Category: Uncategorized

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.

GFWC Rhode Island 

Following the lead of GFWC Rhode Island State President Debra Capuano, several GFWC Rhode Island clubs participated in a donation challenge with GFWC Affiliate Organization March of Dimes. Rhode Island clubs were challenged with a goal of making five baby hats, five blankets, and five mommy bags per club. GFWC Cranston Community Women’s Club, GFWC Women’s Club of South County, GFWC Bristol Community Women’s Club, GFWC Warwick Women’s Club, GFWC Wampanoag Women’s Club, and GFWC Rhode Island Alumni Club went above and beyond for this challenge. In total, clubwomen made 76 blankets, 737 hats, 125 baby headbands, and 40 mommy bags filled with personal care supplies. Monetary donations from club members and additional donations from family, friends, and the East Providence Senior Center were also collected. Ten boxes of donations were shipped to March of Dimes.

GFWC Woman’s Club of Ste. Genevieve 

With open hearts, members of the GFWC Woman’s Club of Ste. Genevieve (Missouri) embraced the opportunity to assist their community for what they said is one of the most important endeavors in their lifetime. After learning about the many people involved with COVID-19 vaccines around the world and of the great demands upon the healthcare system to vaccinate against the coronavirus, Eileen Roth, GFWC Woman’s Club of Ste. Genevieve recording secretary, contacted Vaccine Distribution Coordinator Katie Hogenmiller, of Ste. Genevieve Memorial Hospital. Eileen offered the volunteer services of the club members. Members eagerly volunteered to help with the vaccine clinics by assisting with registration, directing people to stations for the shots, and any other requests by Ms. Hogenmiller.

For the month of March, clubwomen attended the six vaccination clinics and eleven members volunteered more than 66 hours. Members also volunteered at three additional clinics in April. The club members said they will continue to volunteer as long as these clinics are held and that being part of such an important endeavor provides a rewarding experience for them.

Women’s Club of Farmingdale 

Women’s Club of Farmingdale (New York) member Dolores Cianciabella, together with her daughter, Carolyn Hanson, packaged 50 healthy snack packs to donate to those facing food insecurity during these challenging times. Carolyn was chosen as “Volunteer of the Month” by her company, AIG, and she chose YOU MATTERnation as her charity of choice. They supplied her with a MATTERbox Volunteer Kit. Each healthy snack pack contained whole grain crackers, an unsweetened fruit serving, and protein WOW butter (a peanut butter substitute). Also included in each pack was a personal note stating “YOU MATTER.”

As a surprise to her mom, Carolyn presented her with the entire box of 50 packs to donate to a charity of her choice in the name of the Women’s Club of Farmingdale.  Dolores chose the St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Farmingdale, New York, which provides a free hot meal once a month to those in need. GFWC New York State President Linda Kreussling, Women’s Club of Farmingdale President Tina Diamond, and Dolores Cianciabella distributed the packs to St. Thomas on May 29.

GFWC Shorewood Woman’s Club 

When GFWC Wisconsin State President Abby Lorenz publicized her request for one cape per club member for the Capes for Kids project, GFWC Shorewood Woman’s Club (Wisconsin) took it to heart. To start the project, one member put out a request for fabric, thread, fusible bonding, and Velcro to the community, asking area residents to drop off donations into a container on her front porch.

Next, members tallied the contributed fabric to see if they would need to purchase any before a group sewing project began. Board members then spent several hours matching fabrics that would compliment one another to comprise the cape and the lining.

Two four-hour sewing extravaganzas followed during which eight to 10 members met to cut out, sew, design the emblem for the back of the cape, and iron in-progress and completed capes. After another two-hour session with four members, the club had not only finished the desired number of capes, but exceeded that number by 10.

Clubwomen delivered 60 beautiful capes to the State Convention in Rothschild, Wisconsin, on May 13.

A few of the club members also had fun making and completing capes on their own.

Capes for Kids is a project started by a Michigan woman whose mission is to bring light, hope, and dignity back into the lives of women and children escaping domestic violence, sex trafficking, and homelessness.

