News & Notes – January 9, 2020

What’s Your Club Doing for MLK Day?

Clubs throughout the Federation are in the thick of planning their service projects to participate in the Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK) Day of Service. What’s on your club’s agenda for January 20?

If nothing is planned yet, confirming a project is a great way to jumpstart 2020 activities after the holidays. It’s easy to find inspiration—the 2019 Top Projects, refreshing a previously successful community service project, or helping a neighboring club with an MLK Day project already in the works. Whichever your source of inspiration, planning your MLK Day project is a great way to get members involved right after a holiday break.

The sooner the project’s time, place, and agenda are determined, the more likely you’ll catch the eye of a local reporter in your community. Visit the digital library (under “P”) exclusively available to GFWC members after logging into the Member Portal to download our press release template.

Here’s to 2020! With your volunteer spirit, the 2018–2020 Administration can reach its goal of organizing 211 MLK Day projects to light up the GFWC brand by June.

Cares & Concerns

It is with great sadness that GFWC announces the passing of the husband of California Past State President Paulette Meadows (2004-2006), Roger Meadows. Cards can be sent to Paulette Meadows at 2348 N. San Antonio Ave. Upland, CA 91784. We also regret to inform you of the passing of Minnesota State President Jean Walker’s brother, James J. Penk (view obituary). Please keep these families in your thoughts.

Volunteers in Action

 

GFWC Circleville Junior Women’s Club (Ohio), GFWC Women’s Club of Farmingdale (New York), and GFWC West Side Woman’s Club (Pennsylvania) are all featured on the GFWC Blog. Read and comment on their activities supporting their local troops, raising money for girls living in poverty, and serving in local community events throughout the year.

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

Now Open: Convention Program Ad Sales

Convention brings clubwomen together from across the country to celebrate all of the hard work they’ve put into their communities. That makes it the prime place to share your love and appreciation for the clubwomen in your life. Purchasing an ad in the 2020 Convention Program, which every attendee receives, is an opportunity to be loud and proud about your club or fellow Federation sisters. Whether they’re doing a great job as new leaders in this Administration or they’ve been there for you through difficult times, shine a spotlight on them!

Orders and payment must be received by March 27. Check out our Convention Program ad form to see your options. Submit your form and payment via credit card now to mba@gfwc.org.

2017 Croly Award Winner Releases a New Book

This month, Ada Calhoun, 2017 Croly Award winner, is releasing a new book titled Why We Can’t Sleep: Women’s New Midlife Crisis. In Why We Can’t Sleep, Calhoun opens up the cultural and political contexts of Gen X’s predicament and offers solutions for how to pull oneself out of the abyss—and keep the next generation of women from falling in line. The result is reassuring, empowering, and an essential read!

According to the New York Times, this is one of the most highly anticipated books of the season. Order yours today by visiting Ada Calhoun’s website.

Honor Your Club’s Founders: Winter WHRC Newsletter

This past December the WHRC celebrated the life and legacy of the founding mother of GFWC, Jane Cunningham Croly. In this winter’s WHRC Newsletter, we want to know about your club’s founding members. Do you have a story to tell about the tenacious women who started your club? Maybe you have information to share on the circumstances that helped to establish your State Federation? We want to hear how your club was started! Articles must be 500 words or less, and pictures are encouraged but not required. Please send all entries to WHRC Manager Alyssa Constad by February 6.

2020: The Year of Membership Equals Service

The New Year, 2020, is an ideal time for us to focus on “Membership Equals Service.” GFWC is the best service organization for members to perform charitable work either by direct hands-on efforts or by raising money to help others in their community, state, or around the globe. Everyone benefits when Federation members come together in a service project to make a positive and lasting change for someone in need. The most effective way we can continue to support GFWC’s goal to “Volunteer to Make a Difference,” is to recruit new members––the game changer for all our volunteer efforts. When new and existing members join together, we can learn many valuable lessons from volunteering. Share what you’ve learned on Facebook by participating in this month’s Thank You Tuesday. After all, you make a life by what you give.

Deadline Approaching to Apply for the 2020 Success for Survivors Scholarship

Help GFWC spread the word and reach survivors who may be interested in applying for the 2020 Success for Survivors Scholarship. The application deadline is February 7. This scholarship provides survivors of intimate partner violence with financial support as they seek higher education.

