GFWC Volunteers in Action: GFWC Park City Athenaeum Club; High Springs New Century Woman’s Club; GFWC Woman’s Citizenship Club; Lawrenceville Woman’s Club

June 10, 2019

The GFWC Park City Athenaeum Club (Utah) hosted their 77th annual Park City High School Girl Graduate Tea last month. The Tea, which began in 1942, celebrates that many women came to the Tea as senior girls and then returned as mothers.

Kathy Calhoun-Damon, club president of GFWC Park City Athenaeum Club, opened the 77^th annual Park City High School Girl Graduate Tea. 

Each year at the Tea, GFWC Park City Athenaeum Club honors two inspirational girls who are recognized by their peers, as well as senior girls who were sponsored by the club as sophomores to attend the Hugh O’Brian HOBY Leadership conference.

The guest speaker was Luz Lewis-Perez, Director of Development for the National Kidney Foundation of Utah and Idaho. Lewis-Perez spoke about how she found her place in the world growing up.  She stressed that the hard parts of life teach us many things, and few things in life must be done perfectly, they just must be done well. Lewis-Perez stressed to the girls that a new stage of life was opening-up as they leave high school, and there is a place for each of them in this world with their unique talents. There was music, a professional photographer taking pictures of the girls and their moms, and refreshments. The event is a great way to acknowledge the talented young women in the community.

The High Springs New Century Woman’s Club (Florida) was happy to present Deputy Chief Antoine Sheppard from the High Springs Police Department with additional care bags to keep in patrol cars for when officers encounter individuals in need, including the homeless. The bags contained donated water and ready-to-eat snacks. The bags were greatly appreciated and will be put to good use, and the club will continue this project.

The GFWC Woman’s Citizenship Club (Colorado) partnered with the First United Methodist Church to provide an ‘Autumn Blaze’ maple tree for the Alamosa Boys & Girls Club. Arbor Day comes late in Alamosa, Colorado where they are at 7,500 feet in elevation and have to wait until the weather gets warmer to plant trees!  More than twenty people participated and were grateful to the Department of Parks and Recreation crew for digging the hole ahead of time.

After learning about the importance of properly planting and taking care of trees, the boys and girls took turns preparing the hole by filling it with soil so the maple wasn’t planted too deep. Teh children then backfilled and firmed the soil by the stomping on it while someone held the tree upright. To prevent any injuries from shovels or flying soil, the eager boys and girls took turns shoveling in an orderly manner.

After the tree was planted, it was surrounded by wire mesh to prevent deer damage, was staked as it is in a windy location, and was mulched with cedar chips. The stakes will be taken off in a year since trees that are staked too long don’t develop a healthy root system and are therefore more likely to fall over. This type of maple has tender bark when young so the trunk will be wrapped in the winter with protective wrap until the diameter is 3 – 4 inches. The children affectionately named the tree, “Autumn Bob.”

Alamosa Methodist Church and GFWC Woman’s Citizenship Club members pose in front of the tree while the children finish an outdoor game and are rounded up for planting.

The Lawrenceville Woman’s Club (Georgia) partnered with the First Book Club 165 to assist in its book distribution program, which offers support for students at five Title 1 elementary schools who are at risk of failure and living at or near poverty. It provides 12 books to each student to read during the summer to help students not fall behind in their coursework. In February, during phase 1, club members helped sort the books. The book distribution began in May with the Lawrenceville Woman’s Club back in action to keep their table sections stocked and to assist students in selecting their books. The final task during the distributions was to double bag the books and provide students with a bookmark. This year the club served 3,815 students and distributed a total of 54,832 books, with the schools retaining those books not selected by their students. In addition to volunteering, the club made a monetary donation to support the purchase of chapter books.