News & Notes – April 4, 2019

What to Expect from the 2019 GFWC Annual Convention

Being a first-time attendee of an event can be an overwhelming experience, but it doesn’t have to be! If you’re going to GFWC’s Annual Convention for the first time this year, use these tips to make the most of your convention experience!

1. First-Time Attendee Orientation: The orientation on June 28 from 4:45 p.m.-5:45 p.m. will put you at ease. From learning protocol tips to meeting other first-timers, it’s a great experience to kick off your first convention.
2. Lunch and Learns: There are two Lunch and Learns to choose from on June 29 from 12:45 p.m.-3:00 p.m. One is for Fundraising and the other is for GFWC Projects. It’s a chance for clubwomen to share their successful moments and inspire each other to adopt great ideas. Everyone is given a chance to speak, so come prepared with an idea to share. Bring pen and paper to jot down ideas from other clubs!
3. Tours: Every year the Convention tours are a big hit, and this year is no different! With options for a Texas History Tour, Day in Waco Tour, and Zip Lining Tour, take advantage of Austin adventures. It’s a perfect way to make new friends!

Whether you’re a first-time or seasoned attendee, use our Convention Facebook frame on your profile photo to show your excitement and encourage your Federation sisters to join you in Austin. Register by April 15 to get the Early Bird rate!

---

Plan Ahead for Arbor Day

For the Arbor Day Grand Initiative, we’re encouraging you to help us plant 1,000 trees to do our part in improving the environment. But there’s a lot to figure out before you get started; be prepared this Arbor Day and consider these steps:

• Identify the site and get written permission to plant there if it’s not your property. Prepare a proposal for the landowner, county/parish/city administrator, school principal, or park ranger depending on where you’re planting.
• Check municipal and local laws, including ordinances related to trees for what kind are allowed to be planted, what size, etc.
• Consult the utility company to make sure the trees won’t disturb overhead and underground lines.
• If you’re planning to plant a tree near a street, check that it won’t impact visibility and therefore safety.
• Commit to caring for the tree after planting and provide routine maintenance.

Keep these steps in mind to have a successful Arbor Day experience. Use our press release to spread the word and encourage your community to plant even more trees!

---

Observe Child Abuse Prevention Month

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month and it encourages communities to promote healthy development for children. Everyone can make a difference!

What Can You Do?

• Participate in Wear Blue Day on April 5. Take a photo of your club wearing blue and use the hashtag #wearblue.
• Plant pinwheels. Prevent Child Abuse America’s blue pinwheel is symbolic of a happy childhood.
• Share information from Prevent Child Abuse America from their Facebook and Twitter. Throughout April they will post tips on how to support children and their families.
• Check if your local chapter is hosting an event you can participate in.

Children deserve a good childhood, free from abuse and neglect. Take action this April and show your support for Child Abuse Prevention Month!

---

GFWC Leadership Attends Celebration Dinner

GFWC International President Mary Ellen Brock, Susan Vasu, a member of GFWC Ohio, and GFWC First Vice President Deb Strahanoski.

On Wednesday, March 27, GFWC International President Mary Ellen Brock and First Vice President Deb Strahanoski were proud to attend the 100th Anniversary Celebration Dinner of Easterseals at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. Previously a partner of GFWC, Easterseals continues to celebrate 100 years of impact by working toward a future where everyone is 100% included and 100% empowered.

---

Cares & Concerns

Our thoughts are with 2018-2020 GFWC Membership Committee Member Susette Redwine on the passing of her mother, Nancy Jane Dalton, last week.

Our condolences to 2018-2020 GFWC Credentials Committee member Peggy Barnes on the loss of her mother, Martha “Lavene” Thompson, this week.

---

Thank You Tuesday

April’s #ThankYouTuesday theme is “Spring Into Membership” and asks you to think of ways you can put the spring back in your club’s step! Share your ideas on our Facebook post.

---

Volunteers in Action

The GFWC Woman’s Club of Colorado Springs (Colorado), GFWC-NH Salem Woman’s Club (New Hampshire), Paradise Valley Junior Women’s Club (Arizona), and the Lake City Women’s Club (Michigan) are featured on GFWC’s Blog.

Have a success story to tell? Email pr@gfwc.org.

---

Parliamentary Pointers

by GFWC Parliamentarian Deen J. Meloro, RP

Each constituent unit has its own way of choosing delegates. Hopefully, a club may be able to offer some financial assistance to the delegates representing them. Those eligible to be delegates to the GFWC Annual Convention are detailed in GFWC Bylaws, Article VIII, Section 8.2, Representation. Your state has specific rules for delegates to the state convention.

