contest Archives - General Federation of Women’s Clubs

GFWC App Contest: Advocates for Children Week

The official GFWC app is a convenient way to be connected with clubs all over the country and see the great things they’re up to. It’s especially exciting to see the unique projects and events that different clubs do for the same cause.

To celebrate this year’s Advocates for Children Week, GFWC is offering a contest! We’re challenging as many clubs as possible to upload a photo during the special week on the official GFWC app and show how their club is making a difference for youth. Each club who uploads a photo will have their name entered into a raffle for the chance to win a $100 gift card.

This year, the Juniors’ Special Program: Advocates for Children Week takes place from Sunday, October 22 – Saturday, October 28, and it’s a time for clubs to find ways to support youth in their communities or around the world. Share a photo of your project or event on the GFWC app and you just might win the prize!

Don’t know how to share a photo on the app? We’re here to help. The official GFWC app is available for free on iPhone iOS and Android. First, find out how to download them below.

HOW TO INSTALL THE APP

1. Turn on your phone and press the “App Store” app if you have an iPhone:

and “Google Play Store” if you have an Android:

2. Go to the store’s search bar and search “GFWC.” Do not search “General Federation of Women’s Clubs” because it will not bring up any results.

3. The app will likely be the first thing to appear. Click on it.

4. On an iPhone, your phone will show a button that says “Get” or “Install”, so click on that. You will have to put in your Apple ID password before the app can download.

On an Android, your phone will show three dots next to the app. Click on that and then click Install.

For a more thorough exploration of the app’s features, including how to create an account, read through the user guide on GFWC.org

HOW TO SHARE A PHOTO ON THE APP

1. Click on the top right icon as shown below:

2. It will bring you to a page that says Status. To add the photo, click the Camera icon. The app needs permission to use your photos, so you might get a message that says “‘GFWC’ Would Like to Access the Camera”. Click OK, and then click OK again if it asks “‘GFWC’ Would Like to Access Your Photos”.

3. The app gives you the option to take a photo right there on that screen. But to upload a photo saved on your phone, click the bottom right icon that shows your most recent photo. This will take you to all of the photos on your phone. Find the one you want and click on it.

4. The app uploads photos of all the same size, so the next page allows you to move the photo around until you are happy with which part is going to be cropped. Click “Choose” once you’ve decided.

5. It will take you back to the Status page, where you can add a comment about the photo and how your club is celebrating the week. When you’re ready to post, click the check mark in the upper right corner and it will upload to the photo feed!

Share a photo of your Advocates for Children week project on the GFWC app so everyone can appreciate all the hard work that GFWC clubwomen put towards improving the lives of children.

GFWC National Short Story Contest Winner

Jodi Hodges of Anderson Creek Woman’s Club (North Carolina) won GFWC’s 2017 Short Story Contest with a thought-provoking tale about a world where luck functions almost like currency, with rewards and costs for using it.

One of the many successful parts of her story was the subconscious writing style, which Jodi used to create a sense of urgency and chaos that immediately catches the reader’s attention. When asked what she wants readers to take from the story, Jodi said she wanted the story to be a ride, and for readers to think about what kind of choices they might make if put in a similar situation.

Jodi hasn’t written since college, but her return to writing was a success. As for her inspiration, Jodi explained, “I had seen a [writing] prompt for people being limited in luck and started thinking about what that might look like and how it could play a part in people’s lives.” Once she began to imagine that world, her story took off from there. If you want to read Jodi’s absorbing short story, click here.

GFWC National Poetry Contest Winner

Sharon Paulson of GFWC Amery Woman’s Club (Wisconsin) has won first place in GFWC’s national poetry contest. Sharon’s entry, “On the Death of My Son”, is a moving poem that she wrote on the night her son Christopher died. “I hope people can see the world through the eyes of Christopher,” Sharon said. “He was empathetic to a fault. He felt for others too deeply. So much so, he felt himself too imperfect to live in this world.”

While there were many outstanding submissions that illustrated the talent of the GFWC community, Sharon’s poem stood above the rest. She has been writing for about eight years, but not steadily— only when she feels deeply moved by an idea. The death of her son was one of those moments, and she channeled her emotions into a poem that spoke to the judges:

On the Death of My Son

It was all about perfection
And that is why he loved nature
You’ll find perfection all around
A flower, a snail, a star, a tree.

He was most at peace in the woods, in the quiet
The sounds of nature were his Mozart, his genius
And after the woods, the birds, the animals, and brooks
Were his family.

But children came before the fall, before the destruction, before sadness.

The root of that destruction was the masses, the media, and man.

Nature wanted the control, but man chose differently.
Man decided and nature lost.
Let the children choose.
It was too late.
Perfection was slipping farther
And hope was lost.
And, finally, life was lost.
We lost.

We would like to thank Sharon for sharing this emotional poem with us.

Sharon is one of fifty-seven members of GFWC Amery Woman’s Club, which helps their local community. One of their major and best-loved projects is their Amery Art & Craft Fair, which benefits school scholarships.