GFWC Santa Rosa Woman’s Club

When GFWC Florida State President Dianne Foerster challenged clubs to create a project displaying “love, kindness and respect,” GFWC Santa Rosa Woman’s Club (Florida) chose to support Children in Crisis (CIC), a residential-style foster care neighborhood. The nonprofit includes an emergency shelter and five houses in a residential campus that support a four-county area with up to 60 children living there at any time. CIC’s mission is to keep foster siblings together in family-style homes. House parents choose food preparation items from an 800-square foot cupboard before shopping retail. For a two-month “Help Feed the Children” food drive, GFWC Santa Rosa Woman’s Club members set up collection bins at businesses and libraries, partnered with other organizations, applied for grants, raffled a large sunset photograph, and worked with neighborhood and homeowners’ associations. Nine members, who live in the same neighborhood, canvassed 440 homes with flyers and organized neighborhood pick-up sites. The food drive raised more than $7,500 in donations and grants and collected more than 9,000 pounds of food for CIC.

GFWC Woman’s Club of Dunbar 

The GFWC Woman’s Club of Dunbar (West Virginia) has been hard at work on several community service projects throughout the past couple months. For their first project, club members purchased reusable bags and filled them with snacks, water bottles, Gatorade, and other goodies in honor of National Fire Fighters Day and National Police Week. The bags were delivered to the Dunbar Fire Department and Dunbar Police Department along with a large bag of new stuffed animals.

Clubwomen also held two COVID-19 drive-thru vaccination clinics. Members said they wanted to find a way to help vaccinate the local residents who could not wait in long lines for the vaccine. During the two clinics, more than 360 people received the vaccination.

GFWC Woman’s Club of Lake Wales 

GFWC Woman’s Club of Lake Wales (Florida) organized an in-person seminar in February to promote the awareness of mental health issues within the community. The seminar was based on a video created last year by the club’s Health and Wellness Committee out of concern for the mental health of its club members, families of members, and friends during the COVID-19 pandemic. The video called “It’s Time to Talk,” addressed awareness of the mental and physical signs of depression brought on by isolation and how to combat the effects in a positive and hopeful manner. This video was inspired by the Campaign to Change Direction Program, but was adapted to a more personal and simple means of awareness geared toward caregivers and friends of the older adult generation.

GFWC Woman’s Club of Lake Wales is dedicated to educating the public on the serious ongoing issues faced by the older adult population that have been made worse by the isolation created during the pandemic and continues in all generations due to the anxieties of unemployment and domestic issues.

GFWC Monroe Woman’s Club 

GFWC Monroe Woman’s Club (Wisconsin) recently completed a gently-used shoe drive that generated 2,688 pairs of shoes. The donation event with Soles4Souls ran from February 15 until April 30. Clubwomen said they were overwhelmed by the support of the club members, community, local businesses, churches, and area Chamber of Commerce. A total of 58 boxes (approximately 50 pounds each) were shipped via UPS through Zappos for Good, which offered free shipping to Soles4Souls.

Three local businesses offered to be donation drop-off points and two members accepted donations at their homes for people who didn’t feel comfortable walking into a business. A local graphic design business also offered to customize the flyer for the shoe drive at no cost. This flyer was posted at local businesses, church newsletters, and was featured on the local Chamber of Commerce website. Big Radio in Monroe, Wisconsin, also featured the drive on their website.

Club President Shelly Isely said the Soles4Souls donation drive reminded the clubwomen of what a generous and thoughtful community they live in. She said many volunteers assisted with the drive and many hours were dedicated to making it a success.

The shoes will be distributed across the U.S. and internationally to help families in need.

GFWC Millville Woman’s Club 

GFWC Millville Woman’s Club (New Jersey) has supported the Cumberland Family Shelter in the past by donating essential items such as pillows, towels, and body wash, but in May they decided to do something special for Mother’s Day. Clubwomen contacted the organization to ask if there were children there who would need gifts to give their mothers on Mother’s Day, and when this was confirmed, Club President Diann Ewan delivered new donated gift items along with wrapping paper to the shelter. Josephine Rivera, with the shelter, expressed her appreciation and said it would be a fun experience for the children to select their own Mother’s Day gifts.

GFWC Service Guild of Covington 

GFWC Service Guild of Covington (Georgia) presented Ronald McDonald House Charities with a donation after the GFWC Georgia Day of Service. They delivered $430 worth of fast food gift cards and checks that were donated by club members in April. The donations will be given out to the parents of children awaiting surgery or treatment while residing at the Ronald McDonald House Charities facility. Ronald McDonald House Charities is a nonprofit organization whose stated mission is to create, find, and support programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children.

