Category: Volunteers in Action

Tempe Woman’s Club 

Members of the Tempe Woman’s Club (Arizona) have partnered with ARIS Foundation to help support people experiencing homelessness in their community. ARIS Foundation provides a hot meal, clothing, hygiene products, medical check-ups, veterinary services, and more for people of all ages. The organization meets once a week at a local park to provide these services. The club’s Vice President Sandy Haupt explained the women’s club attends these events once a month to provide peanut butter and jelly sandwiches so that people have extra food to eat throughout the week. Since April, clubwomen have provided more than 1,500 sandwiches.

“We wanted to provide consistent support,” Sandy said.

She explained the club first invited ARIS Foundation Founder Katherine Kouvelas-Edik to speak at their meeting in March, and after hearing about everything she was doing to support the community, they knew they wanted to help her.

“The homeless community has really come to rely on Katherine to be there for them,” Sandy said. “…It’s an honor to be a part of that.”

The clubwomen are planning to continue providing sandwiches throughout the next year with ARIS Foundation and are glad to be part of something that is bringing happiness and security to people’s lives.

“This lets them really know that people care about and love them,” Sandy said.

GFWC Woman’s League of the Lowcountry 

The GFWC Woman’s League of the Lowcountry (South Carolina) opened the fourth Mr. Pig’s Book Nook in the Piggly Wiggly in Walterboro, South Carolina, on November 22.  Three other Book Nooks have been established in Piggly Wiggly stores in Port Royal, Hardeeville, and Ridgeland.

The club’s Arts and Culture Community Service Program Chairman Jojo Hines explained this free lending library project was created to encourage and provide opportunities for children to read, especially during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

“All the children were home and didn’t have access to their libraries at school and the public library was closed, but the grocery stores were open,” Jojo said.

She explained the owner of the Piggly Wiggly stores was excited about the plan to set up these lending libraries in the grocery stores, and the community has been incredibly supportive as well. At any time, Jojo said there could be about 320 new or used books at each location. These books range in grade level from preschool to eighth grade and come in a variety of genres.

“We get so many donated books from our community,” she said. “We try to keep up-to-date books in there.”

Along with donations, Jojo said they received a $500 donation from the Sun City Book Exchange and a $1,000 grant from the Progress Foundation to make this project possible.

Jojo said this project has been very rewarding for the clubwomen and that ultimately they hope to see people of all ages enjoying reading and learning.

“Our goal is to give children an opportunity to get a book in their hand,” she said.

GFWC Arizona Central District 

Members of GFWC Arizona Central District dedicated their done-in-a-day project to support Control Alt Delete, a nonprofit organization that helps people escape domestic violence by providing short-term assistance such as cab rides, bus passes, gas cards, temporary lodging, moving and storage, and other basic immediate needs. During their Fall Conference, 13 clubs met to hear from Control Alt Delete’s founder Laura Pahules and learn about the importance of helping survivors.

GFWC Arizona Treasurer Debbie Grieder said clubwomen contributed $570 in monetary donations, as well as put together bins of basic immediate needs valued at $1,314. These bins included toiletries, snacks, and other items.

“We always have an enormous response to our done-in-a-day project,” Debbie said.

She added after Laura’s presentation at the conference, members made additional donations to Control Alt Delete and expressed their appreciation for everything the organization does for survivors of domestic violence.

“It was a great presentation and I think a lot of the clubs in the District will go forward and continuing supporting Control Alt Delete,” Debbie said. “…We feel they have such a great impact on the community. They do great things.”

Along with this project, attendees at the conference ended the day by making affirmation cards for Free Arts of Arizona, an organization that provides arts programs for children and young adults with special learning needs.

GFWC Woman’s Club of Parsippany Troy Hills 

Throughout October, clubwomen with the GFWC Woman’s Club of Parsippany Troy Hills (New Jersey) did their part to keep plastic from polluting the environment by recycling and upcycling their plastic bottles and bags. Janet Reilly, the club’s Environment Chairman, said the 16 participating members recycled 1,281 plastic bottles and 86 plastic bags and were able to find new uses for 39 additional bags.

Janet said she has always been passionate about recycling and taking care of the environment, and was glad that the club was able to participate in this recycling challenge.

