase membership. Finally, remember to wear your GFWC branded pin or shirt. Building name recognition is a must!

Another way to meet potential members is through mutual interests. Do you belong to another service organization, book club, or gym? Start talking about GFWC club activities and presenters to spur curiosity about the fun and camaraderie to be found through GFWC. Given the myriad projects in which clubwomen engage, you are certainly privy to an activity sure to interest  almost anyone.

To attract new members, it helps to determine what group of women may be the best ‘fit’ for your club. Look for similarities. Do you want to attract a new demographic, such as recent college graduates or women with a specific skill set, or maybe those who are great at organizing or engaged in business? Do you meet during the day, and if so, will it be convenient for working women to attend meetings at lunchtime? If you meet in the evenings, are you able to give a lift to those members unable to drive at night? Are you able to connect with new residents in the area through retirement communities, senior centers, or schools?

In many cases, volunteer membership groups reflect a specific identity or character developed over the years. We gravitate toward familiarity, usually involving friends and colleagues who tend to have similar backgrounds and interests. This makes diversification
or inclusion of a broader group more difficult. Your challenge is to include potential leaders and programs which spark interest and pride in your club—and reflect the diversity and culture of your community.

Membership opportunities also include taking advantage of readily available information. In addition to the GFWC Club Manual, mine the resources of your State Membership Chairman. They are a wealth of information and are more than willing to assist. If you have questions, our Region Membership Chairmen will help you find the answers. Informative Membership Presentations and updates are provided at Region meetings. Take advantage of them!

Remember to recognize those members who have made our clubs special. Keeping our current friends is just as important as finding new ones. Participate in a Game of Hearts, and let us know how your club used these membership opportunities and how many new members have joined. Membership reports should be emailed to Membership Services Manager Kate Garlic at kgarlick@gfwc.org.

As Will Rogers once said, “Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.”

By Lora Rios-McBride
Woman’s Club of Parsippany-Troy Hills NJ Communications Chairman

The Woman’s Club of Parsippany-Troy Hills (WCPTH) has a secret tool that gets us notable media attention—press releases! In 2016, through 59 press releases, our club’s name and activities appeared almost 200 times in print publications. Not only do we attract new members, but community support has been overwhelming!

WCPTH sends out at least one press release each month, but very often we have emailed three to five, or even more. The invitation to our general meeting is an ongoing press release. Along with a personalized email, our press releases are distributed to media in our area and beyond.  Important media contacts are developed through this frequent communication. Tailored emails to specific reporters or editors help ensure the press release is at least read and considered for publication.

For many events, we invite the press. But we realize that the press will have their own criteria for sending reporters and photographers. A press release about a speaker at a general meeting sometimes generates a newspaper’s request to cover with a photographer. Again, the effects of a press release can be surprising.

The media distribution list should be reviewed and expanded whenever possible. For the first time last year, we were able to publicize our annual golf fundraiser through NJ Monthly, a state-wide magazine. Don’t forget to include your state and national GFWC publications.

Community support for fundraisers is also accomplished through press releases. When writing about a fundraiser, the press release needs to include key information on why we are holding the fundraiser.  Our Annual Golf and Social Luncheon raises money for several educational programs, including scholarships for high school seniors. From March to July 2016, there were 11 press releases, which included an invitation to golf and information on our various educational programs. This continual flow of information helped increase not only attendance at the event but also allowed us to raise the most money to date.

An important topic for our press releases is information on the many charitable organizations we support. We have had women in the community crochet hats for the Click for Babies campaign after learning about Prevent Child Abuse-NJ. Women contributed money for our annual Adopt-A-Family gift drive after we publicized the Head Start program. And a woman filled six new backpacks with school supplies after reading about women and their children living in shelters for battered women. None of these generous women felt they had the time to commit to joining our club but appreciated the opportunity to support us in our endeavors.

In the opening paragraph, the press release should contain obvious information like date and meeting times, with an invitation for area women to attend. By following the same format each month, the public will find it easier to look for your club’s information. Click here to download a sample press release.

From the January+February edition of GFWC Clubwoman Magazine

Empowering. Educational. Exciting. These are three words that Kristina Higbee, a 2009 graduate of the GFWC Leadership Education and Development Seminar (LEADS), uses to describe her experience in the program.

