General Federation of Women’s Clubs of

Massachusetts Federation Topics - a newsletter for clubwomen

Issue 11 Spring 2015

General Federation of Women’s Clubs of Massachusetts Headquarters - P.O. Box 679, Sudbury, MA 01776 www.gfwcma.org

“Step Into The Spotlight”

Inside Highlights

*President’s Project

*Daisy Doings

*Mid Winter Meeting

White-out

*Club Happenings

*Club Institute

*Julie Ward Howe

*Annual Meeting

*Odds n Ends

*Convention - Memphis

*Just For Fun

*Dates to Remember

No winter lasts forever;

no spring skips its turn Hal Borland

pins www.gfwc.org

Inside Headquarters

President, Lynne Sullivan

“Step Into the Spotlight”

President’s Project 2014-2016

Human Trafficking & RIA House

Human Trafficking refers to the buying and selling of persons. Usually adults, but often teenagers and preteens, are coerced, taken, bought and sold in the United States of America. Some become enslaved farm laborers, others household laborers, and still others become prostitutes confined to a one room existence and a steady flow of customers who pay a substantial price to the kidnapper. The person taken has fundamentally no recourse.

Closely watched, separated from all but the buyer’s family, that is, group members, the enslaved has no contact of any meaning with the outside world. The enslaved is punished for attempts to form a connection with persons outside the group and severely punished, possibly murdered for attempting to escape from her or his enslavement.

The question becomes: Is this situation inevitably, deeply entrenched in our society and impossible to over-come? If the enslavement of human beings for profit remains in the shadows hardly noticed by most, it cannot be overcome because those who might see the situation do not take notice. And also unfortunately, It is one of the problems of a large society, that some who do see and do notice, turn away and walk in a different direction …..because they are afraid of the implications of what they have seen.

The purpose of this project focused on the problem of human trafficking is to first, notice the problem and ask others to do so ; second, take further action by reporting what has been seen to the police and possibly to newspapers; third, by helping and supporting as those enslaved escape from their captivity; and finally, by supporting the work of RIA House and other such organizations which are designed to help those who have experienced the horror and degradation of human trafficking.

Clubs interested in assisting RIA House may make monetary donations toward the first, last month’s rent and security deposit when the group rents their first resident home in 2016.

Other needed items are : Gift cards for any local supermarket (to help RIA House provide dinner for every group) MasterCard/VISA gift cards for women survivors (so they are able to shop where they want for the items they need), emergency backpack items, such as, feminine products, lip balm, socks, hats, mittens (please, no used clothing items), granola bars, gum

RIA House already has 50 of the actual backpacks which Heather ordered on-line. Additional backpacks or donations to purchase them would be much appreciated. Why backpacks? Because RIA House shelters but cannot at this time become a long time solution for the women served. Thus the women at RIA House need backpacks for the few things they possess when they leave.

*Donations of these items will be collected at all GFWC of Massachusetts state meetings until May of 2016.

For more information about RIA House, go to their website: www.riahouse.org

President’s Project Chairman

Lorraine Gorham presents

President Lynne Sullivan with a

$300 to benefit RIA House.

"DAISY DOINGS"

"Let It Snow" ? Who thought that was a good idea for a song? "Summer in the City", "A Summer Song",

"V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N", "Summer Love", "Those Lazy Hazy, Crazy...", "Summer Nights"--now those are my kind

of lyrics!

Stay safe, stay warm and think about the fun we will have at Junior Annual Conference on April 25, 2015

at the John Carver Inn and Spa in Plymouth! This will be a daytime only conference running between 9:00

and 5:00, so no evening banquet. We will still be celebrating all the wonderful, creative things your clubs

did in 2014 so please mark your calendars! Further info will be in the Call which will be going out in about

3 weeks. Please look for it in your inboxes and share with your club members.

Thank you to all the club presidents who reported projects and activities and donations for 2014! You truly

are amazing and your communities are so lucky to have you. You have definitely embraced the diversity of

service and volunteerism from promoting the Arts, assisting the homeless and needy, honoring veterans,

supporting learning and the hundreds of other ways, you have made a difference in the lives of thousands

and I am soooo proud of you!

I am also proud of how you have embraced this Director's project, Youth Villages. Thank you so much for

the clothes and books and toiletries which you donated. Unfortunately, they had to cancel their Style for

Success event this year but they are grateful for the donations as many of their clients come to them in

emergency situations and they have little of their own possessions. As they wrote in their most recent

newsletter, "This year, Youth Villages fulfilled the holiday wishes of more than 390 children and youth in

need participating in our New England programs, including 80 girls from the Youth Villages-Germaine

Lawrence Campus. The generosity of our donors and volunteers made this holiday season magical for the

children and families we serve, as well as the entire Youth Villages team!" On their behalf, thank you for

the part that Juniors played in this wonderful experience. I am now assisting in their library a couple of

Wednesdays a month so I see first-hand how your generosity is appreciated.