“I am concerned about all of the things that end up in our landfills or the ocean,” she said. “… I’m always trying to encourage people not to drink out plastic bottles.”

Janet believes that by bringing attention to just how many plastic bags and bottles people use in a month, it will encourage others to start using less plastic on a daily basis. She said she hopes these small changes will inspire clubwomen and others in the community to begin to take even bigger steps toward taking care of the planet.

“I think we have to start small,” she said. “Making people aware of what everyone has used strikes home more than just talking about recycling.”

GFWC Alabama 

Members of two GFWC Alabama clubs did their part to participate in America Recycles Day on November 15. Ellen Clack, GFWC Alabama Environment Chairman, said members of the Magazine Club of Roanoke (Alabama) chose to participate by collecting plastic bags and bottles at the club’s meeting in October. The clubwomen then cut the bags into strips of plarn, or plastic yarn, that can be crocheted into bags, mats, and other items. Ellen said the members plan to make door mats, animal mats, and sleeping mats to donate to area homeless shelters.

“This is an easy project for anybody to participate in, regardless of the size of the club,” she said.

Ellen said this project was also shared with the local newspaper as a way to not only shine a light on the work of the clubwomen, but to raise more awareness about the importance of recycling and upcycling in order to keep plastics out of landfills and waterways.

The Hueytown Study Club (Alabama) was also busy collecting plastic bags and bottles, Styrofoam egg cartons, and yogurt containers to recycle.

“The members expanded (the recycling challenge) to include more than collecting plastic bags and bottles,” Ellen said.

She added the club even donated some of the items to a local elementary school to use in various arts and craft projects.

In total, Ellen said GFWC Alabama clubwomen collected 3,001 plastic bags and 2,619 plastic bottles.

GFWC Hastings Women’s Club 

Clubwomen with GFWC Hastings Women’s Club (Michigan) are working to keep plastic out of waterways and landfills while also helping support people experiencing homelessness in their community. The club’s Environment Chairman Sue Gray said members participated in Operation Bed Roll last year and donated 24 mats made out of plarn, or plastic yarn, to a local homeless shelter. They decided to participate in this project again this year and are in the process of collecting bags and crocheting them into more mats to donate. Sue explained each mat requires about 600 plastic bags, so last year they were able to keep nearly 16,000 bags out of landfills.

Sue said she is glad this project has not only been able to provide some support and comfort to people experiencing homelessness, but has also benefited the local wildlife population by keeping plastic out of the environment where it can cause detrimental harm.

“I am an animal person. On my farm I have two lakes and I have seen animals trapped in plastic bags,” she said.

Sue added this has been a great project for the winter months and has provided clubwomen with a way to come together and do something positive.

Woman’s Club of Wheeling 

Another club that has been participating in the recycling challenge for America Recycles Day is the Woman’s Club of Wheeling (West Virginia). Environment Chairman Jamesie Beecroft said clubwomen have been collecting plastic bags, plastic bottles, and empty pill bottles to be recycled and upcycled. In total, they have collected 978 bags, 2,510 bottles, and 185 pill bottles.

“Our club is very civic minded, so we just embraced this project,” she said.

Jamesie said some of the plastic bags were donated to a clubwoman who uses them to create various items such as Christmas decorations and placemats.

She explained the pill bottles were collected for Matthew 25 Ministries, an organization that accepts donations of pill bottles for inclusion in shipments of medical supplies to countries in need and for shredding and recycling. She said clubwomen were happy to participate in this project to support people around the world.

“No one should have to have their prescriptions or their pills handed to them in the palm of their hands,” she said.

Overall, Jamesie said they are all dedicated to recycling and doing what they can to take care of the environment for future generations.

“If we didn’t collect these plastic bags, where would they end up? If we didn’t collect them, it wouldn’t be fair to our children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews who come after us,” she said.

GFWC Menominee Woman’s Club 

Members of the GFWC Menominee Woman’s Club (Michigan) have found a creative way to help survivors of domestic violence in their community. Club President Judy Reid said in recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October, they reached out to Rainbow House, a local shelter. The shelter director explained that throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, clients have been unable to stay at the shelter due to social distancing guidelines and have instead been discreetly housed in area hotels. However, this has made cooking and cleaning up after meals difficult for these families and individuals. Judy said members of the GFWC Menominee Woman’s Club jumped into action to donate supplies and create “Kitchen Kits” to make this situation more manageable.

