FROM THE DESK OF THE PRESIDENT

Dear Members and Friends,

As the season of Thanksgiving arrives, we are reminded of the immense power of gratitude and the importance of giving back to our community. This year, more than ever, we are deeply thankful for your unwavering support, which is the bedrock of our Federation. Our club members throughout the California Federation of Women’s Clubs are busy preparing packages for families in need so that they too can have a wonderful Thanksgiving. 

We organize food drives, raise funds for groceries, and partner with local groups to assemble and distribute Thanksgiving meal baskets—including turkeys and sides—to families in need. Members can donate any surplus food they collect to a local food pantry, helping to support more people throughout the community. Please let us know how your members are helping those in need this season—your generosity makes a lasting impact.

Let us carry this spirit of generosity and gratitude beyond Thanksgiving, inspiring each other to uphold our tradition of service throughout the year. By working together, we nurture hope and kindness across our communities, making a meaningful difference in the lives of those we reach. Your commitment reminds us all that, united in purpose and compassion, the California Federation of Women’s Clubs can continue to create positive change, not just during the holidays, but every day. Thank you for being an essential part of our shared mission.

As we look ahead, let us remember that our impact is magnified when we work together in harmony and with purpose. Every act of kindness, whether large or small, ripples outward to touch countless lives. Let us encourage one another to reach beyond our usual circles, seeking new ways to uplift those who might otherwise be overlooked. The compassion and commitment you show through your service inspire hope and foster connections that strengthen the fabric of our communities. Together, we have the power to turn generosity into lasting change, continuing to lead with empathy and dedication throughout the coming months and beyond. Thank you for all that you do, and for upholding the values that define our Federation.

Yours in Federation and Love, Sonya

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT and OUTREACH - ANNE COCHRAN, Chair

You can honor Veterans Day by participating in local events, supporting veteran organizations, or showing personal appreciation to individual veterans. Common ways to participate include attending parades and ceremonies, donating time or money to veteran support groups, volunteering at a local VA or veterans' home, and performing simple acts of gratitude like writing a card or buying a meal. In our area we are having a town square acknowledgment for all veterans then follow up a BBQ to feed them all. 

CFWC FEBRUARY EXECUTIVE BOARD CALL - February 26-28, 2026

TOBY KAHAN, CFWC Meeting Planner

It is hard to believe that 2025 is coming to an end soon and 2026 is just around the corner. Before you get busy with holiday plans, club projects, and celebrations, please make your hotel reservation now using the link below (reservations can be cancelled on or before February 25, 2026).

Book your group rate for California Federation of Women's Club

Meeting Flyer

ENVIRONMENT - NANCY B. JONES, Chair

GFWC Environment includes protecting domesticated animals, so members of GFWC Mira Mesa Women’s Club members make pet beds. Members are sewers and quilters, so they end up with a lot of fabric scraps and batting leftover from our projects. To keep this waste out of the landfills, they came up with a project to help recycle these scraps. From sturdier fabrics and leftover fleece, they make various size cat and dog pet beds which are then stuffed with these scraps. The scraps are cut into smaller pieces, so they don’t clump up in the beds, and then the beds are sewn closed. The beds are washable and must stand up to anxious animal claws. The club delivered 39 beds to the El Cajon Animal Shelter and saved 84 pounds of fabric scraps from the landfill. The club also donated food and water dishes, leashes, toys, pet carriers, pet food, towels, and blankets. This project serves dual purposes and is a great project for Environment!

ART & CULTURE - KELLY DAVIS, Chair

What is Art and Culture?

Art is the creative expression of human activities, encompassing visual arts, music, literature and performance, used to express ideas, emotions, and beauty. Culture is a much broader concept that includes the shared beliefs, values, customs, behaviors and social norms of a group of people that guide their way of life. Art is considered a major component or a reflection of culture, while culture is the entire system that includes art, along with language, traditions, and social.

Club: CANOGA PARK WOMAN’S CLUB

Project: DIA DE LOS MUERTOS FESTIVAL IN CANOGA PARK

Our Club worked with Dolores Chavez, from Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department. She is in Performing Arts Director of the Taxco Theater in Canoga Park. We worked with her on the DIA DE LOS MUEROS COMMUNITY FESTIVAL. On the day the of the festival, we assembled at the Taxco Theater and participated in a project to make a mini altar to remember our loved ones, who have passed away. It was a small metal box (the kind used for mints) and we put in small pieces of objects in the shapes of food, cups and jars. We were able to mount a picture of our loved ones who have passed away on the inside of the box lid. A beautiful mini depiction of an “ofrenda” or altar for our family members. An ofrenda is a gathering of favorite food, drinks or pictures of what our passed family member loved, along with their picture. We are able to remember our loved one once a year on Dia De Metros and keep his/her

Memory alive.

Then we began a procession, going up the street and to the main stage of events. Our procession had some drummers, and a student blowing a conch shell as a ceremonial Aztec dancer acknowledged the four directions ( north, west, south and east). The dancers and musicians had indigenous costumes. Our procession walked along the street where vendors and spectators were, walking to the sound of drums we were playing and bigger that life size paper mace puppets walked along with us.

Each earring a decoration, many with paper marigolds, skulls and other icons of Dia de Muerto. What a wonderful way to celebrate our club and community and its Mexican roots.  Chairman: Barb White

Just a thought ......

"Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality"

---LaoTzu