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July 15, 2021
View our Important Dates page for upcoming events and milestones.
Enjoy Atlanta Attractions During Annual Convention
Join us in Atlanta for the 2021 GFWC Annual Convention in August to consider proposed Bylaws and Resolutions while experiencing all that the city has to offer. Although Convention is a time to participate in important GFWC business sessions, you will also have the opportunity to explore some exciting nearby attractions! Located in the heart of downtown, the Atlanta Marriott Marquis will place you within walking distance of great shopping, dining, and entertainment.
Downtown Atlanta offers a little something for everyone to enjoy. Those looking to escape the heat can visit the beluga whales, penguins, and manta rays or sit back and watch the famous Dolphin Show at the Georgia Aquarium. If you are interested in a culturally-enriching experience, you can stop by the National Center for Civil and Human Rights and learn about individuals working together to change their societies. Sports enthusiasts can also visit the College Football Hall of Fame for an interactive experience that offers a deep dive into everything college football.
Along with these accessible and immersive attractions, there are many other fun and popular tourist locations for you to check out during your free time, from a nearly 20-story tall Ferris wheel to the World of Coca Cola.
Register for the Convention by August 4 through the GFWC Member Portal.
Find Experts for Your Healthy Relationship Forum This Summer
By Trisha Schafer, Teen Dating Violence Advisor
Have you started identifying possible experts for your club’s Healthy Teen Relationship Forum yet? We can stop many domestic violence cases before they occur if every club has an expert educate teens about the warning signs of abusive relationships at a Forum in February. Finding an expert now allows you to start getting the word out about your Forum soon after the next school year starts. With several months of promotion, your club’s Healthy Teen Relationship Forum is more likely to be well attended!
Your local social service agencies are excellent resources for finding a certified domestic violence, rape crisis, or sexual assault expert to speak at your Healthy Teen Relationship Forum. Each state has a coalition that provides domestic and sexual violence resources that are generated by experts who could talk about setting healthy boundaries, anti-bullying, anger management, and other issues with teens in an open forum.
Start planning your club’s Healthy Teen Relationship Forum today so you have an excellent turn out in February. To help with advertising your club’s forum online, there is a full-sized social media graphic available (pictured above) in the “Challenge Projects” folder under “C” in the Member Portal’s Digital Library.
Volunteers in Action
This week’s GFWC Blog features GFWC Ohio Austintown Junior Women’s League (Ohio) and GFWC Millville Woman’s Club (New Jersey). Read about how clubwomen created two Little Lending Libraries for people of all ages and decorated pillowcases to brighten the spirits of people who have been isolated throughout COVID-19.
Have a success story to tell? Email PR@GFWC.org to have your club project considered for the blog.
Hatching Hope with Heifer International
GFWC Affiliate Organization Heifer International is excited to share information about Hatching Hope, a groundbreaking initiative designed to help farmers earn a living income in Mexico, Kenya, and India. This is just one of Heifer’s transformational flagship projects.
Hatching Hope is a development program that is set to improve the nutrition and livelihood for 100,000,000 individuals by the year 2030. The project was designed with the firm understanding that an efficient poultry business can effect important change for farmers, their families, and their communities. Chickens and their eggs are among the best and lowest-cost sources of high-quality protein.
Heifer is coordinating agricultural training, tools, and resources – such as veterinary care – for farmers to raise larger numbers of healthy chickens in sustainable ways. Chickens can “hatch hope” at scale because a back-yard coop has low barriers to entry and requires minimal infrastructure. Moreover, chickens are easily fed and grow quickly, delivering a rapid return on investment for farmers.
The key to Hatching Hope’s success will be to unlock barriers to high-value marketplaces within the private sector. Heifer is actively helping farmers make important connections in their respective regions, partnering with governments, financial institutions, and cooperatives. A comprehensive power for good, Hatching Hope promotes efficiency and sustainability in Mexico, Kenya, and India.
Recognize National Cleft and Craniofacial Awareness Month with Operation Smile
GFWC Affiliate Organization Operation Smile is sharing inspiring stories about helping their patients during the pandemic. One of these patients is 11-month-old Jimena, who was born with cleft lip. Two months after she was born, Jimena traveled with her mother to Operation Smile’s Nicaragua care center, however, the center was temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Fortunately, a group of staff and volunteers made themselves available to ensure that patients and families could still receive the information they need remotely. After various unforeseen circumstances and setbacks, Jimena finally received her first surgery. You can read more about Jimena’s story on Operation Smile’s website.
With only a couple weeks left in National Cleft and Craniofacial Awareness Month, Operation Smile is encouraging GFWC members to continue to show their support as they work to help patients through uncertain times and provide them with the care and surgery that they deserve. Operation Smile currently provides cleft care in more than 30 countries with help from thousands of volunteers representing more than 60 countries.
Join Operation Smile in helping make a difference in the lives of children across the globe today.
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 through the Member Portal Digital Library, 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:
- Fill out the form.
- Select “File” and then “Save as” from the menu.
- Rename your document and select “Save.”
- 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 President’s Project: Connie Cloinger, Arkansas
GFWC Arkansas State President Connie Cloinger’s project was inspired by a high school student’s report given when Connie was teaching. It surprised her that human trafficking and slavery happens in the United States. Through research, Connie learned that Partners Against Trafficking Humans (PATH) was an in-state organization that clubs could work with to educate their members with speaker presentations in meetings. Members could also donate needed items and supplies to PATH and other organizations that help at-risk women and children who have been trafficked or faced other dire circumstances during the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the pandemic, GFWC Arkansas’ goals have remained the same, but members changed the way they worked toward these accomplishments. With COVID-19 restrictions in mind, club members have used their many talents and skills to drive cars, trucks, and vans to collect donated items such as food, personal hygiene supplies, books, socks, underwear, art and school supplies, quilts, blankets, bags, and more requested by PATH, churches, and schools. These items were delivered to porches, drop-off stations, school and church closets, and even street corners.
During the 2020 Fall Board of Directors meeting, the guest speaker was Lucinda Martinez, Human Trafficking for Sexual Purposes Advisor of GFWC’s Signature Program Committee. She provided handouts and gave an interesting speech on things clubwomen could do to help survivors of human trafficking. Lucinda also explained the goals of Starfish Project and how it helps survivors.
During a birthday donation fundraiser on Connie’s Facebook, $250 was raised for PATH. Monetary donations and in-kind donations have been made to other organizations also to benefit women and children who are survivors of human trafficking or domestic violence, or have experienced financial difficulties during the pandemic.
GFWC Marketplace: GFWC Notecards
Saying “thank you” makes a difference, and these GFWC notecards featuring the Federation’s logo on the front and mission statement on the back are the quintessential stationary to show your appreciation to your dedicated volunteers for all their accomplishments. Each pack includes 10 cards and 10 envelopes. Order yours today.
There have been reports of mail service delays in many communities throughout the United States. In order to speed up processing of your order, we request that you pay for your order at time of purchase in the Member Portal. For details on mail service in your area, visit the USPS Service Alerts page.
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