Each kit included sturdy paper plates and bowls, a sleeve of beverage cups, Ziploc bags, disposable silverware, dish soap, napkins, disinfecting wipes, a small paring knife with a guard, spoons for stirring, a small cutting board, and a dish cloth and towel. The club was able to create 13 of these kits to donate to the organization.

Judy said she initially thought they would be able to put together about five Kitchen Kits, and that she was thrilled with the amount of items they collected in the end. She added the shelter director was very excited when they delivered the donations.

“I was so blown away,” Judy said.

In addition to supporting survivors of domestic violence through this project, Judy said it is important to continue to raise awareness and to offer help, or even just a listening ear, when they can.

“You never know at what point in our lives we need a little extra hug,” she said.

GFWC New Jersey 

Clubwomen with GFWC New Jersey came together during their State Fall Conference in October to bring a smile to the faces of patients at Children’s Specialized Hospitals throughout the state. Children’s Specialized Hospital provides inpatient and outpatient care for children from birth to 21 years of age facing special health challenges, including chronic illnesses, physical disabilities, and other developmental and mental health concerns. Jane Mackesy, GFWC New Jersey Advocates for Children Chairman, said GFWC New Jersey State President Jan Hanson suggested reconnecting with the children’s hospital, and members quickly came on board to help collect arts and crafts supplies to be donated.

The items collected included crayons, markers, puzzles, sand art, beads, and more. In total, Jane said members donated 3,544 different items valued at about $8,450. In addition to these supplies, she said small, wooden giraffes representing the Juniors’ Special Program: Advocates for Children 2020-2022 theme “Stick Your Neck Out” were provided for children to paint.

Jane said she was very excited to drop off some of the supplies at one of the hospital locations.

“The (supplies) are for children who go to Children’s Specialized Hospital to use in their arts and crafts rooms,” she said. “They need to be occupied and do fun things, and for some of them, it’s for movement and mobility to help with what they may be being treated for.”

Jane said supporting and giving back to children is important to GFWC New Jersey clubwomen and that this was a great opportunity to do something meaningful.

For America Recycles Day on November 15, clubwomen across the country organized projects to participate in the 2018-2020 Reduce Plastic Use: Refuse, Reuse, Repurpose, and Recycle GFWC Challenge Project. Clubwomen did their part to clean up trash, donate plastics for recycling, and spread awareness and education about the importance of taking care of the environment. These club stories are only a few of the many examples of how members are working hard to clean up and protect the world around us as part of GFWC’s Environment Community Service Program.

GFWC Wewahitchka Woman’s Club 

GFWC Wewahitchka Woman’s Club (Florida) members are doing their part to clean up the environment by participating in various recycling challenges this year. Clubwoman Patty Fisher said one project the club participated in was collecting more than 1,300 plastic bottles to be recycled or upcycled, as well as several pounds of plastic bags.

Along with this recycling project, as GFWC Florida Environment Community Service Program Chairman, Patty said she loves to challenge members throughout the state to find new ways to make a difference in the world around them. One of these ways is by participating in the NexTrex Recycling Challenge, during which participants are tasked with collecting 500 pounds of unwanted plastic materials in a six-month period. The list of collectible plastics include items that are not permitted in curbside recycling, such as plastic grocery bags, newspaper bags, case plastic wrap, bubble wrap, and more. If participants are successful in collecting the 500 pounds of plastic, they will receive a bench from NexTrex.

Patty said the GFWC Wewahitchka Woman’s Club began participating in this project on Monday, November 15, along with several other community organizations.

“I have every confidence we will collect those 500 pounds in the six months,” she said, adding if they are able to achieve this goal, the club plans to donate the bench.

Patty explained the Education and Arts and Culture Community Service Program areas are also involved with this project. She said clubwomen have worked to create educational coloring books for kids about recycling that will be distributed to students in the local school during a discussion about the importance of taking care of the environment.