Spread the word and help a survivor fund their education!

Tour Italy with Collette’s January Discount

Are you looking to take the vacation of a lifetime this year? As a GFWC member, you have access to exclusive travel savings. This month, Collette is offering the trip of a lifetime to Italy. This breathtaking experience includes affordable tours through Italy’s old-world traditions and culture. Experience legendary cuisine and fashion as you roam the beautiful streets of Italy.

Collette offers air-inclusive tours starting at just $1,898. Save on your roundtrip flight when choosing from one of their thirteen Italy tours. To receive this great deal, all tours must be booked by January 13. To book your tour, call Collette at 866.447.8078. For more information view Collette’s website!

Techie’s Tips: Don’t Lose Your Work on Fillable PDFs

Have you ever spent time typing out responses on a fillable PDF only to lose everything you just wrote? GFWC offers fillable PDF forms for your convenience, but they must be properly saved. Whether you want to finish filling out a PDF later or want to have a copy of what you wrote for your records, save your PDF with these simple steps:

1. Fill out the form.
2. Select “File” and then “Save as” from the menu.
3. Rename your document and select “Save.”
4. Select “Save” anytime you add content.

This will create a new file that you can always come back to. Once it’s ready to go, you can attach it to an email and send it with ease!

State Director’s Project: Kentucky, Preshus Howard

Stepping into this leadership position was easy for Preshus given that she and the previous GFWC Kentucky Director of Junior Clubs, Tonya Castle, had worked together as Director and Director-elect on many projects. Preshus and her sister, Ashley Doolin, were appointed co-chairmen for the joint project of GFWC Kentucky’s President and Director of Junior Clubs: Raising Awareness and Removing Barriers-Organ, Eye, and Tissue Donation. They shared a passion and vision about raising awareness for organ, eye, and tissue donation throughout the Bluegrass State. Ashley underwent a double-transplant surgery, receiving a kidney and pancreas on January 22, 2018 and is now doing wonderful, thanks to the donations from her donor and their family. She has been given a new outlook on life!

Clubwomen hosted donor drives and invited a donor and/or recipient family, or family member to speak at their club meetings and share their stories. Everyone was encouraged to talk about it and generate ideas to increase awareness, fundraise, and break the stigma around it. Club members have made various donations to Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates and Kentucky Circuit Clerks’ Trust for Life to help support and spread the word. Members attended Legislative Day to speak with local State Representatives and Senators about donating and the importance of joining the donor registry.

There is a growing need for new donors; every 10 minutes someone is added to the national waiting list and more than 1,000 people in Kentucky alone are waiting on a lifesaving transplant. There are 114,000 people awaiting a lifesaving transplant, and sadly 22 people die every day. There are no age limits; however, parents or guardians must authorize donation for those under 18. Preshus is encouraging everyone to be an angel for someone and to register as a donor.

Parliamentary Pointers
by GFWC Parliamentarian Deen J. Meloro

As a board member, what you need to know to participate properly in a board meeting depends on the size of the board. If there are more than about a dozen members, the same procedures apply as are followed at other meetings. If, however, there are fewer than a dozen board members present, a more informal procedure may be followed. Here are nine things to consider:

1. Board members may raise a hand instead of standing when seeking to obtain the floor.
2. Board members may remain seated when making motions or when speaking.
3. Motions do not have to be seconded.
4. A board member may speak any number of times (not just twice) on a debatable question, except during appeals, when the regular rules apply.
5. A motion does not have to be pending in order to discuss a subject informally.
6. Votes may be taken by a show of hands.
7. If a proposal is perfectly clear to everyone, it may be voted on even though no formal motion has been made.
8. When putting questions to a vote, the presiding officer need not stand.
9. If the chairman/presiding officer is a member of the board, she can, without giving up the chair, participate in debate, make motions, and vote on all questions.

Marketplace: Seven Grand Initiative T-Shirt

The New Year has us in the mood to reach our Seven Grand Initiatives goals! Complete your projects in style with the GFWC Seven Grand Initiatives T-Shirt. With its extra soft cotton and beautiful colors, this might just become your new favorite shirt! Get one today at the GFWC Marketplace.