Why does a woman join the GFWC Woman’s Club? What is she looking for and what does she find?
If a person is interested in helping others, doing community service and meeting women with similar interests, then they join. You do make friendships, and they are long-lasting friendships; I’ve been in the club about 23 years.
And we’re part of an international group; you get a lot of information through [the GFWC] on things you can do through them as well as in your own community, and they have a leadership program throughout the organization.
How many members are there today in the GFWC Woman’s Club of Saugerties?
At the present time, we have 27 members.
And who are the current members?
Linda Adorno, Trudy Bauser, Delores Bjornseth, Margot Bornsehein, Marilyn Breckett, Dorothy Cappello, Dorothy Casal, Joette Courselle, Helen Ellsworth, Mary Finger, Marie Gianbona, Margaret Granison, Evelyn Harrison, Ellen Kleinert, Lucy Kunst, Alice Maceyak, Ingrid Marro, Mary Pietkiewicz, Evelyn Rauschendorfer (vice-president), Rose Riozzi, Eileen Scarselli, Sharon Scarselli, Evelyn Stokrocki, Corrine VanBenschoten, Dorothy Vogel, Donna Weinberger and Karen Wurzel.
Do your members attend the GFWC regional meetings?
Some have attended district meetings and the convention, but it’s not necessary.
Does your club have a particular focus in doing charitable works?
Our purpose is involvement with community service and trying to help education, arts conservation, international outreach and other public issues.
When and where are your meetings?
We meet on the third Thursday of each month from September through April at 7:30 p.m. at the Senior Center. Generally we have a Christmas party in December instead of a meeting, and we don’t usually have a January meeting because of the weather. In May we have a banquet and then we start up again in September.
What do you do at your meetings? Do they involve guest speakers?
We have guest speakers on a number of topics: health, finance, music, art, poetry and writing, conservation and recycling, places of interest, history, identity theft, beautification, self improvement and many others just for fun. We try to cover all the areas and the up-to-date issues in the community.
Is there a membership fee?
$25 per year.
What are some of the projects you undertake?
We furnish personal kits for the residents of women’s shelters and donations for special projects whenever we’re able to do it. One time we gave them shoes and school supplies for the children there. We donate to Family [of Woodstock], and to Canine Companions for Independence. We support Project Smile [a nonprofit that donates stuffed animals and small toys and coloring books to police officers and emergency responders for them to give to traumatized kids they come across in their work who are crime victims or witnesses to traumatic events to ease their pain or fear].
We’ve made hospital gowns and smocks for patients and given donations to children that have surgery. We set up the Christmas tree for Cerebral Palsy of Ulster County every year in their lobby; it’s really a labor of love. It’s the start of the season and a tradition we’ve been doing for over 30 years. We adopt a needy family each year, and give them gift cards for food at holidays.
We donate to Operation SOS [care packages for deployed servicemen and women], we donated to hurricane relief for Irene and Sandy, and a few years ago after 911 all the clubs in the state federation got together and raised money for fire trucks.
We do the art show for the Mum Festival; we’ve been doing that for over 40 years. It gives local artists and photographers the opportunity to display their work, and it’s a juried show so they win ribbons and compete a little. We’ve also had art shows for the senior high school students, and our club gives a graduation award of $850 to a Saugerties High School senior who will be going on to college.
How do you raise money?
We have different fundraisers; penny socials, bake sales, catalog sales; we have card parties at the present time – we do a joint club card party with [the other GFWC] Monday Club and raise funds for the different needs.
For more information about joining the GFWC Woman’s Club of Saugerties, call (845) 246-7285 or visit www.village.saugerties.ny.us.
