Category: Uncategorized

GFWC High Springs New Century Woman’s Club 

Members of the GFWC High Springs New Century Woman’s Club (Florida) worked together to raise money to purchase protective hoods for their local fire departments.

The club’s Second Vice President Bonnie Josey said the club hosted a fundraiser at a popular local brewery and the day included music, food trucks, and raffle prize baskets. She said they raised about $3,000 during the fundraiser, and 100 percent of the proceeds went toward helping the fire departments.

“It was one of our most successful fundraisers and everyone had a great time,” she said. “People were very generous.”

Bonnie explained the protective hoods they purchased for the firefighters go over their face masks and under the rest of their equipment to protect their head, neck, and shoulders from heat, smoke, and chemicals that can result in serious health problems.

With the money raised, the clubwomen purchased 30 hoods for two area fire departments and various supplies for a third department that was not in need of hoods.

Bonnie said the members and other people in the community were all excited to help support the local fire departments in any way they could.

“Being a small town, we are very close to our fire departments and we know they didn’t have full protection,” she said.

GFWC West Side Women’s Club 

Members of GFWC West Side Women’s Club (Pennsylvania) recently completed a food drive to benefit the Al Beech West Side Food Pantry, located in the Church of Christ Uniting. Club member and Health and Wellness Chairman Nancy D’Amico said 25 clubwomen participated in the food drive and they collected several hundred dollars’ worth of food and monetary donations for the pantry.

“It was through the generosity of our members that we were able to give,” Nancy said.

She explained the food pantry serves 10 different communities with the help of volunteers and donations. In 2020 alone, Nancy said the pantry was able to serve more than two million meals and help more than 500 families in need during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“There was a huge need for help there,” she said.

Nancy said the Health and Wellness Committee wanted to work on this donation project because they are focused on the awareness and advancement of the benefits of good nutrition for everyone. She added with the continued difficulties many people are facing due to the pandemic, members thought this would be a good way to offer help.

“We just felt that it was important, especially this year,” she said.

GFWC Research Club of Limerick 

Members of the GFWC Research Club of Limerick (Maine) spent their first in-person meeting since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic making fleece-tie blankets as part of the “Linus Blanket” project. Club Co-President Sally Manchester said all of the blankets clubwomen made were donated to Caring Unlimited, a local women’s domestic violence shelter.

“This is one of the projects that is near and dear to our hearts because at one time the shelter we support had a satellite office in our town,” Sally said.

In addition to making the tie blankets, Sally said the clubwomen have completed other donation projects for the shelter in the past, including a sock donation drive and more.

“We support them all year long, but we focus our support at Christmas time,” she said, noting members try to donate toiletries, personal care items, gas cards, gift cards, and other items during the holidays.

Sally said the club wanted to work on this project to help make a difference for and show their support to women who are survivors of domestic violence.

“We’re all women, and while I personally don’t know anyone who has needed the services of a domestic violence shelter, we know that it exists and is prevalent and not enough people talk about it,” she said.

Sally added their community is fortunate to have a local shelter.

“It is important to us to support it in whatever way we can,” she said.

GFWC Yucaipa Woman’s Club 

For the fifth year in a row, members of the GFWC Yucaipa Woman’s Club (California) gathered for a “Christmas in July” event to socialize and gather donations. This year, clubwoman donated toys and snacks for Ronald McDonald House Charities. Club Trustee Virginia Cosby said this is the third year the club has raised donations for this nonprofit.

“We like what they do for families in need,” Virginia said. “We feel close to it and we know it’s well run. We know the things donated will be given and we like working with them because our efforts are appreciated and will be used the way we intended.”

Although Ronald McDonald House Charities helps children and teens of all ages, Virginia said this year members specifically brought in items for kids 0- to 2-years-old, including building blocks, teddy bears, and soft books.

“Children need toys more than just at Christmastime, so we donate during July,” she said.

