CFWC QuickBytes

October 13, 2025

FROM THE DESK OF THE PRESIDENT

Dear Members and Friends,

The CFWC Area A Conference took place on October 11^th at the Woman’s Club of Antioch, beginning with a Continental Breakfast for the 68 members and guests, aka “Pirates”, attending. Nancy Jo Banko, Area B Vice President, and her team organized engaging activities to capture attendees’ interests. CFWC 2nd Vice President Cindy Sanders took the members on a “Pirate Excursion and Trip” in search of “Three Pieces of Gold”! The actual items found were valued more than gold…among these were friendships, opportunities to serve their communities and families, and the impact their efforts made both to others and themselves.

Sonja Hults, CFWC Facebook/ Communications, shared about QR codes and social media. Sonja also had attendees joining groups to share stories of projects and events at their clubs that were especially meaningful to them. As attendees blended their stories together the impact to the families and communities they served was remarkable.

As the day unfolded, the spirit of camaraderie and service was evident in every interaction, with members eagerly sharing ideas and building new connections. The enthusiasm and creativity displayed throughout the conference reflected the dedication of our members to making a meaningful difference.

The CFWC Area B Conference is scheduled for October 18th at the Chicken Ranch Casino Resort, in Jamestown. Organized by Ellen Ansok and her team, the event will feature Cindy Sanders (CFWC 2nd Vice President) and Sonja Hults (CFWC Facebook Chairman). Attendees are encouraged to donate toiletries, laundry supplies, nonperishable snacks, and art project items for TAY House. Ellen also has a special surprise gift for members. Join us in Jamestown!

Yours in Federation and Love,

Sonya

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT and OUTREACH - ANNE COCHRAN, Chair

Finally some good news and progress. In Washington DC, Fourteen bipartisan veteran bills passed the House and now head to the Senate for consideration. They address a range of health care and benefits issues. It’s been a busy month for the veterans.

EPSILON SIGMA OMICRON (ESO) - REGGIE MATTOX, Chair

The ESO Zoom Meeting is at a new time! Great news for our October 23 ZOOM

meeting will be at 3:00 p.m.

Our guest will be William Kent Krueger. He is a Minnesota author who mixes mystery and history. This Tender Land was his book that we discussed in

July. We will be going back to late afternoons and begin at 3 p.m.

If you did not get the Zoom Code contact Reggie Mattox, CFWC ESO Chairman @ Lmattox2@mac.com

EDUCATION AND LIBRARIES - KAY MASONBRINK, Chair

It’s fair to say that our 150+ members who attended the Area D Conference on October 4^th had an “outta sight” experience! In other words, it was impressive and too cool for words. A key factor of the day’s success was the program presented on HOBY Youth Leadership. Virginia O’Brian, Hugh’s widow, along with Matt Matusiewicz, HOBY So Cal Chair, were on hand the entire day to present information, visit with members, and answer questions.

According to my trusty spreadsheet, in all the reports submitted for 2024 in Education and Libraries, only 14 CFWC clubs reported donations to HOBY, totaling $12,395. We need to do a better job of supporting this organization that develops youth leadership and builds confidence, connection, and purpose. Don’t forget to report it in your 2025 Education and Libraries report!

If your club is interested in sponsoring a 10th-grade student from a high school in their area, the current HOBY contacts to assist you, organized by CFWC Area are in the attached.

These individuals, along with your CFWC Education and Libraries Chair, Kay Masonbrink, (kmasonbrink@roadrunner.com), can answer your questions and make it easy for you to sponsor a student. Questions at large can also be directed to info@hobyca.org.

ART & CULTURE - KELLY DAVIS, Chair

Art and Culture celebrate many Cultures by showcasing unique traditions, fostering understanding and creating platforms for under represented voices through diverse forms like music, dance, visual arts projects and story telling, ultimately enriching communities and promoting empathy.