While recycling is necessary and important, Patty said she hopes to see more efforts focused on awareness and legislation.

“Recycling is still good, but I want to see more education,” she said.

GFWC Iowa Solon Women’s Club 

Members of GFWC Iowa Solon Women’s Club (Iowa) have been busy collecting and recycling cigarette butts around their community in an effort to protect their environment. Club President Kim Hawkins said club member and GFWC Environment Community Service Program Chairman Karen Martinek learned about a recycling contest that promoted awareness about cigarettes and cigarette butts sponsored by TerraCycle, and thought it would be a good project for clubwomen. TerraCycle offers free recycling programs to help people collect and recycle hard-to-recycle waste around the world.

Kim explained cleaning up cigarette butts is particularly important because when they are scattered in streets, ditches, and roadways, they can eventually end up into the waterways and water supply.

To combat this, she said clubwomen spent an evening collecting trash, bottles for recycling, and cigarette butts throughout the area in popular gathering locations, such as parking lots, street corners, fishing holes, and other places where people congregate.

“Next time you see a GFWC Iowa Solon Women’s Club member looking around trash cans, crawling under bleachers, checking street corners and gutters, and roaming ditches and roadways, know they are helping our environment by collecting cigarette butts for recycling,” Kim said.

GFWC South Carolina 

Clubwomen throughout GFWC South Carolina rallied together to participate in a recycling service project to collect empty plastic pill bottles for Matthew 25 Ministries. This organization accepts donations of pill bottles for inclusion in shipments of medical supplies to countries in need and for shredding and recycling. Darlene Rittel, member of GFWC Sand River Woman’s Club (South Carolina) and GFWC South Carolina Environment Community Service Program Chairman, said she received two car loads of pill bottles from clubwomen throughout the state. In total, she received 774 clean bottles and 737 bottles that still had their labels.

“I thought that it was an amazing response,” Darlene said. She added members also contributed plastic bags and large plastic bottles for recycling and upcycling.

Darlene said the GFWC Sand River Woman’s Club plans to continue to donate to Matthew 25 Ministries, and she is hopeful that other clubs throughout the state will do so as well.

In addition to this project, she said educating the public about plastics, their impact on the environment, and what people can do is necessary.

“It’s always important to educate at all levels,” she said. “…As we become more aware, the more likely you are to do something about it. There is something you can do. You can contact your legislator. You can get out there and pick up litter.”

Darlene is also a board member of Keep Aiken County Beautiful, an affiliate of Keep South Carolina Beautiful and Keep America Beautiful, and was recently awarded Board Member of the Year from the state level for her work related to the environment.

To celebrate Advocates for Children Week from October 24-30, many GFWC clubs organized projects related to GFWC’s Juniors’ Special Program: Advocates for Children. Clubwomen used their creativity and ingenuity to come up with unique ways to support children of all ages and make a positive difference in their lives. The club stories featured this week are only a few examples of how clubs are working to become advocates for children, but the ways in which clubwomen can become a voice for young people in need are endless.

GFWC High Springs New Century Woman’s Club, Inc. 

Members of the GFWC High Springs New Century Woman’s Club, Inc. (Florida) have been busy putting their creative minds together to develop a way to spread messages of joy and encouragement in recognition of Advocates for Children Week. The club’s Second Vice President and Communication Chairman Bonnie Josey explained the clubwomen gathered at one of their general meetings to paint and decorate “friendship rocks” that would be placed around several areas in the community where children of all ages would see them, including at a local community school for students in kindergarten to eighth grade, a high school, and a Ronald McDonald House Charities location.

Bonnie said the rocks were decorated with various messages of support, hope, and encouragement depending on the age group of students at the location of where they were placing the rocks, but that the overall goal of the project was to focus on suicide prevention among young people.

She explained the friendship rocks help to achieve this goal by offering kids and teenagers a message of support when they may need it most.

“I think we all need hope and encouragement at certain times in our lives. We hope with this activity that we reach these kids when they are maybe having a bad day,” Bonnie said.

She added they hope the younger children who see the stones will be inspired to continue to spread cheerful messages to those around them.

“We are trying to get younger children aware that little acts of kindness toward their neighbors is something they can do,” she said.

