GFWC Woman’s Citizenship Club in Alamosa (Colorado)
The GFWC Woman’s Citizenship Club in Alamosa (Colorado) surprised more than 800 employees of the local hospital and health clinics with San Luis Valley Health and 20 employees of the DaVita Dialysis Center by creating and donating 21 “Gratitude Boards” as a way to thank healthcare workers for their dedication this year. The boards were placed in the breakrooms of every department. Each board included a variety of snacks and a pair of scissors to snip each snack free when needed.
GFWC Santa Rosa Woman’s Club (Florida)
When COVID-19 forced the town’s library to close for browsing, the GFWC Santa Rosa Woman’s Club (Florida) devised a way for area readers to continue to enjoy looking for books. The Education and Libraries Community Service Program set out to locate every neighborhood Free Little Library book box along the 16-mile stretch from Gulf Breeze to Navarre, Florida, with the goal of making a map. As each little library was located, members photographed the book boxes and posted the photo and description on the club’s Facebook page.
After locating and photographing 30 small libraries, they created and launched a Google Map of neighborhood book boxes and little libraries. The map includes a pop-up photo of each little library with tips on finding it.
In addition to creating the map, club members involved with the community service project donned Santa hats and protective masks and visited the small libraries before Christmas, donating more than 50 sanitized children’s books to encourage reading during the school holidays. They also organized a personal library book drive of specific genres for an elder woman leaving an assisted living facility due to a COVID-19 outbreaks.
GFWC Helena Woman’s Club (Montana)
The GFWC Helena Woman’s Club (Montana) has been working on initiatives to support the local Veteran’s Association at Fort Harrison in Helena, Montana, including easing the transition of some of the homeless veterans into redeveloped housing at the fort. During a recent visit to drop off some pantry and toiletry items, members learned there are 11 children living in the housing units, and decided they wanted to provide them with Christmas gifts. The children ranged in age from eight months to 15 years old. In days, the club members rallied to provide toys, games, puzzles, baked goods, gift cards, hats, and mittens to each child, along with some additional goodies for their parents. The Helena Woman’s Club dropped the gifts off on December 22, in time for the children to have presents under a tree. Club members said it was a very rewarding experience.
GFWC Shorewood Woman’s Club (Wisconsin)
Although still operating remotely, the GFWC Shorewood Woman’s Club (Wisconsin) is continuing efforts to raise funds for charity and be a positive force in the community, including hosting two recent fundraisers. The first project involved selling t-shirts, sweatshirts, and tote bags featuring artwork by a club member. The sales resulted in a $175 contribution to the USO for their “Call Home” program for the military.
GFWC Affiliate Organization Heifer International was the recipient of the money raised during the club’s second fundraiser. Members raised more than $800 for the nonprofit organization, which works to eradicate poverty and hunger, through their annual coffee sale along with personal contributions. The club also took advantage of a matching grant opportunity online to partially double some of the contributions.