Worthwhile and well-done, inspiring and fun—whatever words used to describe their experiences, LEADS graduates have demonstrated through their ongoing service as leaders that the program is invaluable.

Although LEADS is just a one-day event, the lessons taught at this seminar last forever. From conflict management to public speaking, the specific subject matter of LEADS changes based on feedback from participants, but the seminar teaches skills to ensure graduates have the tools necessary to be successful GFWC leaders.

Cherie Lee Williams is one of the graduates from the 2016 LEADS class. Before arriving in Baltimore, she had never attended a GFWC Annual Convention, and was a bit nervous. But when she returned home to Las Vegas the next week, she had made dozens of new connections in her LEADS class.

“It’s made me realize that I have sisters all over the world. I never had any sisters, and now I have thousands,” she said. “I understand that GFWC gives us a link in our community and other communities. It helps us understand and get our voices out there to improve what we’re doing in our local neighborhoods as well.”

Kristina, who currently serves as chairman of the GFWC Arts Community Service Program, says that LEADS is a must for anyone with aspirations of moving up in the leadership of GFWC.

“When I attended LEADS, I was fairly new in the organization and it was so inspiring to learn about our rich history. It helped to bring everything into focus and understand what we stand for and how all our communities are connected. I am honored to call myself a LEADS graduate,” she said.

Before attending LEADS, Sara Ruppel from GFWC Pennsylvania didn’t realize the extent of GFWC beyond her own state.

“I didn’t know anything about GFWC’s involvement in legislation before I attended LEADS,” she said. “I now have a whole new appreciation for the Bylaws and Resolutions section of Convention.”

Although LEADS is focused on helping clubwomen rise as leaders in GFWC, the skills gained from this seminar can also be applied in all areas of life.

“It’s a way to help your club, but it’s also a way to help yourself,” said Michele Hartlove, a 2013 LEADS graduate from the GFWC District of Columbia Woman’s Club. “What you learn can be used to help better your club, but also to better yourself.”

The seminar also gives participants a chance to form friendships and connect, which is especially important for those who may have never attended a GFWC Annual Convention. Emily White, a 2011 LEADS graduate from South Dakota, is still friends with everyone who sat at her table during the seminar.

“It’s great that everybody goes through LEADS as a group in the same room,” she said. “I think the bonding that is offered at LEADS is part of the goal.”

2013 LEADS Graduate Karyn Charvat says the experience gave her more confidence, and she realized there are many ways to serve GFWC as a leader.

“What I took away from my LEADS experience is that the networks we form in this organization are invaluable and continue to be strong years after that one day,” she said.

There are dozens of other clubwomen who have taken initiative by attending LEADS and then going on to serve as national GFWC leaders. Will you be one of them? Visit https://www.gfwc.org/membership/leads-ilts/ to learn more.

Is your club in need of new members, but trying to figure out the best strategy for attracting prospective clubwomen? The Woman’s Club of Chevy Chase (Maryland) has found great success in member recruitment by establishing an Evening Section. Since January 2016, the club has recruited 54 new members—bringing their total membership to 233 active members.

“The biggest reason we’ve had so many new members is the addition of our evening section,” said Phyllis Kokus, the club’s membership chair.

This section meets on Tuesday nights, allowing women who work during the day to become members of the club. In addition to the new meeting time, Club President Marilyn Sherman’s emphasis on community service has attracted members to the club.

Dynamic guest speakers, including authors such as Kate Anderson Bauer, as well as the club’s monthly programs, have led to an influx of new members. Phyllis also attributes the club’s beautiful clubhouse as a factor, as many women are curious about the organization after driving by the house.

For any clubs looking to replicate this success story in their own communities, Phyllis says it’s important to be welcoming and inclusive, and to “invite, invite, invite, and always follow-up.” Members are encouraged to invite friends to join the club, which has proven to be a successful strategy for the Woman’s Club of Chevy Chase.

Congratulations to the Woman’s Club of Chevy Chase for recruiting so many new members. Learn more about GFWC’s “It’s the Real Deal” Recruitment Campaign by visiting http://bit.ly/2f8VbkD.