Volunteers in Action: GFWC Millville Woman’s Club and GFWC East Peoria Woman’s Club

September 6, 2022

GFWC Millville Woman’s Club 

Throughout the summer, GFWC Millville Woman’s Club (New Jersey) members have been hard at work supporting the Emmanuel Cancer Foundation (ECF). Selected as the special state project, the ECF provides New Jersey families facing the crisis of pediatric cancer a place to turn to for support and comfort. Their services are focused on the entire family and their day-to-day needs at home, including in-home counseling, obtaining food and other supplies, providing advocacy and emergency relief as warranted, and more.

To offer their support to this organization and to help children in the community, clubwoman Pam McNamee explained that members donated 31 backpacks filled with pens, pencils, highlighters, tablets, coloring books, and other school supplies to ECF.

“This project was to fill backpacks for not only the children who have cancer, but also their brothers and sisters so they don’t feel left out,” she said. “Wherever we can help, we try to make a difference.”

In addition to the backpack donation, Pam said the club plans to continue to support ECF through projects such as food drives, creating “birthday bags” for the children, and more.

“It is a very worthwhile foundation,” she said.

 

 

GFWC East Peoria Woman’s Club 

The GFWC East Peoria Woman’s Club (Illinois) donated $300 to their local library’s summer reading program to encourage children to foster a love of reading. Club President Phyllis Yerby said supporting programs such as this has always been important to the members, and they were thrilled to be able to donate to the Fondulac District Public Library in their city.

“Our club is into making sure kids are educated,” she added.

Phyllis said the club always sets some money raised during fundraisers aside for the library each year, but they were able to donate additional funds this year due to the generosity of a fellow clubwoman, who requested memorial contributions go to GFWC after her passing. With the funds collected, the club will also be able to provide another $300 donation for the community’s Head Start program.

In addition to supporting the various library programs, the GFWC East Peoria Woman’s Club was given the opportunity to set up a display case at the library featuring information about the club’s history and recent successful club projects. Pam said the display features projects such as hosting a food drive, donating more than 200 books for the Head Start program, selling flowerpots to raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and more.

“We wanted to let people know what our club is doing,” she said.