Category: Volunteers in Action

Coral Gables Woman’s Club Centennial Chairman, Robin Burr, is working with Dr. Jason Dowling, Director of the Fairchild Tropical Botanical Gardens Million Orchid Project, to install rare native orchids on the woman’s club property, re-establishing species that grew there more than a century ago.

On Saturday, June 24, 2023 a team of volunteers installed over one hundred select orchids at their historic clubhouse location. During the entire year of 2023, the Coral Gables Woman’s Club has planned a myriad of such events of interest in order to celebrate their 100 years of community service in the City Beautiful.

The focus of The Million Orchid Project has has been to reintroduce native orchids to South Florida. The project is unique, both in its large scale and its focus on urban landscapes in the local community.

Thursday, June 15th was World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. The North Myrtle Beach Woman’s club petitioned the city to sign a proclamation setting this day aside to bring awareness to the community about our most vulnerable citizens, our elderly.  Chief of Police Dana Crowell attended the event and read the proclamation.

The woman’s club hosted an event at Mission BBQ to educate the community about Elder Abuse which can take many forms, those identified by the National Center on Elder Abuse include neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, abandonment, emotional or psychological, financial, or material exploitation, and self-neglect. The club was also raising funds for SOS Care’s Project Lifesaver, approximately $1,000 was donated through the generosity of those in attendance. This life saving program allows individuals who may be prone to wandering to be tracked. This is done using a radio frequency tracking bracelet. Multiple North Myrtle Beach Police officers have been trained to use this technology to find individuals wearing these bracelets. What may have taken untold man hours, days or weeks in the past may now take as little as 30 minutes. This is life-changing for our elderly population, especially those in our community who have Alzheimer’s or dementia. 

If you are interested in learning more about the North Myrtle Beach Women’s Club, please visit their website at – northmyrtlebeachwomansclub.org or Facebook – North Myrtle Beach Woman’s Club.

If you would like to learn more about SOS Care’s Project Lifesaver or make a donation, please visit their website at – soscaresc.org or Facebook – SOS Care.

Period Poverty refers to lack of access to menstrual products, sanitation facilities and inadequate education regarding menstrual health and hygiene.  Unfortunately, menstruation is still stigmatized and people are embarrassed to talk about it, but it impacts women’s health and welfare throughout the world.  Per Harvard Health Publishing, “There are nearly 22 million women living in poverty in the United States who cannot afford menstrual products.”

The Community Food Bank of New Jersey provides much more than food, offering educational programs on hunger, poverty and ways to make positive changes in the community.  Fighting Period Poverty is one of their programs.  On 6/8/2023, the Millville Woman’s Club (MWC) donated $300 worth of feminine hygiene products to CFBNJ in support of this fight.

Submit a story about the awesome things YOUR club is doing in the community to PR@gfwc.org.

The Evening Chapter of the GFWC Mesquite Club of Las Vegas (NV) gathered household items for the U.S. Vets Betterment Community Housing Project.  20 Housewarming Baskets were provided to assist with the transition of Veterans from temporary to permanent apartment living.  The baskets contained various items including paper goods, cleaning supplies, coffee pots, blankets, kitchen tools and the club’s cookbook. $1045.50 worth of items were provided by the efforts of the membership.

After hearing that children in their city were having trouble adjusting to school after COVID, the La Verne-San Dimas Woman’s Club took action. Inspired by a good samaritan in the next town, they crochet “Backpack Buddies” for students. Partnering with local teachers, they gift them to students, hoping to spread smiles and add joy to the school day.

Members of the club crochet the body of each little friend and brought them to a club meeting. The clubwomen then came together to finish assembling the Buddies. They added stuffing, eyes, mouths, and a hook to secure them to backpacks.

The La Verne-San Dimas Woman’s Club has completed over 150 Backpack Buddies for school students to enjoy.

Photo:  MWC members Diane Alcantara, Louise Jones, Civic Engagement Chair, Misono Miller and Joann Schmidt.

Millville Woman’s Club (NJ) Beautifies Neighborhood

While every day is a good day to pick up trash, on March 18th members of the Millville Woman’s Club (MWC) participated in the annual Cumberland County Trash Hunt.  It was chilly, but the sun was bright. Members dressed in warm jackets and gloves and proceeded to fill their bags with trash collected around their clubhouse neighborhood.  MWC and many other groups participate in this event each year in an effort to keep our county beautiful and our neighborhoods clean and safe.

Photo:  Members of the Women’s Club of Farmingdale on April 6, 2023

Women’s Club of Farmingdale Celebrates 110 Years

In 1912, a math teacher from Woodstock, Vermont, who also taught English at Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn, moved to the Village of Farmingdale to “retire” and ended up leaving a monumental legacy.  At the age of 60, Abigail E. Leonard built a home on Hallock Street and called it “Aftermath.” Ms. Leonard was the guiding force that led to dozens of improvements and innovative accomplishments.  To name a few, she encouraged local citizens to join her in the fight for the adoption of home mail delivery, street signs, milk delivery and garbage collection.  She sponsored the first school nurse, high school business courses, Youth Council and Adult Education.  She was the first woman to serve on the Farmingdale Board of Education and while serving helped form the local PTA.  In 1913, together with the wives of some of the prominent men in the village, they formed the Women’s Club of Farmingdale (WCF).  In 1915 she became their president and served in that office for ten years.  Then in 1923 she co-founded the existing Farmingdale Public Library (together with Jesse Merritt) which this year is celebrating 100 years.  In 1920, a scholarship award was established in her name and has been presented to a deserving Farmingdale High School senior every year since.