While this was a simple and fun project for clubwomen to work on, Bonnie said they all hope it truly makes a positive impact in the lives of children who need a bit of light and happiness.

GFWC Beverly Hills Junior Woman’s Club 

Some children living in the Chicago, Illinois, area may have had a brighter Halloween this year thanks to the efforts of the GFWC Beverly Hills Junior Woman’s Club (Illinois) and other generous members of the community. Club President Carla Herr explained the small club worked for months to collect new and gently-used Halloween costumes to give to children in homeless and domestic violence shelters across Chicago. She said although they started working with only one shelter, they soon had more than 180 costumes and were able to spread the joy to so many more children than they originally planned, and were even able to give some costumes to an area school for some students in need. All of the costumes were laundered, steamed, and repaired as necessary before being donated.

Carla said the clubwomen, several being teachers themselves, know how important participating in activities such as dressing up for Halloween is to children who may be experiencing challenges in their lives.

“It’s really important to maintain a ‘normal’ childhood,” she said. “…Having a stable foundation is critical to having a well-adjusted adult, and a lot of kids we help kind of don’t have that.”

In addition to giving the kids a chance to enjoy the holiday, Carla said donating the costumes was a way to show the children some support.

“It lets them know there are people out there routing for them and championing for them,” Carla said.

Village Improvement Association of Rehoboth Beach 

The Village Improvement Association of Rehoboth Beach (Delaware) has been continuing their support of Katybug, a pediatric care program of Delaware Hospice. Katybug specializes in helping kids from perinatal to young adult find relief from pain and symptoms of serious disease, while offering the families the practical resources and emotional support they need. The club has donated 160 gift bags for patients and their siblings, as well as 44 blankets and 60 hats knitted by the Caring Stitchers, a group within the woman’s club.

Communications and Public Relations Chairman Elayne Cannarozzi said the bags are age specific and include items such as toothbrushes and toothpaste, soap, small stuffed toys, puzzle books, sketch pads, journals, playing cards, and more depending on the age group.

“We give these to patients and the siblings of patients who might need a little distraction while mom or dad is talking to a nurse about the patient’s care,” Elayne said. “They’re going through a very challenging time in their lives.”

She said the clubwoman feel it is important to help support the Katybug program whenever they can.

“I think it’s been very rewarding for the clubwomen,” she said. “Children are our future. It’s important to nourish them.”

In recognition of October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month, many GFWC clubs developed projects related to GFWC’s Signature Program: Domestic and Sexual Violence Awareness and Prevention. Clubwomen were hard at work throughout the month raising awareness, donating necessity items to support survivors, and educating the members of their community through activities and events. The club stories featured this week are just two of the many examples of how clubwomen are using awareness and education to help stop the cycle of domestic violence in their communities and lead to positive change overall.

Oregon City Woman’s Club 

To observe October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the Oregon City Woman’s Club (Oregon) promoted awareness by painting pumpkins purple, donating purses with necessity items to women survivors, and wearing purple ribbons.

Publicity Chairman Sheila Wilson explained early in the month, club volunteers met and painted more than 30 pumpkins purple and added decorations. These pumpkins were then auctioned off to raise funds to go toward various projects. She said the club raised more than $400 from the pumpkin auction.

“The members loved them and will be displaying them at their homes,” she said.

Clubwomen also collected gently used purses from fellow members, family, and friends, and filled them with necessity items such as toothpaste, shampoo, and lotion. The more than 70 purses gathered will be given to women in need through A Safe Place in Oregon City, Oregon. A Safe Place offers advocacy, culturally-specific services, safety planning, counseling, support groups, legal support, law enforcement support, and other services and resources to individuals and families.

Sheila said they also gave out purple ribbons to members at their monthly meeting and took them to attendees of the GFWC Oregon Federation of Woman’s Club’s Convention.

Club President Connie Kitzmiller said the clubwomen were excited to work on these projects.

“The members of our Club have a passion for wanting to help others.  When we all work together, big projects can be accomplished. Our club’s focus is in line with the Greater Federation of Woman’s Clubs yearly goals,” Connie said.

Sheila added the Oregon City Woman’s Club is dedicated to raising awareness about domestic violence in the hopes of preventing future violence against others.