Before each Convention, each club will receive the proposed bylaws amendments that will be voted on at Convention. Sometimes they will also receive proposed resolutions and/or proposed changes to resolutions. It is the duty of a delegate to be familiar with this material before getting to Convention. Optimally, at a club meeting prior to convention, members will be made aware of these proposed amendments/changes and have the time to discuss them. If a club is opposed to one of the suggested changes, it may instruct its delegates to vote against a particular bylaws amendment or resolution. A delegate representing a club must represent the interests of a club and if instructed to vote for or against an issue must do so. In many cases, a delegate is allowed to vote her conscience while still keeping in mind the interests of her club.

The proposed amendments to the GFWC Bylaws and Resolutions are in the latest Clubwoman Magazine that each club and subscriber receives. Delegates should bring their magazines with them to Austin, as no copies will be available at the business sessions.

When a delegate gets to Austin, it is her responsibility to register at the GFWC Registration Desk. At that time, she will receive her credentials and meal tickets. Delegates should look through all materials before the business sessions begin.

A delegate should be seated at each Business Session ten minutes before the session is scheduled to begin. She should have her Clubwoman Magazine with the proposed changes to Bylaws and Resolutions and paper to take notes. These notes will be very helpful when she goes home and prepares a report for her club. At the first general club meeting after Convention, she should report the business that was conducted, as well as the other activities that make a GFWC Annual Convention so much fun.

---

Club Anniversaries and Gold Pin Recipients

Anniversaries

50th

GFWC Mystic Woman’s Club (Connecticut)
GFWC Woman’s Club of Omar (West Virginia)
Golden Valley Federated Women’s Club (Minnesota)

60th

GFWC-IFC Lincoln Club of Southern Indiana (Indiana)
GFWC Valley Woman’s Club (West Virginia)

70th  

Sparta Woman’s Club (New Jersey)
GFWC Gulf Shores Woman’s Club (Alabama)

75th

Point Pleasant Junior Woman’s Club (West Virginia)

80th

GFWC WV Dunbar Woman’s Club (West Virginia)
Woman’s Club of Seaford (Virginia)

85th

GFWC WV Woman’s Club of New Cumberland (West Virginia)

90th

Past Presidents Club – Shore District (New Jersey)
GFWC WV Woman’s Club of Elizabeth (West Virginia)

95th

Rahway Woman’s Club (New Jersey)
GFWC Woman’s Club of Gassaway (West Virginia)
GFWC WV Woman’s Club of McMechen (West Virginia)
GFWC WV Woman’s Club of South Charleston (West Virginia)

100th

Woman’s Club of Woodbury (New Jersey)
Woman’s Club of Westwood (New Jersey)
GFWC Warrenton Woman’s Club (North Carolina)

105th

Mountain Lakes Woman’s Club (New Jersey)
GFWC Woman’s Club of Elkins (West Virginia)

110th

Women’s Civic Club of Hammonton (New Jersey)
Millville Woman’s Club (New Jersey)

115th

GFWC Parkersburg Woman’s Club (West Virginia)

120th

GFWC Covina Woman’s Club (California)
Woman’s Club of Vineland (New Jersey)

125th

GFWC Kansas City Athenaeum (Missouri)
GFWC Contemporary Club of Redlands (California)

Gold Pin Recipients (50 Year Members)

Nanci Austin & Frances Carter
Grand Terrace Woman’s Club (California)

Joan Russell, Barbara Thompson, & Joyce Saucier
Golden Valley Federated Women’s Club (Minnesota)

Barbara Nalan
Grand Rapids North Star Women’s Club (Minnesota)

Bernadette Stendebach
Wauconda Woman’s Club (Illinois)

Joan Barnhart
GFWC Woman’s Club of Newtown Square (Pennsylvania)

Eileen Craft
Zwaanendael Women’s Club (Delaware)

Nancy Steele
Delmar Progress Club (New York)

Jane Cline
Okanogan Women’s Club (Washington)

Janet Parisi
Woman’s Club of Danbury-New Fairfield (Connecticut)

Carmel Genera & Doris Bryant
Northford-North Branford Women’s Club (Connecticut)

Claire Cerrato & Marianne Kinnear
Woman’s Club of Enfield, Inc. (Connecticut)

Marie Bruhn
Windsor Woman’s Club of CT and GFWC (Connecticut)

Marty Dixon
Greensboro Woman’s Club (North Carolina)

Ruth Owens & Elizabeth Proctor
GFWC Gordon Woman’s Club (Georgia)

Rosa Murray
GFWC Woman’s Club of Raleigh (North Carolina)

Dorothy Traub
GFWC Cape Henry Woman’s Club (Virginia)

Hilaire Ann Daly
Woman’s Club of Bakersfield (California)

---

GFWC Marketplace: Party Kit

Whether you’re having a picnic to celebrate Federation Day or you’re having a membership recruitment event, GFWC’s party kit makes it easier than ever to be a hostess. For $10, you can get 20 plates, 20 napkins, and 10 balloons, all branded with GFWC spirit! Get your party kit in the GFWC Marketplace.

---

Subscribe to News & Notes

Simply provide your name, mailing address, email, and club name to gfwc@gfwc.org!