FROM THE DESK OF THE PRESIDENT

Dear Members and Friends,

As CFWC President I had the honor of attending two CFWC District Conventions this past week. The Southern District’s 67th Annual Convention was held on April 5th at Bankers Hill Club in San Diego, California. Southern District’s President, Karen Reed, selected “Making Magic Happen” for the theme. This was an exciting day of celebrating the accomplishments of members and clubs during the past year. I spoke on the “Magic of Leadership” and focused on similarities of Magicians and Leaders.

I also attend the CFWC De Anza District 68th Annual Convention on April 6th. President Mickie Reed, selected “Connecting the Dots” as the theme for her administration and her theme was featured throughout the convention. The focus of my presentation was on Federation and shared the progression from initially joining a club and moving forward on Federation’s Trail.

Presently the California Federation of Women’s Clubs has 10,405 members. We prove that “Strength United is Stronger” every day and should be very proud of our accomplishments! The General Federation of Women’s Clubs has 63,000 members and we are proud to be members of GFWC. 

Thank you for all you do and have done to make our Federation strong! We learn from one another, so be sure to share the stories of your accomplishments with your Sisters-in-Federation! 



Yours in Federation and Love, Sonya

CONVENTION - KATHI MCGRAW & MARY SPRAGUE, Chairs

CFWC Convention May 15-17, 2025  San Jose

Our special GFWC guest this year is the Incoming President, Wendy Carriker. Wendy will be speaking at the Friday night membership banquet. She will also be leading a workshop on Friday and Saturday mornings. This is a great way to find out what is happening at GFWC.

Remember now is the time to book your room for Convention. The $129+ per night room rate ends April 15th. Use the group link that is listed in the Convention Call.  If you have trouble booking a room, please ask for the name of the person at the hotel and then call or email Mary Sprague (714-637-2879, MLSprague@sbcglobal.net)  There are plenty of rooms available in our group block.

When you fill out your Registration Form take time to check the box if you are a voting delegate. Each club is allowed a certain number of delegates based on their membership. Convention is so much more interesting when you can vote and take part of discussions.

EDUCATION AND LIBRARIES - KAY MASONBRINK, Chair

Celebrate National Library Week, April 6-12, 2025

Since its creation in 1958, National Library Week has provided us with time to highlight the essential role that libraries, librarians, and library staff play in transforming lives and strengthening communities. The theme of this year’s National Library Week is “Drawn to the Library”. Whatever “draws” you in, the library has something for everyone. 

Listed below are days of note during this annual celebration for our libraries.

*   Monday, April 7: Right to Read Day is a National Day of Action in support of the freedom to read

*   Tuesday, April 8: National Library Workers Day, a day for everyone to recognize the valuable contributions made by library workers.

*   Wednesday, April 9: National Library Outreach Day, a day dedicated to the library professionals who are meeting their patrons where they are.

*   Thursday, April 10: Take Action for the Libraries Day, a day to rally advocates to urge members of Congress to protect the freedom to read.

Perhaps your club members can draw up some ways to celebrate the importance of libraries and how we utilize them for research, study, exploration, entertainment, connection and growth. I certainly look forward to reading about any activities with your library in the end-of-year reports!

COMMUNITY IMPACT PROGRAM - JANE THOMEY, Chair

Although its name has changed several times since the now Community Impact Program (CIP) was introduced in 1949, its goal remains the same:  to address the needs of the community and encourage shared civic participation. 

Previous CIP projects demonstrated how clubs were successful in achieving this goal.   They included establishing a Historical Museum; Revitalizing a renowned cultural icon; Creating an outreach program for foster children; Providing Kindness Bags for homeless seniors; and Outfitting a venue for deaf children to interact with a therapy dog.

Your club may already be involved in a Community Service Program project, or an element within the project, that would qualify for the CIP.   If it occurred between January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2025, you may consider it as an entry. It need not have lasted the entire two years, so long as the particular subject project began and ended within the contest period. 

There is a $100 State prize to be awarded at the 2026* CFWC convention; the winner will compete with other clubs in our category for the $2500 award to be announced at the GFWC convention also in 2026*. 

*corrected from previous article

EPSILON SIGMA OMICRON (ESO) - REGGIE MATTOX, Chair

ZOOM BOOK CLUB APRIL 24!

Our next Zoom Book Club meeting will be April 24 at 5:00 p. m. I would like everyone to read The Briar Club by Kate Quinn. This fits into American History or Historical Fiction categories.  Amazon says, this is “a haunting and powerful story of female friendships and secrets in a Washington, DC, boardinghouse during the McCarthy era." I hope you enjoy this book.