“It’s very important to do what we can to increase awareness in the community for domestic violence, so we are watching out for women who might need our help,” she said.

North Myrtle Beach Woman’s Club 

In an effort to raise awareness about domestic violence, the North Myrtle Beach Woman’s Club (South Carolina) hosted their inaugural “What a Difference a Mile Makes” Domestic Violence Awareness Walk on October 16. The club’s Second Vice President Connie Lawson said the money raised from the event will go to help local survivors of domestic violence.

Connie explained the woman’s club works with a liaison at the area police department who uses funds donated by the club to assist women in need in the community. In addition to these donations, the North Myrtle Beach Woman’s Club has been raising money to support the development of a new domestic violence shelter that is in the process of being built in the county.

She noted the closest domestic violence shelter is currently about an hour and a half away, so they feel it is important to try to offer survivors a closer option for relief and services.

While donating the money toward these projects is important, Connie said raising awareness is equally necessary in helping to prevent future situations of abuse and domestic violence, as well as in providing resources and support to current survivors.

“No one knows there is a problem unless you make them aware of it, and you do that through education,” she said. “This has been a silent problem for a long time. You have to bring that out and make people aware and educate them.”

Connie said one of the goals of the Domestic Violence Awareness Walk was to make sure the people in the community who are survivors of domestic violence situations know they are not alone and that there is an army of people prepared to help and support them in any way possible.

The event included an inspiring presentation from a survivor, a large domestic violence information center with pamphlets and various giveaways, and more. The local radio station was also in attendance helping to lead participants in the walk.

Connie said money was raised through ticket sales and from sponsors within the community who were recognized with a sign along the walk path.

Overall, she said the event was a great success.

“It was just phenomenal,” Connie said. “…It was a serious event, but it was a fun event.”

GFWC Women’s Club of Madison 

Members of the GFWC Women’s Club of Madison (Connecticut) have been busy putting together arts and crafts bags to lift the spirits of children at the Ronald McDonald House Charities in New Haven, Connecticut. The Ronald McDonald House of Connecticut features 18 guest rooms and two respite rooms to serve the needs of families with children undergoing essential and specialized medical treatment at area hospitals.

The club’s President-elect Katherine DeBurra explained clubwomen decided to work on this project when they were unable to meet in groups due to COVID-19. Members collected crayons, glue sticks, motivational and educational coloring sheets, coloring books, and other craft projects. When the club was able to safely meet in person again, members put the arts and crafts bags together to be donated to the Ronald McDonald House of Connecticut.

“The bags came out fantastic and everyone had such a good feeling about doing it,” Katherine said. “It was so awesome to go in and give them these. It makes me so happy.”

She added the club hopes to do other similar projects to benefit this organization and the families it serves in the future.

“It’s a little thing, but an important thing,” she said.

Katherine explained the project was planned in part by Donna Farrell, a member of GFWC Women’s Club of Madison and Child Advocate Chairman for GFWC Connecticut, and that they were excited to be working on a project that focuses on children.

“Our children are our future and they need to be taken care of and those families need help sometimes,” she said. “We’re happy to do that.”

GFWC Woman’s Club of Laurel, Inc. 

Members of the GFWC Woman’s Club of Laurel, Inc. (Maryland) have made it their mission to encourage a love of reading and improve literacy in area children. As part of their Literacy for Little Ones project, clubwomen collect children’s books, stuffed animals, and other small items, make up gift packages, and distribute these packages to participating families at the local library. Club President Delysha Henry said the materials are given out during story time at the library, and the parents are offered advice on how to use the items to help teach their children.

The project was started by members of the club who are also teachers who saw that there was a need to help teach parents about reading skills and literacy overall.

“We want to make the child interested (in reading) and have it be fun for the parent and the child,” Delysha said.

She explained the club typically holds fundraisers in the fall to raise money to purchase the reading materials, and then the packages are given out to the families in the spring.

The GFWC Woman’s Club of Laurel, Inc. hosted one of these fundraisers in September, and invited friends and families to a local restaurant where a portion of the sales were dedicated to the Literacy for Little Ones project. Delysha said she was grateful to the restaurant for their help and to everyone who came out to the fundraiser.