Along with the members, the director of the facility attended the Christmas in July event and gave a short speech explaining how Ronald McDonald Houses work to help patients and families facing treatment for serious illnesses at the Loma Linda Hospital in Loma Linda, California.

Virginia said members plan to continue this gift-giving tradition as long as the organization needs their help.

GFWC Women’s Citizenship Club of Alamosa 

Members of GFWC Women’s Citizenship Club of Alamosa (Colorado) are continuing to offer small acts of appreciation to those who have been dedicated to caring for others during the COVID-19 pandemic. GFWC Colorado Membership Chairman Theresa Rudder said 17 clubwomen decided to put together platters filled with cookies for the staff at six nursing homes in San Luis Valley, Colorado. She said they contacted each of the nursing homes to determine how many staff members they have and to discuss the proper format in which to deliver the cookies. The members then spent one morning putting together more than 500 homemade cookies along with words of encouragement for the staff members, thanking them for all that they are doing to bring comfort to their residents.

“We know that COVID-19 took a toll on the people that were in the frontline,” Theresa said. “Their jobs are rough as it is in a normal time, and it increased exponentially during COVID-19 time. We wanted to show them that their efforts did not go unnoticed.”

Theresa said the trays of cookies were delivered to the area nursing homes by members and they received many comments of thanks from the respective staff.

She added the club has been working on similar projects to show appreciation to people throughout the past year, including creating gratitude boards for hundreds of employees at hospitals and schools.

“It was a small act of kindness that made a big difference,” Theresa said.

Collinsville Woman’s Club

The Collinsville Woman’s Club (Illinois) presented a donation check for more than $10,000 to the Collinsville Food Pantry in June. GFWC Illinois District 22 President Janice Housden said the club raised the money partially through donations in place of their annual “Empty Bowl” event.

Janice said for this event, clubwomen rent out a hall and charge attendees a small entry fee to come enjoy soups donated by local restaurants.

“It’s not a big town, but we get a lot of support from the people,” she said.

Janice explained the “Empty Bowl” project started nine years ago as a way to raise money for the food pantry to help people experiencing homelessness. All of the money from the event goes to the Collinsville Food Pantry.

She said the members of the Women’s Club of Collinsville have always tried to help the food pantry and give back whenever they could.

“We have to. It we don’t, there will be a lot of families who will be hungry,” Janice said.

GFWC Florida 

Members of GFWC Florida had the opportunity to demonstrate their volunteer spirit throughout the past month as they came together to support the first responders working at the site of the condo collapse in Surfside, Florida.

Led by Elizabeth Fisher, a member of GFWC Miami Springs Woman’s Club and the State President’s Project Chairman, GFWC volunteers helped provide relief for 400 first responders and many anxious families.

Hydration and personal safety became a challenge for first responders working in wet, hot, and humid conditions, so clubwomen delivered hundreds of neck gaiters, boot dryers, moisture-control socks, foot powder, blister relief items, and t-shirts. They provided midnight meals and returned daily with thousands of water bottles and snacks for the first responders and anxious families waiting onsite as well.

GFWC volunteers also donated tents, tables, chairs, and industrial fans that were contributed by a local store, giving first responders an opportunity to replenish their strength during breaks. These items will remain with the Miami-Dade Fire Department for future use. In addition, clubwomen provided kitchen items for 35 families who lost their homes and are moving into new permanent living quarters.

GFWC Florida State President Dianne Foerster said she is glad clubwomen could offer their help to the people impacted by this tragedy and offered her thanks to everyone who participated.

Elizabeth Fisher expressed her appreciation to GFWC Florida clubwomen as well.

“GFWC Florida, your love and encouragement is so heartwarming,” she said. “Thank you for showing love, respect, and kindness to our first responders and our community during this incredibly difficult time.”