GFWC New Hampshire

Several GFWC New Hampshire clubs recently worked to fill and deliver “spring bags” to residents of the New Hampshire Veterans Home in Tilton, New Hampshire. Participating clubs included the Salem Area Woman’s Club, GFWC Hudson Women’s Club, GFWC Concord Contemporary Club, Exeter Area GFWC, Candia Community Woman’s Club, GFWC Dover Area Woman’s Club, Hollis Woman’s Club, and Nashaway Women’s Club. The clubs worked in partnership with Granite State Baptist Church and Centerpoint Community Church in Salem, and the bags were filled with candy, pens, paper, flashlights, and other treats, plus hand-written cards of appreciation to the veterans. GFWC New Hampshire also filled a gift basket for the staff. Patti Copeland, volunteer activities supervisor, and Sarah Stanley, program information officer, were happy to accept the delivery on behalf of the residents and staff.

GFWC Brookings 

GFWC Brookings (South Dakota) partnered with the Brookings Fiber Guild to make knit or crocheted soap “scrubby bags.” The bags were filled with a bar of soap and donated to a domestic abuse shelter and local food pantry. This year, club members have filled 31 bags as of the beginning of May, and this is an ongoing project.

Since first working on this project in 2017, GFWC Brookings members have given the soap-filled scrubbies to a food pantry, the local university food pantry for students, Feeding Brookings, which is part of Feeding South Dakota, and an area domestic abuse shelter.

Women’s Club of Farmingdale

In time for Mother’s Day, members of the Women’s Club of Farmingdale (New York) donated 38 new and gently used tote bags filled with toiletries and personal care supplies for young women and 17 new or gently used tote bags filled with diapers, lotions, pacifiers, and more for babies or small children residing at Madonna Heights, a 24-hour care facility that addresses the physical, emotional, and social needs unique to women and girls.

The Welfare Committee, chaired by Rosemary Emigholz, also made several donations to local charities during the winter and early spring months this year. Members donated dozens of bags of food items to St. Kilian’s Outreach and paid a visit to Epic House with Easter baskets filled with stuffed bunnies, cookies, and chocolates for the residents.

GFWC Northwest Suburban Woman’s Club 

GFWC Northwest Suburban Woman’s Club (Illinois) was asked to join other local organizations in a Wings Mother’s Day project. Wings is the largest Illinois provider of shelter and services for adults and children who are survivors of domestic violence and abuse. With guidance from Therese Fuglaar and Eileen Tuman, the club’s Signature Program Chairmen, members provided 22 cheery Mother’s Day bags filled with spa specialty products, candles, sweet treats, and a “wild woman” pin. Therese encouraged members to fill the bags with items that they would enjoy receiving.

GFWC Illinois Morris Woman’s Club

Members of the GFWC Illinois Morris Woman’s Club spent three afternoons cleaning up trash along three miles of the Illinois and Michigan Canal. The canal is a 96-mile hand-dug canal that was completed in 1848 to connect the Chicago River to the Illinois River. It is a direct link from the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River and it opened trade and transportation from the Midwest to the southern states. In 1984, it became a National Heritage Corridor and is used mainly today for transportation and recreation.

There were 15 members who participated in the clean-up, along with five additional guests, and they collected 21 large bags of trash.

The towpath along the canal is a popular place for walkers, runners, cyclists, and fishermen, and it is used by tourists and townspeople alike. Club members said the area is a national treasure to be preserved and that it should be kept as clean as possible.

GFWC Wamego Study Club

In April, the GFWC Wamego Study Club (Kansas) was honored to serve a grab-and-go lunch for 27 K9 Police Officers from across the state for the 23^rd annual K9 Certification and Training Convention. The Convention was held in Wamego, Kansas, and hosted by the Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Office.

GFWC Wamego Study Club members were proud to prepare sandwiches, pickle spears, chips, apples, and homemade brownies for a brown bag lunch, as well as a large Milk-Bone treat for the patrol dogs. The food and supplies for the lunches were purchased and donated by the members and the club treasury. The lunch was served at St. Bernard’s Parish Hall in Wamego, allowing plenty of space for the officers to sit down and relax for a short time with their meals.

The lunch was an important Civic Engagement and Outreach project for the Wamego Study Club, and members were pleased to have the opportunity to meet the police officers that attended from different counties and cities in the state of Kansas and show their support for their service and hard work.

It was a special day for the GFWC Wamego Study Club!

