GFWC Clubs in the News

GFWC clubs work hard to raise awareness about their projects and the work that members do in their communities. Keep reading to find out more about how GFWC clubwomen are making the news, and making a difference!

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Writers showcased in intimate settings
Women’s club meets monthly; attendance ranges from 16 to 70 people

By Mike Odom, Staff Writer (Baldwin County NOW; Fairhope, Ala.); Saturday, March 29, 2008 

Once a month for more than five years, Fairhope residents have had a place to meet and talk with well-known writers and those just starting out in their writing careers.

Earlier this month, local writer Sonny Brewer appeared at the monthly “book review” meeting of the Federated Women’s Club of the Eastern Shore. He entertained the audience with readings from his latest book and tales of current and future projects.

Next month, Joan White Crowder will discuss her book about growing up in Daphne.

“These book reviews are one of the ways that (our group) gives back to the community by contributing to the cultural environment,” said Sarah Creech, book review chairperson for the group. “Attendance ranges from 16 to 70 (people).”

She said most of the readings and book signings are done in conjunction with Page & Palette book store, with the speaker appearing at the club meeting Thursday afternoon and at the book store that evening.

Writers during the past few months have included: Louise Schaffer, J.D. Crowe, Michael Knight, Robert Morgan and Thomas Lakeman.

“In June, Hazel Buck will be reviewing her book, ‘Jennie: The Last of the Puffer Girls,’ ” Creech said. “Hazel is 94 years old and very entertaining and sharp as a tack. This story reads like a journal and is a homespun tale of families and friends and a delightful commentary on early social life in small town Mississippi.”

Buck lives in Fairhope and was 90 when her book was published, Creech said.

Showcasing writers in intimate settings is only one project of the FWCES, a group that has been meeting in the area for almost a century.

“Our club was organized in 1929,” said Isabel Jackson, the group’s president. “We have about 35 active members.”

She said the club’s purpose is to unite a group of women to support work in the arts, education, health, government and international affairs.

Jackson is in her fourth year as club president.

“One of the most exciting things we have done the past few years was raising and donating $1,000 to (a group) that helps children who have cancer,” Jackson said. “We also sponsor college scholarships for local students.”

The local group is part of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs, based in Washington, D.C. The roots of that group can be traced back to 1868 when Jane Croly, a professional New York journalist who wrote under the pen name Jennie June, attempted to attend a dinner at an all-male press club honoring British novelist Charles Dickens, according to the group’s Web site.

Croly was denied admission based on her gender, and in response she formed a club for women. Two years later, 63 women’s clubs gathered in New York City to form the current federation.

Over the years, the GFWC has championed efforts to improve child labor laws, juvenile justice, safe food and drug laws, workplace safety, environmental protection and numerous efforts to support troops during war time.

The group is also well known for its support of public libraries.

“Having founded over 474 free public libraries and 4,655 traveling libraries, women’s clubs were credited by the American Library Association with establishing 75 percent of America’s public libraries,” the group’s Web site states. “Supporting local libraries continues to be a Federation priority today.”

The next organizational meeting of the local club is at noon, Tuesday, April 8, at Old Bay Steamer restaurant in Fairhope. The meeting is open to women interested in the club’s work. For more information, contact Isabel Jackson at 928-3878.

The next book review meeting is at 1 p.m., Friday, April 18, at the James P. Nix Center. Crowder will discuss her book, Tell It To An Old Hollow Log: Growing Up in Daphne, Alabama. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Sarah Creech at 928-9233.

Information about the General Federation of Women’s Clubs can be found at its Web site: www.gfwc.org.

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By Merle Augustin (South Florida Sun-Sentinel); March 29, 1008

Early in the century, pioneer women held street dances and biked through town to raise enough money to pay for what would be the city's only structure designed by famed Palm Beach architect Addison Mizner: the Boynton Woman's Club.

Despite being away from Ocean Avenue -- then the center of town -- the women turned it into Boynton Beach's first library and meeting center where residents waltzed under bronze-colored, cast-iron chandeliers, and social, political and religious groups met over the years.

Now, 75 years later, the 150-member club is again trying to raise money. This time it needs $110,000 to refurbish the building, which was the city's first to make it onto the National Register of Historic Places.

"It needs a new floor. It needs doors and windows replaced, and it needs to have the railings redone," said Lee Buffan, president of the Boynton Woman's Club.

Nothing much is wrong with the old-fashioned window sills, the aqua-painted French doors and the banisters but "just old age," Buffan said.

"It's just like a hip replacement. Well, she's the grand lady of Federal Highway," she chuckled.

To get the money to rejuvenate the two-story, Mediterranean-style, coral-colored building at 1010 S. Federal Highway, the Mizner Foundation of Boynton Beach -- the fund-raising arm of the club -- applied for a $55,000 state grant in December. If the group gets it, it will have to match it.

To raise its share, the foundation is counting on its annual fund-raiser on Sunday. Called Mizner Serenata, the dinner at the club includes a musical program with opera, Broadway and Italian favorites. The tickets are $50 per person.

"Every time we need help, [foundation members are] there," said Dusty Luongo, one of the club's vice presidents.

The club was established in 1909 as a service organization and is part of the Florida Federation of Women's Clubs and the General Federation of Women's Clubs International, a network of 22 million women.

The building -- dedicated to the city's founder Maj. Nathan Boynton because his family contributed $30,000 of his memorial fund to build it -- was placed on the National Register of Historical Places in 1979. It is one of 51 historical landmarks in Palm Beach County. The only other Boynton Beach building to make the register is the 1913 Schoolhouse Museum.

The club underwent its first renovation in 1986, with $500,000 raised by the Mizner Foundation, club members and help from residents. The roof, the downstairs floor, the plumbing and the air-conditioning system were replaced and an elevator installed.

Not too far in the future, club members foresee the wooden floors will need to be replaced.

"This is an ongoing project," said Buffan, who also sits on the board of the Mizner Foundation. "It will never end. There will always be something to be done. In Florida, where you have humidity and termites, it tends to age."

With few historic structures to remind the city of its early days, the building -- one of the first on Federal Highway -- is valuable to Boynton Beach, and not just because of its architecture.

"It is a privately owned property, maintained, operated and preserved for community use and enjoyment. It's not like other Mizner buildings that are someone's private home. The community enjoys this," Buffan said.

The building is also one of the few places where civic leaders and associations can meet for free, to gather around hand-carved walnut tables and the antique wicker furniture in the downstairs lounge.

Residents also take advantage of it. For a fee, newlyweds can take their first dance and residents can throw parties in the upstairs cypress-ceiling ballroom that also holds a stage with a mural backdrop and is surrounded by a balcony.

Throughout the year, the club organizes fund-raising dinners, luncheons, bazaars and house tours to pay for the building's upkeep, such as insurance and utilities.

"It cost $110 just to open the door every day, just to own it," said Lillian Ostiguy, the club's treasurer.

To rent space at the Boynton Woman's Club, call Mildred Berg at 561-737-3169.