October 18, 2021
Focus on Programs
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Dianne Foerster, GFWC Florida President |
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Good morning, GFWC Florida sisters,
The GFWC Southern Region Conference begins this coming Thursday and runs through midday on Sunday. I am really looking forward to greeting over 100 of our GFWC Florida members during the weekend. We will be back at our favorite Rosen Plaza in Orlando, with our Southern Sisters from Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, and South Carolina as well as the Southern Region officers, including President Cynthia Geis and President-elect Joyce Johnston and others, and GFWC officers including GFWC International President Marian St.Clair, President-elect Deb Strahanoski, First Vice President Suellen Brazil, Secretary Jolie Frankfurth and Director-elect Katie Moydell. Our Florida state meetings chairman Sheryl Molter is also serving as Southern Region Conference chairman, so we are assured that everything will be well planned. Registration will be open from Thursday on, and there will be a dinner and meeting of the Board of Directors followed by an In It To Win It competition between the states, sponsored by the Florida Junior Executive Committee.
On Friday there will be scheduled tours and the Florida State Night Dinner, which will be held at Medieval Times. The dress will be casual, or medieval if you prefer. Busses will load at the hotel at 4:45 p.m. and leave at 5:00 p.m. After we return from dinner, there will be a Florida sponsored reception in Room 1443, Cynthia Geis’s suite. Saturday is the official opening of the Southern Region Conference (business casual, please). Saturday evening is the banquet (after five or formal). There will be another reception sponsored by Southern Region, again in Room 1443. The Sunday meeting will again be business casual.
Although Florida is hosting the meeting, it is under the direction of our Southern Region President and she has strongly requested that all attendees be masked at all times except when eating or drinking. I ask that all of our Florida members respect her request throughout the weekend. Masks will be available if you need one. I am very excited about this meeting and look forward to being with those of you who are attending!
I also want to remind you of the zoom meeting on Tuesday, October 19 at 6:00 p.m. with Diania Pimenta and me regarding the All Aboard Florida Train Trip to Washington, DC. We will attempt to answer all of your questions. You may use this zoom link to join the call, with the passcode Florida444. I am getting particularly excited about the trip, since I am going to bring some of my family!
I must take a moment to thank the members of GFWC Oviedo Woman’s Club for letting Candy Jackson and me be a part of their meeting last week. It was a great meeting, and getting to meet on a more one to one basis is my favorite part of being President! A member of Oviedo even made cookies with the Blue Umbrella and the theme:
LOVE, RESPECT, AND KINDNESS FOR ALL!!
UNITY IN DIVERSITY UNDER THE GFWC FLORIDA UMBRELLA!
Hugs,
Dianne
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Registration is now open for the All Aboard the GFWC Florida Blue Umbrella Train trip to Washington, DC! Visit www.GFWCFLallAboard.com for more details and to register. |
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Sara Dessureau, GFWC Florida First Vice President |
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As you all know, we have been trying to make reporting your club projects and programs easier and consolidated. To this end, our IT Team has designed a way for your club to cut down on the number of emails sent to our state chairmen. A team has been assigned to receive the reports from your club and send your statistical report and narratives to the corresponding state chairmen. With that said, you will now only have to send one (1) email with the following attachments:
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One statistical report
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Narratives for the CSP’s, Special Programs and President's Project
Once our reporting breakdown team receives your one (1) email, they will send your statistical report and corresponding narratives to the correct chairmen.
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Candice Postel, GFWC Florida Director of Junior Clubs |
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Advocates for Children Week is only one week away! I hope your club has planned a project. If you participate in our challenge, you could win 10 pairs of kid shoes to give out in your local community. This is open to Woman's Clubs, Juniors and Juniorette clubs.
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Sheryl Molter
GFWC Southern Region Conference Chairman
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I want to thank all the clubs and individuals that donated door prizes and items for the welcome bags for our Southern Region Conference. I am overwhelmed at the generosity of our club women and so thankful for all of you. Florida is going to SHINE!!!
I know many of you are waiting to hear about hostess duties. I had to wait until registration was complete to see how many people were going to the different events. At the meal functions, we have assigned Florida members throughout the room. There will be 1-2 Florida members at each table to act as a hostess.
WHAT DOES A HOSTESS DO, YOU ASK? Just be friendly, and answer questions about Florida. Ask where they are from; is this the first time they have been to Florida, how federation works in their state, how many years have they been in federation, do they hold an office in their club or state, about their family, their job, etc. In other words, just hold a conversation with them and be your normal, charming self. When you get your meals envelope at registration, there will be a hostess badge inside.
For the tour hostesses, I have worked out a schedule and have emailed the instructions to the individual tour hostesses. If you have any questions, please email me. Bus departure times at the Rosen:
- Disney Springs - board at 8:45 a,m.
- Lakeridge Winery - board at 10:15 a.m.
- Medieval Times - board at 4:45 p.m.
We will have a photographer at the conference who will be taking photos all weekend, including a Florida group photo on Saturday night. We are offering the photo package for $20.00. Please stop at the Florida table to purchase your photo package. Thank you for your support!
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Dues reminders have been sent to each club President and/or Treasurer, along with a copy of the member roster submitted with last year's dues. If your President or Treasurer hasn't received this email, please contact GFWC Florida Executive Director Chrissy Fry at our Lakeland headquarters.
Please submit your remittance form, payment and updated member roster no later than December 15!