GFWC Brunswick Woman’s Club 

Members of the GFWC Brunswick Woman’s Club (Georgia) participated in the GFWC Georgia Day of Service in a big way this year. In addition to donating to Ronald McDonald House Charities, clubwomen decided to “Pack the Pantry” at Nunnally House in Brunswick, Georgia. The facility is located adjacent to the Southeast Georgia Health System Foundation Brunswick Campus and offers rooms for cancer patients receiving treatment, families of critical care patients, medical students, and on-call staff.

The clubwomen donated items such as individually packaged snacks, cookies, crackers, granola bars, macaroni and cheese, and more, as well as cups, plastic silverware, and plates and bowls. In total, members bought more than $450 worth of food, drinks, and utensils.

Club President Patricia Porto said the clubwomen were all excited to help make a difference for people in their community.

“Knowing our donations give some comfort for families caring for their cancer-stricken members is why so many of our club members give so generously to the Nunnally House each year,” she said.

Eight members of the GFWC Brunswick Woman’s Club went to Nunnally House to deliver the donations, and upon arrival they were offered a tour of the facility.

Club Treasurer Kathleen Orians Dawson said she was glad the club was able to bring these donations to the organization.

“We were delighted to be able to ‘Pack the Pantry’ at Nunnally House again this year,” she said. “The members really enjoyed providing snacks, drinks, and other goodies to make things easier for the families that Nunnally House serves.

GFWC Woman’s Citizenship Club 

Members of the GFWC Woman’s Citizenship Club (Colorado) continued their tradition of marching in the Independence Day parade in Alamosa, Colorado, after not being able to participate last year due to COVID-19. Dressed in white with red and blue accessories, the members gathered to celebrate the return of the parade and to celebrate the nation’s freedom.

GFWC Colorado Membership Chairman and member of the GFWC Woman’s Citizenship Club Theresa Rudder said the parade was a lot of fun for the clubwomen.

“It was a beautiful, beautiful day and we had a bunch of people watching us,” she said.

Theresa said many of the clubwomen walk the parade each year alongside a red convertible owned by one of the members that provides transportation for the women who are unable to walk the parade route but want to participate.

This year, the car was decorated in red, white, and blue with posters announcing some of the projects the club is involved with, including their partnership with Tu Casa, Inc., a local organization dedicated to domestic violence awareness and prevention.

Theresa said after the parade, several clubwomen attended a pizza party to continue enjoying each other’s company after being apart for so long.

“We had so much fun,” she said.

Cosmopolitan Club of Petal 

In 2020, Cosmopolitan Club of Petal (Mississippi) clubwomen began working on the “Mile of Flags on Main Street” project, which involved club members placing 1,000 American flags on Main Street in Petal, Mississippi, for Independence Day and Veteran’s Day. Inspired by the project idea, a member rallied her subdivision and adjoining neighborhood into sponsoring an “Ole Glory” campaign for Independence Day last year. This project consisted of area residents donating $20 a piece so the club member could purchase 200 American flags on poles with brackets that were put on utility poles in the two neighborhoods.

Club President Meri Newell explained this project was continued and is being taken a step further now in 2021 with the help of the Petal Area Chamber of Commerce. Along with displaying flags again for Independence Day, by Veteran’s Day this year even more flags will be displayed on all power poles on the two main thoroughfares in Petal. Meri said many people in the community have stepped up to donate to the flag fund and to offer their assistance.

“We’re proud of our country and we’re proud of the people who have served our country,” she said.

Meri added seeing the flags up around the city during patriotic holidays is important to the clubwomen.

“It’s a reminder to all of us how blessed we are to live in this country,” she said. “It’s small town USA and I think it’s something that really brings people together. People love to see the flags.”

GFWC Ohio Austintown Junior Women’s League 

Members of the GFWC Ohio Austintown Junior Women’s League (Ohio) recently dedicated two Little Lending Libraries to the community with the goal of bringing the joy of reading to people of all ages.

The club’s First Vice-President Ruty Patterson said making books of all genres available to people who may not have access otherwise was important to the clubwomen.