GFWC Woman’s Club of Lake Wales

Arbor Day is considered a time to gather and celebrate trees and plants for a greener tomorrow. In keeping with this concept, the GFWC Woman’s Club of Lake Wales (Florida) joined with the Lake Wales Heritage Group to celebrate Arbor Day on April 30. They were also joined by other civic organizations and the City of Lake Wales to restore the vision of famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. of a “City in a Garden.”

The committee to help organize the Arbor Day Celebration, under the guidance of Susan Connors, the club’s second vice president, joined with Lake Wales Heritage Group, Rotary on the Ridge, and the Family Literacy Academy at Lake Wales to host the area’s first Community Arbor Day Celebration. A proclamation was delivered by the mayor and a 100-year-old tradition was revived with the planting of a Community Holiday Tree to be decorated for future holiday celebrations.

Many volunteers from the club joined their friends and family to do all the work necessary to make the event a huge success!

Glendale Woman’s Club

In April, members of the Glendale Woman’s Club (Arizona) gathered to show women veterans some love and appreciation by assembling more than 100 beauty bags. Club members donated the cosmetic bags and then filled them with makeup that was donated by a local retailer. In recognition of Mother’s Day, clubwomen were happy to contribute more wish list items as well, including 133 pairs of socks, self-care products, gift items, and plenty of treats for the troops, along with a $200 donation to offset shipping costs. The gifts were delivered to Blue Star Moms of the Southwest Valley, who will distribute to women veterans in need.  This done-in-a-day project was a huge success, as evidenced by all the smiling faces.

GFWC Woman’s Club of Aurora 

On Federation Day, GFWC Woman’s Club of Aurora (Illinois) volunteers gathered in a parking lot to collect items for several projects. Cars drove in, trunks were popped, and volunteers retrieved the donations. Members donated baby items for the club’s annual baby shower for the VNA Healthy Families program, flower and vegetable seed packets for Marie Wilkinson Food Pantry’s Garden, Charity Blooms, unused or expired prescription and over-the-counter medicines for the Aurora Police Department’s Drug Take Back Program, and can-tabs for Ronald McDonald House. Club members said it was a wonderful morning of fun, friendship, and Living the Volunteer Spirit!

GFWC Woman’s Club of Bismarck 

The GFWC Woman’s Club of Bismarck (Illinois) hosted a special event on March 29, at Crosspoint Human Services in Danville, Illinois, for GFWC Affiliate Organization Prevent Child Abuse America’s Pinwheels for Prevention campaign. Members planted pinwheels around the Peace Pole and in the pots in front of the shelter, and 15 pinwheels in vases with tent signs were delivered for placement throughout the building. Members also made Easter baskets for the children who live at the shelter.

Members brought candy for the baskets to their March club meeting and then collected baskets, grass, and small items to place in the baskets. A local children’s ministry also donated small toys and stuffed animals to help the cause. The club’s Prevent Child Abuse Chairmen met twice and sorted items and five club members met at the shelter to assemble 15 Easter baskets. A pinwheel was also added to each basket. Extra candy from club donations was used for an Easter egg hunt for the children. The Crosspoint Human Services director and an employee who works with the residents told members they were very appreciative of the donations.

In April, members also donated coloring books, crayons, puzzles, pencils, paper, clip boards, games, books, toys, and other items needed for the Vermilion County Children’s Advocacy Center.

GFWC Woman’s Club of Parsippany-Troy Hills

Members from the GFWC Woman’s Club of Parsippany-Troy Hills (New Jersey) joined a town-wide clean-up effort of more than 200 volunteers as part of Earth Day on April 24. Teams were sent to various areas in town to pick up discarded trash. The ladies cleaned up along the Boonton Reservoir and a particular focus was placed on picking up micro plastics and other trash in this area to reduce the negative impact on local wildlife.

GFWC Women’s Club of Farmingdale 

Through the efforts of GFWC Women’s Club of Farmingdale’s (New York) past President Barbara Hoerner, club members were made aware of a not-for-profit organization called Beads for Courage. This organization is dedicated to improving the quality of life for children and teens coping with serious illness, their families, and the clinicians who care for them through their Arts-in-Medicine Programs. The organization has established collaborative partnerships with hundreds of hospitals nationally and internationally and worked with several community organizations to make healing happen through the use of beads as a historical art form.

With the help of a donation of upholstery fabric from Avanti Furniture Corp. in Farmingdale, members of the club sewed dozens of small bags to contain the beads so these children can have a convenient place to store them.