News & Notes – February 21, 2019

New March of Dimes Projects

GFWC’s partnership with March of Dimes makes it easy for clubwomen to support the Juniors’ Special Program: Advocates for Children.

March of Dimes hosts baby showers for military families. Help make their experience one to remember by crafting!

Baby Hat

Do you like to knit? Make your knitting philanthropic! Use March of Dimes’ pattern to create hats that will keep babies warm.

Baby Blanket

Whether you knit, crochet, sew, quilt, or tie fleece blankets, your one of a kind blanket will be a source of comfort to a baby.

But you don’t have to be crafty to make a difference!

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Mom Care Packages

Show a mom you care! Assemble toiletries in gallon size storage bags so moms with newborns getting intensive medical attention will have one less thing to worry about.

Check out the March of Dimes toolkit under “M” on the GFWC Resources page for details and instructions. Once you finish a project, email Meredith Repik, GFWC’s representative from March of Dimes, or call her at 843-614-3355. She’ll tell you where to ship them!

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Help Save Our Planet: Give Shoes

The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 85% of U.S. clothing and footwear end up in landfills. Let’s increase the percentage of textiles that are recycled and give people living in deep poverty in developing nations the opportunity to sustain a small business by selling shoes, and help survivors of natural disasters get back on their feet with a free pair of shoes.

Join GFWC’s cooperative giving project with Soles4Souls and register through the Soles4Souls website. Just think what a difference the Federation will make by donating 1,000 pairs of shoes as one of the 2018–2020 Seven Grand Initiatives! Register today.

After Registering

1. Keep the “Thank You” webpage open that displays immediately after the registration is processed and download the marketing toolkit. If you close it accidentally, your assigned representative can resend it.
2. Determine if there is a drop-off location within driving distance. If not, a Soles4Souls representative will be in touch to plan logistics.
3. Contact Stephanie Hathaway at stephanieh@soles4souls.org if you have not heard from your assigned representative within three business days.
4. Share your success stories with pr@gfwc.org to be considered for the Volunteers in Action blog.

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Shot@Life Summit

Next week, GFWC clubwomen will join other Shot@Life champions in Washington, D.C. to learn more about global childhood immunization programs and how to be better advocates. This three-day Annual Champion Summit includes a day on Capitol Hill speaking with members of Congress and their staff, which is the best way to impact federal legislation! Knowing how to communicate with your Congressional offices throughout the year is a great skill to have, whether you use it for Shot@Life or to advocate for the issues impacting your club.

After the Summit, the next big promotion with Shot@Life is Advocate2Vaccinate, which will be throughout the entire month of April leading up to World Immunization Week (April 24 – 30). This is the best time to try out advocacy with Shot@Life, even if you never have before! To learn more about our partnership and how you can get involved, please visit shotatlife.org/GFWC.

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State President Project: New Jersey, Mary Wolfe

GFWC New Jersey members voted by an overwhelming majority to support Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of New Jersey as the 2018–2020 State President Project. CASA provides a voice for children surviving abuse and neglect by empowering a statewide programs network serving all 21 counties. Volunteers advocate in family court for the best interests of children in foster care to ensure their safety and well-being, and ultimately their placement in loving, permanent homes.

GFWC New Jersey aims to raise public awareness of the need for CASA volunteers and supply in-kind donations for children in the foster care system. Funding will help attract a larger pool of new advocates through statewide promotional campaigns, reach children placed in foster care far from home through mobile outreach and monthly visitation, and purchase software to enhance their advocate training program. Last year, approximately 11,000 children in New Jersey were in the foster care system or out-of-home placement. Only about 36% of those children are fortunate enough to have a CASA advocate.

State Project Chairman Lynn Webb has already held one CASA Training Program and another will be held in April. Through role playing and developing an elevator speech, Ambassadors are prepared with the facts they need to spread the word about this much-needed organization. In September, clubwomen donated nearly 800 duffel bags in assorted colors and sizes to children in need. Another month, gift cards were collected for McDonald’s, Dunkin’ Donuts, and Walmart for CASA volunteers to share with their teenage clients. The first statewide fundraiser will be held in March, and a luncheon/basket raffle is in the works for this summer.

See GFWC’s Pinterest for more photos.