“We all love to read and we wanted to make this available to the public,” she said.

Ruty explained both of the libraries were built and placed at the local township park because this area receives a lot of traffic during summer concerts, from people visiting the park, and from the nearby school.

“There’s a lot of activity for kids around there,” she said.

Although the club was originally only going to make one library box, Ruty said they decided to make two after getting a good price on the building materials. She added one of the libraries is dedicated to children and teens, while the other is filled with books for adults.

Ruty said club members donated a couple hundred books for the libraries, and after the project was announced on Facebook, people began donating even more.

GFWC Millville Woman’s Club 

Clubwomen with the GFWC Millville Woman’s Club (New Jersey) are using their artistic talents to brighten the spirits of their fellow members and people in the community.

Club President Diann Ewan said earlier this year the club decided to host a “Painted Pillowcase Party” with the goal of decorating pillowcases to give to members who have been isolated and homebound due to COVID-19 and other causes.

“We wanted to do something special for some of our members,” she said.

As part of this activity, members got together to paint and draw designs on white pillowcases that would then be safely delivered.

“It was a very nice project. The people who participated were really happy to do it,” Diann said. “The members who we gave them to loved that we made them something special.”

Diann said although the initial Painted Pillowcase Part was to offer a thanks and bring some joy to clubwomen, after seeing the success of this activity, they will be making more pillowcases to donate to other members of the community, including women at family shelters.

She added although some of these members who received a pillowcase could not come out to events during the past year, they still helped by donating money or other items to different causes.

GFWC Ossoli Circle 

GFWC Ossoli Circle’s (Tennessee) commissioned a local artist to paint a scene that was then turned into a wrap for a traffic control cabinet. Nancy Carmon, Ossoli in Action Co-Chair, said the painting was done in a primitive style and featured historic buildings. Information about the founder of GFWC Ossoli Circle, suffrage leader Lizzie Crozier French, was also included on the traffic cabinet. Along with being the founder of the club, Lizzie was a co-founder and teacher at an institute established for girls and young women in an era when they were generally excluded from colleges and universities. The traffic control cabinet is located across the street from the former site of the school. Lizzie Crozier French founded GFWC Ossoli Circle after a visit to the Sorosis Women’s Club in New York in 1885.

Nancy said after a fellow clubwomen suggested the idea to commission the art for the cabinet, the rest of the members were excited about the idea.

“It was a tribute to (Lizzie) and her history of providing education to women who wouldn’t have access to higher education or really any education at all,” Nancy said.

She explained the purpose of Ossoli in Action is to get the club active with the community, beautify the city, and promote the club overall. The art on the traffic control cabinet met all of these goals.

“It was a way to celebrate a local artist, and celebrate and promote history,” Nancy said.

She added the cabinet is located on a well-trafficked road that people also use for outdoor recreation, and club members hope people will stop to read about the history of GFWC Ossoli Circle and how they are trying to make a difference today.

“Hopefully it has made a little impact,” Nancy said.

GFWC Woman’s Century Club 

Members of the GFWC Woman’s Century Club (Idaho) raised money to donate to two local organizations that aim to help children and families in need, the Nampa Family Justice Center and Valley Women and Children’s Shelter. Clubwomen presented a $500 mini grant to each of these organizations to show their support for the work they do in the community.

The check to the Valley Women and Children’s Shelter was presented on-air at a remote broadcast of a local radio station with help from Club President Ronalee Linsenmann at the end of May, and the check to the Nampa Family Justice Center was delivered to the center in June.

The mission of the Nampa Family Justice Center is to promote safety, self-sufficiency, hope, and healing to survivors of abuse and provides advocates to help create safety plans, file for protection orders, and locate other helpful community resources.

The Valley Women and Children’s Shelter provides a safe place for women and children to recover from homelessness. In addition to a place to sleep, the shelter provides clothing, meals, and case management. It is also the only emergency shelter for women and children in the Nampa and Western Treasure Valley areas of Idaho.