“We appreciate them working with us,” she said.

GFWC Greater West Palm Beach Women’s Club 

The GFWC Greater West Palm Beach Women’s Club (Florida) donated 51 purses to Harmony House, a local domestic violence shelter, as part of their “Purses with a Purpose” project during Domestic Violence Awareness Month in October. The 28-member club also donated six wallets to the shelter. Harmony House provides emergency shelter for survivors and their children, including a 24-hour hotline, basic needs, counseling, advocacy, economic empowerment, children’s services, case management, and more.

The club’s Public Relations Chairman Linda Ferris said the club has done the “Purses with a Purpose” project in the past, but this year’s donation was a new record.

“When a woman leaves an abusive relationship at home, she may not take a purse, this way she has one,” she said.

Linda added the GFWC Greater West Palm Beach Women’s Club has supported Harmony House for decades, and that they try to find unique ways to give back, such as with purses and wallets.

“We seek out those who really need help,” she said. “It’s been a longtime project of ours to help the domestic violence shelters in town.”

Along with “Purses with a Purpose,” Linda said the club donated 15 black purses to the local Dress for Success affiliate, a nonprofit organization that aims to empower women to achieve economic independence by providing support, professional attire, and development tools.

GFWC North Central Junior Alumnae Club 

Members of the GFWC North Central Junior Alumnae Club (West Virginia) helped children in local schools enjoy National Coloring Day on September 14 by collecting and donating new crayons and coloring books. The club’s Project Chairman Tressa Wolfe said 66 boxes of crayons and 66 coloring books were distributed to kindergarten students at Terra Alta Elementary, first-grade students at Johnson Elementary, pre-school students at the Methodists Church, and the WVU Medicine Children’s Hospital.

In addition to donating the coloring materials, Tressa said members also hosted a coloring contest for fifth-grade students at Fairview Middle School, and three students were awarded first, second, and third place. The selected winners won a prize basket filled with snacks.

“The members were very excited to do this,” Tressa said. “We love children and any time we can do something to help children in the community, they are excited.”

She said all of the students and teachers were excited to receive the coloring books.

“They were overwhelmed and they were thrilled we were giving them brand new crayons that the kids could take home,” she said.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to present challenges for some projects, Tressa said this was a good way to make a positive impact while staying safe.

“We are trying to keep our members included in doing community service projects during the pandemic because we are still meeting remotely,” she said.

Despite the challenges created by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, GFWC’s International Affiliates around the world have been hard at work raising money for various charities, participating in community service projects, and trying to improve the lives of others overall.

American Women’s Literacy Club 

Members of the American Women’s Literacy Club (Lima, Peru) have continued to meet remotely this year to continue their volunteer service amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

The American Women’s Literacy Club in Lima, Peru, has been busy this year raising money for various education-based charities in Peru. Like many other GFWC clubs, the American Women’s Literacy Club has adopted remote meetings and events in an effort to continue to make a difference while staying safe and healthy. Clubwoman Sara Kurzenhauser explained the club has been hosting presentations with various guest speakers through Zoom throughout the year that people can pay to attend. The money raised from these events is being collected as part of their remote fundraiser.

Sara said one of the prominent education-based charities the club seeks to help each year is Ensena Peru, a nonprofit organization that sends trained teachers to rural areas of Peru where gaps in educational opportunities may exist to stay for two years to help fill these gaps. The club has helped fund one teacher per year that they have donated to the nonprofit.

“Our charities all emphasize education and literacy in Peru,” she said. “…Peru is socially stratified and has lots of classism. One way to combat these issues is through improving education.”

The remote fundraiser will come to a close in December, and will be marked with a raffle and various prizes to participants.

In past years, Sara said the club has raised about $10,000 per year, which is given out as grants to the charities they support. So far this year, she said they have collected about $1,500 through the remote fundraiser, and are excited to support as many organizations with this money as possible.

Sara added it is important to her and the other members of the club that they are not only a social club, but that volunteering and community service is an essential part of being a clubwoman.

As the American Women’s Literacy Club prepares to celebrate its 100th anniversary next year, Sara said they hope to continue to attract new members to participate in their fundraisers and community service projects.