GFWC Women’s Club of Huntington Park Celebration of the Americas

On September 8, 2024 our GFWC Women’s Club of Huntington Park held our Celebration of the Americas! Our event was totally a success celebrating the many countries and their cultures. Our attendees had the option of dressing up with their beautiful countries attire. Which the majority proudly wore. We had a food samplings table from the different countries and also a delicious Mexican dinner for the evening. Our table centerpieces were nicely decorated in the colorful flowers representing all 35 countries of the Americas, including the different flags of each country. Our performer also selected the well known melodies to fit the occasion and our evening was highlighted by a spectacular presentation based on traditions still followed by El Salvador.

It was totally an amazing evening and already planning the one for this year. Happy to share that in our club we are all from different countries which made this event priceless, our club members helped put together a fantastic event.

--Chairman: Evelia Castillo-Rodrigues

ENVIRONMENT - NANCY B. JONES, Chair

Environment Workshop coming up!

The environment embraces all living and non-living elements, shaping the very essence of human life—our air, water, wildlife, settings, and shared spaces all weave together to form the world we inhabit. Her message is simple yet powerful: breathe deeply, enjoy the seasons, and let your Club or District’s environmental project be an act of love and respect for the world that sustains us all.

CFWC Environment Chair Farmer Jones will be sharing a lively session about her Program Area on Friday October 17^th at 10 a.m. on Zoom. Palomar District will host this Program Area workshop with Sherry Lutes facilitating. Join us as we review the GFWC focus, highlights, and suggestions for Environment. Farmer Jones will share about the successful Sunflowers and Sustainability theme for last year. We will review the Penny Pines program for CA National Forests. Then we will share some outstanding programs and projects that our CFWC clubs have reported. Keep reading in Quick Bytes each week as we highlight these CFWC projects.

The Zoom room for this workshop on October 17^th will be open at 9:45 a.m. for the 10 a.m. start. The link is: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84291889665 and the Meeting ID is: 842 9188 9665.

If you would like to print materials ahead of the Zoom workshop, send an email to farmerjonesavbg@gmail.com by October 15th. These materials will also be available for sharing by email after the workshop - by request.

Please share this workshop opportunity with your Environment Chairs for your District and your Clubs. All members and friends are welcome to attend.

ADVOCATES FOR CHILDREN - SANDRA CABRAL

GFWC LEGISLATIVE ACTION CENTER – SUPPORT KIDS’ ONLINE SAFETY

GFWC Legislation & Public Policy Committee announces support of a federal bipartisan bill to protect children when using social media platforms.

The Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) establishes a legally-relevant “duty of care” for social media companies; requiring these platforms to alter design features, such as algorithms, that can harm children. The bill is written to especially protect marginalized and vulnerable minors from rampant online harms, such as: sexual exploitation, romantic fantasies, illicit drugs, suicide, harassment, eating disorder content, and more. It is critically important to hold social media companies accountable and to ensure parents have the tools, safeguards, and transparency they need to help protect young people in the virtual space.

We hope you will join GFWC in support of this important legislation and encourage all CFWC club members to use the Legislation Action Center’s automatic-message process to log their support.

To register for the GFWC Legislative Action Center and/or to send your message to congress, simply click this link: Get Involved – General Federation of Women’s Clubs

LEGISLATION & PUBLIC POLICY - KATHY HOLM, Chair

I recently received this from nexgen california

In case you missed it, we need Governor Newsom to take action on an important bill that will address California’s nursing shortage and help support quality healthcare in underserved communities, specifically focused in regions like the Inland Empire and Central Valley. With less than a week left before the bill signing deadline, your voice is more critical than ever to contact Governor Newsom and urge him to sign AB 1400 (Soria) before it’s too late.

California faces the third largest nursing shortage in the country, with projections estimating a deficit of 44,000 nurses by 2030 and 65,000 by 2037. This shortage is particularly affecting rural and low-income communities in negative ways, where healthcare systems struggle to maintain adequate staffing levels and health disparities persist.

AB 1400 directly addresses this crisis by expanding the pipeline of BSN-prepared nurses by establishing a pilot program at ten community college districts, for students who would not otherwise have the opportunity because of economic constraints to obtain a four-year university degree in a critical area of need. AB 1400 will strengthen local health systems and ensure more Californians have access to quality healthcare.