You are welcome to attend even if you are not an ESO member or have not read the book. If you have read a great book and would like to share it, please let me (Reggie Mattox, Chairman of ESO) know in advance.

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT AND OUTREACH - ANNE COCHRANE, Chair

April 7-11, 2025, is Civic Learning Week, a nationwide effort to highlight the importance of civic education and engagement. Civic Learning Week aims to energize the movement for civic education by engaging students, educators, policymakers, and leaders in the public and private sectors.

Schools and organizations across the country will celebrate by providing positive and engaging civic learning opportunities. 

ENVIRONMENT, NANCY B. JONES - Chair

How will your club celebrate the 55th Earth Day on April 22 this year to support environmental protection? Elisabeth Kersten, Orinda Woman’s Club Co-President, shared their club’s Environmental Action: “Each year the Orinda Woman's Club partners with Orinda Association and the Orinda Parks & Recreation Department to host Orinda Action Day--this year it is Saturday, April 26. Volunteers come to Library Plaza to pick up neighborhood cleanup assignments and return with trash and stories of service around our town. Young and old participate in beautifying our community!”

The Woman’s Club of Vista will participate in the 16th Earth Day Festival at the Alta Vista Botanical Gardens on April 19. The children’s activities focus on nature topics: planting sunflowers in egg cartons, worms, trash sorting, making Earth magnets, and painting “Earth Day Rocks!” Club members volunteer for the free Festival as the event chair and director of the children’s activities. The event will include booths from the City of Vista, water district, wastewater facility, Surfrider Foundation, trash service, and the city’s Climate Action Plan. A great chance to share lots of information with 1000 visitors! Send your club’s Earth Day events with farmerjonesavbg@gmail.com

ART & CULTURE - KELLY DAVIS, Chair

How does Art bring Culture together? Art binds. Culture generates Social capital and strengthens a community’s character. Art brings people together physically - at galleries, museums, performance Spaces—and culturally, through it capacity to tell a community’s shared story, to inspire reflection and form connections that transcend differences.

How does Art play a role in Culture? It can spark debate. Highlight social issues, and effective people’s thoughts and actions.

Art has helped to popularize modern cultural touchtones; it influences how millennials view fashion, how photographers record famous events, and how authors address political issues.

How do Arts and Culture enrich our lives? It can help us to express, connect with others, relax and de-stress, learn about different cultures, be more creative, appreciate beauty and find meaning in life. By engaging with art, we can make our lives richer and more fulling.

LEGISLATION & PUBLIC POLICY - KATHY HOLM, Chair

All members should be registered on the Legislative Action Center to receive important action alerts aligned toward our federation goals. The one below is what I just received on March 24, 2025.

GFWC Legislative Alert: Support Survivors of Human Trafficking

Representatives Russell Fry (R-SC), Ann Wagner (R-MO), Ted Lieu (D-CA), and Robert Garcia (D-CA) have introduced H.R. 1379, the Trafficking Survivors Relief Act.

The Trafficking Survivors Relief Act of 2025 provides federal criminal record relief to survivors of human trafficking who committed a non-violent offense as a direct result of having been a victim of trafficking. Human trafficking remains a widespread crisis across the nation. Traffickers often force or coerce their victims into committing crimes such as financial fraud, drug-related offenses, and identity theft, among others. As a result, many trafficking survivors face arrest, conviction, and incarceration – often without recognition of their victim status.

Published News from GFWC Legislative Corner:

Rape Kit Backlog

The Debbie Smith Act reauthorizes funding to law enforcement to analyze untested rape kits. DNA analysis is one of the most important methods to investigate crimes and improve the capacity of state and local prosecutors to bring these cases to court.

Status: Congress enacted H.R. 1105, Public Law 118-72.

Online Child Safety

Congress enacted the REPORT Act reauthorizing funding and services for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the Project Safe Childhood Act requiring federal prosecutors and the Department of Justice to coordinate with state and local law enforcement and experts to develop training materials and strategies to identify and rescue child victims while quickly arresting offenders.

Status: Congress enacted S. 474, Public Law 118-59.

I also receive action alerts from the CalNonprofit organization. Please see the link below to support these bills. You can also get a lot of information about current legislation and the status of bills, who wrote them and who voted for or against these bills by going to the website - https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov This is an excellent resource.

Also, I have included a link with information on the pending California Nonprofit Equity Initiative Bills. California Non-Profit Bills

Just a thought ......

"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others."

--Mahatma Gandhi