Members

Bobbie Schorsten

Bobbie Schorsten photograph

After being invited to a meeting at the GFWC Woman’s Club of Hendersonville, in Tennessee, Bobbie Schorsten decided the club would be a great way to meet some likeminded women and make a difference for others.

“I joined and met some wonderful ladies who are very committed to doing community service,” she said.

A club member now for more than two decades, Bobbie said she was originally from Pennsylvania, but traveled a lot as a child due to her father’s service in the army. After meeting her husband and becoming a teacher, they moved to Tennessee to raise their two sons.

She said throughout the years she has been glad for her decision to join the woman’s club and help people in a multitude of ways.

“I like the variety of opportunity, and the fact that we change our chairmen every two years gives a different perspective on where committees are heading and what they find needs to be done in the community, so it’s very fresh. It keeps you on your toes,” she said.

Bobbie said she is proud of her fellow clubwomen for all the work they have done and was excited when the club won two first place and one fourth place Community Improvement Awards in the past.

“That has been fulfilling,” she said. “Just the fact that your work is recognized and it was good work.”

Among the projects the members of the GFWC Woman’s Club of Hendersonville have completed are establishing a teen center in the community that recognizes the need for special-needs education students to have a place to participate in the same activities as students who do not receive aided education, and helping to provide clothing for homeless students in the school district.

As the club president in 2021, Bobbie said she has had a great experience working with the members in a new way.

“I enjoy it because I have a wonderful, awesome group of women that work with us,” she said. “I don’t think there’s anything you could ask that they wouldn’t do. It’s the women and their willingness. My theme is Heart and they definitely have a giving heart.”

She added the woman’s club has also been successful due to the generous nature of the surrounding residents.

“We live in a very giving community. They are very supportive,” she said.

Bobbie said she is glad to see a lot of women of all ages volunteering with the club, and that offering a day and night group has opened up doors for new members to join and participate on their own time.

“I think a lot of young women want to see something positive happen with their time and they’re not really looking for another social club, so it’s a working organization and if you are interested in learning more about your community, it’s a good opportunity,” she said.

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