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Techie’s Tips: Saving Fillable PDF Forms

In a previous News & Notes we discussed how to make sure you don’t lose your work on a fillable PDF form. With the Membership Grant deadline around the corner, we wanted to give you a specific example.

Follow the same steps whether you finish the form in one sitting or you answer a few questions and decide to finish later.

1. Fill out the form. Click “File” and then “Save as” from the menu.

2. Rename the file (something like “2019 Grant”) and click “Save.” This will create a new file that you can return to at any point.

3. Anytime you return to edit the form, click “Save” when you’re done.

4. Print it or attach the file to an email and send.

Membership grants must be received by March 1, 2019. Forms can be either emailed to ewest@gfwc.org or mailed to GFWC Headquarters.

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Parliamentary Pointers

By GFWC Parliamentarian Deen J. Meloro

Even while most of the country is watching the weather reports to see how much snow to expect, our members are busy with Convention planning. Convention is a wonderful time to gather together, conduct the business of the organization, and have fun. Convention Standing Rules can help make every business session run smoothly.

Convention Standing Rules are written before Convention but must be approved by the delegates as soon as Convention begins. Until they are approved, Convention is governed by the rules in the state’s parliamentary authority (usually Roberts Rules of Order). They are frequently printed in the official program of the Convention. If they are not printed in the program, a copy should be handed to each person upon registration. In some states, the Convention Standing Rules remain more or less the same every year, so the rules presented will not take much work to write. However, these should be examined before presentation by the presiding officer and the parliamentarian to see if they are still pertinent and to make sure nothing has been omitted.

The Convention Standing Rules cannot conflict with the state bylaws. They usually contain both “parliamentary” rules, relating to the conduct of business, and non-parliamentary rules, such as turning cell phones off. These rules expire at the end of Convention.

The Convention Standing Rules are read in their entirety, unless every delegate has been provided with a copy and the rules generally do not change from year to year. The presiding officer has determined who will move to accept the Convention Standing Rules. After debate or amendment (if any), a single vote can be taken on the entire set of rules. However, by the demand of a single member, a separate vote can be required on any individual rule, although this is very unusual and is advisable only if a serious matter seems to be at stake. The rest of the Standing Rules can be voted on together.

Convention Standing Rules need to be adopted by a two-thirds vote.

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Cares & Concerns

We send our condolences to the family of Ursula (Kolb) Casioppo, Past GFWC Connecticut President (1976-1978), who passed away last week. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Connecticut Hospice in Branford and the Connecticut Alzheimer’s Association.

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Volunteers in Action

The Woman’s Club of Fredericksburg (Virginia), the GFWC Mary Ball Woman’s Club (Virginia), King George Woman’s Club (Virginia), GFWC Capital City Woman’s Club (Florida), and the Marlborough Junior Woman’s Club (Massachusetts) are featured on GFWC’s Blog.

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

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Dr. Seuss Facts

Dr. Seuss’ books have been translated into 20 languages so even more people can enjoy them.

You can help children in your community enjoy Dr. Seuss books on Read Across America Day on March 2! If your club does a project or event, use our press release to spread the news.

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Tree Tidbits: Housing Wildlife

In honor of the Arbor Day Grand Initiative to plant 1,000 trees, we’re going to start sharing some tidbits to make your day a success!

Ensure wildlife have a suitable habitat in your community. Plant a tree to shelter birds, butterflies, and other species on National Arbor Day, such as a mangrove, beech, pine, or cottonwood. Leave your mark on April 26.

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Buy a Convention Program Ad

The 2019 Convention Program is your chance to share a special message. Send in your own ad, purchase a pre-designed ad, or submit text for a Buy-A-Line. Check out our Convention Program Ad form to learn more. Order and pay for your ad by March 29!

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GFWC Marketplace: Book Sale

Whether you’re looking for new reading material or you want to stock your club’s Little Free Library®, GFWC’s new book deal is one you can’t miss!

A Private Family Matter and The Women Who Raised Me are remarkable memoirs, while Endangered and Threatened are both exciting tales that take you into the jungle. Individually each book is $9.50, or you can get the whole bundle for only $30! Fill up your bookshelf now by visiting the GFWC Marketplace.

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