On April 6, the Women’s Club of Farmingdale celebrated their 110 year anniversary at Palmer’s American Grille, Farmingdale. Club President Barbara Hoerner welcomed Christopher Dalton, Chief of Staff for NYS Sen. Steven Rhoads, TOB Supervisor Joseph Saladino, Leg. Rose Marie Walker, Leg. John R. Ferretti, Jr., Village of Farmingdale Mayor Ralph Ekstrand and Village of Farmingdale Trustee Cheryl Parisi (also a WCF member). Each one presented the club with a beautiful proclamation extolling the club’s numerous accomplishments and contributions both locally and internationally.  Past President Maria Ortolani and her committee and advisors, Ann Lomonte, Fran Rotondo, Tina Diamond and Barbara Hoerner, arranged a memorable commemoration which included a lovely lunch, birthday cake and keepsake souvenir which guests and legislators received. Kudos to the wonderful staff at Palmer’s for a delicious lunch and impeccable service.

The Wake Forest Woman’s Club (NC) was pleased to collaborate on a community service project with the Durham Woman’s Club (NC). Several clubwomen traveled to Durham, North Carolina, to provide and serve lunch for women and children at the Durham Rescue Mission. The Durham Rescue Mission serves over 400,000 meals per year and provides shelter to homeless men, women, and children. They also provide “The Victory Program” a 12-month plan to help people go from addiction to employment.

Both clubs have plans for future events together and joined together shortly thereafter at The Lemon Tree Cafe in Wake Forest to socialize and strategize. They plan to meet weekly to learn about how the clubs operate and can work together on future projects.

Wake Forest clubwoman Marilyn Bonnett summed up their meeting as, “We are like-minded women in service to the community.”

The Woman’s Club of Parsippany-Troy Hills is showcasing their club and numerous volunteer projects at the Parsippany Library in New Jersey. Co-Membership Chairmen Janice Carruba and Ginny Scala collected photos and memorabilia from fellow clubwomen for the display. Their projects include literacy outreach, food assistance and raising awareness of child abuse.

On Sunday, April 2, fourteen GFWC clubwomen from Michigan, during their visit to headquarters, planted blue pinwheels in recognition of Child Abuse Prevention Month.

Every year the GFWC Pierce Arrows purchase the pinwheels to help raise public awareness on child abuse. The clubwomen from Michigan planted dozens of blue pinwheels in support of this worthy cause. The GFWC District of Columbia club will help keep the display looking tidy and replenished all April long.

National Child Abuse Prevention Month is an opportunity to take bold action to better support parents and caregivers with access to resources to cope during challenging times.
To learn more and what you can do to help raise awareness in your local community, visit: preventchildabuse.org.

The members of District 3 of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs of Louisiana met on Saturday, March 11, 2023 in Thibodaux for their Annual Meeting. At that meeting donated items were collected for the Vermilion Women’s Resource Center, which is the special focus of District 3 President Meg Hebert of Abbeville. The VWRC (vermilionwrc.com) provides services to women and children to improve their quality of life through giving them “a hand up, not a hand out.” Services include life skills for parents, HiSet/GED support, mentor program, Resilient Families Program, and employment and career support. Items donated by the members of District 3 included disposable diapers, baby wipes, hygiene products, baby blankets, and stuffed animals. District 3 includes two clubs in Vermilion Parish, the Woman’s Club of Abbeville and Les Dames de Gueydan, and three clubs in the Houma-Thibodeaux area, Bayou Junior Woman’s Club, GFWC Houma Junior Woman’s Club, and GFWC of Southern Belles.

Pictured from left to right, delivering the donated items to the VWRC:  Meg Hebert, District 3 President; Brenda Landry, President of the Woman’s Club of Abbeville; and members of the Woman’s Club of Abbeville, Jane Barras, Elaine Dill, and Linda Weill.

ART AND EDUCATION AT MILLVILLE WOMAN’S CLUB (NJ)

At their March meeting, members of the Millville Woman’s Club (MWC) enjoyed a presentation by Sandy Smith. Director of Community Outreach at the Barn Studio of Art.  The Barn Studio in a non-profit organization established to “nurture the study of art and nature throughout the community in a non-competitive, creative, developmentally appropriate and positive atmosphere.”  Pat Wit, a Cumberland County native, accomplished artist and advocate for the Maurice River and Delaware Bay, founded the studio in her home in 1962 and it has remained there.  Ms. Smith expounded on their Community Outreach Program which offers workshops that “introduce visual art, classical ballet, classical music, pottery and nature study to groups of young children of diverse backgrounds.”  She was very enthusiastic about their program and showed slides of young children on nature walks outside, inside enjoying music, practicing some dance steps and painting.  Learning about nature and exploring with colors and shapes “enables students to tap into their creative spirits.”  For information about these Community Outreach Workshops and scholarship programs, contact Sandy Smith, Director, at (856)825-5028 or e-mail  info@barnstudio.org.