GFWC Walnut Valley Women’s Club 

Members of the GFWC Walnut Valley Women’s Club (California) have been hard at work bringing joy to people by donating hundreds of books to a local Little Free Library set up outside a senior center. Clubwoman Terry Perkins said when the club noticed the senior center set up the free library outside the building at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the club members knew they wanted to be involved.

“The ladies were very supportive and excited,” Terry said.

She added since some of their volunteer and fundraising efforts could not take place as usual due to the coronavirus, the clubwomen were all eager to help by donating books.

“I think they saw this as a way to still serve people even though we couldn’t get out in person,” she said.

As of June, members of the GFWC Walnut Valley Women’s Club have donated more than 500 books to the library outside the senior center, and Terry said they are continuing to drop books off whenever they can.

“I was amazed by the range of books there,” she said.

Terry explained she and her fellow clubwomen were excited about donating to the library because there are people in their community who do not always have access to items such as books, and they wanted to do their part to help others and share their own love of reading.

“There’s a lot of people who don’t have anything,” she said. “A book is just a way of giving back to the community.”

Fuquay Varina Junior Woman’s Club 

In June, 11 members of the Fuquay Varina Junior Woman’s Club (North Carolina) rolled up their sleeves for their first hands-on volunteer project in quite a while. Clubwomen brought supplies and packed 38 care, food, and hygiene backpacks for homeless veterans with their friends at Military Missions in Action. This veterans’ organization provides various programs to support the needs of veterans.

Club President Heather Massengill said the club has been working with the veterans’ organization for many years in different capacities, and was excited for the opportunity to work with them on the backpack project while also getting to volunteer in person again since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It was great to see everybody’s face, chat, and laugh while giving back,” Heather said.

Heather explained through fundraising the club raised $500 for the backpack project and Military Missions in Action provided them with a list of needed items, including sunscreen, food, first aid supplies, socks, flashlights, and more. A local Walmart also donated $200 worth of backpacks and Military Missions in Action provided several as well.

Heather said along with some essentials, they tried to include fun items such as playing cards in the backpacks.

“There was a wide variety of things you might not think they need, but are very important to them,” she said.

Heather added all the clubwomen were excited to take part in this volunteer event and give back to members of their community.

“This was a really hands-on way we could help,” she said. “It made you feel really good knowing these items were really making a difference in their lives.”

GFWC Wilbraham Junior Women’s Club 

Twelve members of GFWC Wilbraham Junior Women’s Club (Massachusetts), along with several of their family members, joined a local church and several other community volunteer organizations to pack meals for those in need. The meal packaging event was in partnership with Feed the Hunger, a ministry organization that produces thousands of nutritious meals that are distributed through their partners to children and families. This meals curated during the packathon in June will go to Haiti to be distributed by the Haiti Health Promise of Holy Name facility in Milot, Haiti.

During the event, teams of 10 to 12 volunteers filled bags with rice, dehydrated pinto beans, dehydrated vegetables, and vitamin powder. Each bag was then weighed and sealed shut and packed to be shipped. The bags will provide a nutritious meal for six servings. More than 130 volunteers worked during the four hour event and 58,900 meals were packaged in total.

Jen Nowak, GFWC Massachusetts Second Vice President, said this event was a great way to work with other volunteer groups in the area while helping people in need.

“It was amazing how a relatively small number of volunteers could create that many meals in four hours,” she said. “It was well-organized and really made a huge impact on everyone who worked that day.”

Although this was the first time the program was held at the church, the club is hoping it will become an annual event.

“It was nice to know the meals were going to the hospital and going to everyone who needs it,” Jen said.

Pontotoc Juniorettes Club 

The Pontotoc Juniorettes Club (Mississippi) created their town’s first debutante-style charity ball. The event was held at the Pontotoc Country Club on May 11, 2021. Thirteen princesses from around Pontotoc County, including eight Juniorettes, raised money for GFWC Affiliate Organization St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and Palmer Home for Children during the event.