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GFWC Florida Environment CSP Chairman Patty Fisher and Co-Chairman Helen Aungst presented a statewide challenge at GFWC Fall Board in September. The NexTrex Community Challenge Program is to begin on National Recycle Day, November 15, 2021 and last until May 15, 2022. Now is the time to sign up so that you will receive your recycle bins and posters prior to start up day. If you need more than three bins, please contact Patty Fisher at [email protected].
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Upcoming Dates and Deadlines
- Oct. 21-24 - GFWC Southern Region Conference, Rosen Plaza, Orlando
- Oct. 30 - GFWC Florida Webinar: Arts & Culture and Civic Engagement & Outreach
- Nov. 1 - Registration deadline for GFWC Florida Train Trip to DC
- Dec. 5 - GFWC Florida Holiday Open House, Lakeland
- Dec. 15 - GFWC Florida dues, membership list and remittance forms are due
- Jan. 15 - GFWC Florida Junior Woman's Club reports due
- Feb. 1 - GFWC Florida Woman's Club reports due
- Feb. 19 - GFWC Florida LEADS
- March 1 - Community Impact Program award entries postmarked (no email)
- March 30 - April 4 - GFWC Florida Blue Umbrella Rail Trip to Washington, DC
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Easy links to GFWC Florida Social Media |
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GFWC Florida Clubs Serving Their Communities |
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After hearing about 5,000 Afghan refugees being housed in a military base at Ft. Pickett in Virginia, the GFWC Florida clubwomen knew they wanted to help. Arriving with just the clothes on their backs, the Afghan women had a very urgent need for underwear. Using social media and email, GFWC Florida quickly spread the word, and with just one week's notice, they collected over 700 panties and 100 bras. Two Juniorette clubs made cards welcoming the Afghan families to the United States. Although underwear and cards seems like a small donation, it symbolizes a message of welcome and hope from GFWC Florida. |
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GFWC Wesley Chapel Woman's Club partnered with a local camp where campers are accepted and valued for who they are and for their unique differences. Members were inspired to hear from the CEO about the camp's history, future plans, and how they could help. Club women have stepped up to help with camper registration and health check in, and have made a donation to help support a camper for a weekend.
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GFWC Southside Woman's Club of Jacksonville held a workshop to brainstorm ideas to support the five GFWC community service program areas. Members came up with many creative ideas, including a Medical Minute for club meetings, Environment field trips, a visit to a local museum, and Books for the Brave. |
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GFWC Palm Beach Gardens Woman’s Club held a very successful High Tea Party fundraiser. Members wore their beautiful fascinators and dined on cucumber sandwiches and luscious desserts. Items were donated for a live auction. Funds raised will be used to support numerous community programs. |
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GFWC Woman's Club of Welaka accepted a Proclamation from the Mayor and Town Council proclaiming the month of October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The three GFWC clubs in Putnam County, Crescent City, Palatka and Welaka, work hard each October to raise funds for Pink Out Putnam, which assists the citizens of Putnam County fighting cancer through the Putnam First Cancer Fund. |
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GFWC Tampa Woman's Club recognized Domestic Violence Awareness Month at their general meeting, honoring GFWC's signature project, Domestic and Sexual Violence Awareness and Prevention. Members heard a speaker from a local domestic violence shelter and presented her with a monetary donation and the club's ongoing project, "The Jewelry Tree". Donated and constructed by members and friends, the gift bagged items are chosen from the tree by the shelter residents and children. |
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GFWC Coco Plum Woman’s Club members wrapped their trees in purple with encouraging messages for Domestic Violence month, and bathed their club house in pink for Breast Cancer Awareness.
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Members of Bradenton Woman's Club painted and colored 417 bookmarks that were distributed at a local elementary school. They bore the message, "Rita B. Deer says read a book, dear". The Rita B. Deer character and message were created by the club president.
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GFWC Punta Gorda Woman's Club raised money to purchase a bench/glider for their local History Park. The glider is a memorial to the members who have passed away, and honors their achievements and commitment to the community.
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GFWC North Pinellas Woman's Club members presented a check to an equine therapy program. Their donation will sponsor Kyle, a young man with autism, and a horse named Freedom, for the upcoming semester. The equine therapy organization specializes in equine assisted activities for teens and adults with disabilities, along with disabled veterans.
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The Miami Woman's Club assisted with a walk to remember White Cane Safety Day, which celebrates the achievements of blind and visually impaired people. A white cane is an important mobility tool, as well as the symbol of their independence. Canes have been used by blind people for centuries, but the white cane was introduced in the early 20th century. Canes were painted white to be more easily visible. |
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Please submit brief articles & photos to [email protected] each week by Wednesday. Indicate area of focus in subject line of your email. If your article or event is not in the newsletter, it could be scheduled for a future week!
If you would like this newsletter delivered to your email inbox, visit the home page on
gfwcflorida.org. Scroll to the bottom of the page and complete the newsletter sign-up form.
The Junior Newsletter sign-up form is also located at the bottom of the home page.
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Membership Montage - the process or technique of selecting, editing, and piecing together various activities of GFWC Florida to form a cohesive whole. Every Monday we will feature a different area of focus with aligning articles, stories, club activities and photos. Please submit your stories for each area of focus!
1st Monday - Membership
2nd Monday - Leadership
3rd Monday - Programs
4th Monday - Communications and Public Relations
5th Monday - (if there is one) - Special Edition
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