Michelle Sutton, Director for the Pontotoc Juniorettes Club, said the juniorettes chose these organizations because they wanted to help children.

“We really tried to focus on the children this year,” Michelle said. “… As the director, I try to oversee the girls’ mission and they chose this as their goal.”

The theme for the ball was “masquerade” and princesses wore formal attire and carried a mask as they were escorted through tables filled with their biggest supporters. Michelle explained money was raised during the event through ticket sales and by sponsors for the girls. The girls attending could ask people to “Adopt a Day” during April, which consisted of donating $1 on April 1, $2 on April 2, and so on until $30 on April 30. More than $10,000 was raised from the ball.

Michelle said the princess who helped raise the most money was crowned “Queen of the Ball,” and McKenzie Garrett, a college freshman and former juniorette, took the crown this year.

Although this was the first year the event was held, Michelle said it has been in the planning stages for a long time and was a great success.

“It gave us a chance to come together to serve a greater cause,” she said.

Lexington Woman’s Club

The Civic Engagement and Outreach Community Service Program of the Lexington Woman’s Club (South Carolina) designed, funded, printed, and displayed “Thin Blue Line” banners in coordination with and support of local law enforcement. The Woman’s Club of Cayce and Saxe Gotha Woman’s Club (both of South Carolina) were included in this project.

During May, in recognition of National Police Officers Week, the “Thin Blue Line” banners were hung on poles throughout the town of Lexington, South Carolina, and on the Marc H. Westbrook Lexington County Judicial Center complex surrounding the Law Enforcement Memorial Monument. These banners replaced the annual blue ribbons tied to the aforementioned poles in prior years. These 18 banners represent the first phase of a three-year expansion project to include hanging banners near the sheriff’s complex, police department, and Ice House Amphitheatre.

On May 12, the names of 17 Lexington County law enforcement officers were read in remembrance and recognition of their ultimate sacrifice in service to Lexington County. State and local officials attended the remembrance ceremony.

Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon and Police Chief Terrance Green met with some members of the Lexington Woman’s Club to thank them for leading the way. On May 18th, the club was presented with a town of Lexington Proclamation. Photos were also taken of the banners in close proximity to the memorial monument.

The club expressed its sincere appreciation of support from the town of Lexington, Lexington Police Department and the Lexington County Sheriff’s Foundation.

Rotonda West Woman’s Club 

The Rotonda West Woman’s Club (Florida) has been dedicated to community service throughout the club’s 47 years, with a primary focus on education and scholarship within Charlotte County. Each year, the Rotonda West Woman’s Club offers several college, technical school, and continuing education scholarships at Lemon Bay High School and to members of the community.

During the 2020-2021 club year, Education and Libraries Committee Chairman Debra Sigismondo, a junior high school teacher in New York City for 40 years, researched and assembled Diversity and Kindness Library collections of more than 50 titles designed to foster empathy, understanding, and compassion in elementary school children. Two identical collections were delivered to Myakka River Elementary School and Vineland Elementary School on April 26.

During the second year of the project, Debra and co-chairs, including Norma Wood, will continue fundraising for the Diversity and Kindness Libraries to add an additional 50 titles to each collection.

GFWC Mira Mesa Women’s Club 

For the past four years, the GFWC Mira Mesa Women’s Club (California) has been donating fleece blankets to survivors of sexual assault. The blankets are given to the Palomar Hospital in San Diego County and are then given out to people after the collection of rape kits so that the survivors have something warm and comfortable to go home with since their clothes are taken into evidence at the hospital. The fleece blanket donation project was originally started by the North County Inland Quilters.

In just this last year, clubwomen have donated 72 blankets, which is almost three times more than usual thanks to the help of the club’s newest member Kate Maruszak and her family. Members can help participate in this project by donating fleece in all colors except black. Club members said the hospital needs about 60 blankets per month.