I look forward to seeing you in April and, in the meantime, keep humming those summer songs and think

about the stories we will tell our grandchildren. ;-)

Thank you for being you!

In Junior Friendship,

Diane

Junior Membership

Director of Junior Clubs, Diane McCurley

“Embrace Diversity “

Midwinter Meeting White-Out!

Janet Morgan-Daly Treasurer GFWC Massachusetts

The January 24th snowstorm that cut attendance in half at the Midwinter Meeting in Framingham obviously was

a portent of February's record-breaking snowstorms including two blizzards in one month (so far)! New England Strong!

While attendance was severely affected by the snow, the meeting was most informative, punctuated by two spectacular speakers -- blogger Neal Sanders aka The Principal Undergardener and Tara Sareen, a life coach who heads up icravecoaching. Check them out for a future club event, they were very well received.

Neal Sanders, according to him, is the principal undergardener to his master gardener wife, which means his job is to dig and move stones and plants and basically the heavy lifting. His talk was not only informative -- you get to see the couple's extensive gardens -- but lots of fun!

His blog should be fun to access too and I recommend his mysteries. Yes, he's an author, too. Neal was sell-ing his books after the morning meeting and about half of the audience stood in line for reading mate-rial. Several have a gardening club angle, such as The Garden Club Gang and A Murder in the Garden, but not all. I'd recommend The Accidental Spy, which I just finished.

Tara Sareen's talk was perfect for a January meeting -- don't we all make resolutions at the New Year to eat better and lose weight? As a life coach, Tara offered some excellent tips on investing in our selves through some basics such as daily stretches, really breathing in with awareness, cultivating friendships, and adopting good health habits. Since I was bingeing on all the chocolate left from Christmas, I found her "baby step" pro-cess to better health just what the doctor ordered.

A high point of the day was the awarding of a 50-year-pin to Elaine Gould of the Oxford Woman's Club by GFWC Massachusetts Corresponding Secretary Martha Casassa.

With the absence of a quorum due to the white-out conditions, no business was conducted. There were some resolutions and a bylaw change to vote on but they will be brought before the Annual Meeting slated

————————————————————————————————————————————

GFWC MA Corresponding Secretary Martha Casassa is pleased to pin and recognize 50 year member Elaine Gould

Club Happenings

Marion Gaenzle serves club members

Mary Voos and Valerie Smith

Program presenter Will Conklin

the Director of Greenagers

Youth Environmental Groups

greeted by club member

Hilda Shapiro

Kate Deviny wearing her whimsical hat

greets fellow club friend and member

Jeanne DuVall who was returning

following her surgery

GFWC Auburn Junior Woman’s Club president Marisa Jablanski delivers a

Dr. Seuss themed basket to the UMass pediatric department in Worcester.

Club members were challenged by the GFWC Massachusetts Junior Arts

chairman to create a flower arrangement and donate it to an area hospital,

school or facility. Members arranged and donated a basket filled with

flowers, books, pencils, bookmarks, stickers and cards. GFWC Massachusetts Junior Home

life chairman and Auburn Junior

Woman’s club membership chairman

Jeanne Dee installs a new member

Michelle Butler. Welcome Michelle!! Living the Volunteer Spirit!

Thursday Morning Club

Thursday, March 5

Conservation Michael O’Connor, Public Relations Manager, And Henry Tepper, President of Massachusetts Audubon

“Protecting our Environment: Understanding the Challenges of Climate Change”

Introduced by Alberta Durfee, Conservation Chairman

Legislation The Honorable Sheila Harrington, Massachusetts House of Representatives- 1st Middlesex District Introduced by Elfriede Parker, 1st Vice President “Look around you- Issues that Matter” Donations Women’s toiletries and backpacks in support of the

Girls services RIA HOUSE, the President’s Project Chairmen and District Directors Meeting: 9:30 AM; Executive Board Meeting: 12:30 __________________________________________________________________________________

Thursday, April 2, 2015 AWARDS DAY Lynne Stader, Counselor to Chairmen ARTS AWARDS Wendy Payne, Chairman Janet Morgan Daly, Counselor to Arts SCHEDULE

9:30 ~ Chairman and District Directors Meetings (As listed on the Calendar of Events) 10:00 ~ Club Institute begins 11:30 ~ Break for lunch ~ Executive Board members bring your own lunch 12:30 ~ Executive Board Meeting begins

Coffee and pastry available for purchase in the morning

If you have any questions please feel free to call:

H 413-786-3888/ C 413-519-1845/dmshibley@gmail.org

Donna Shibley,

Chairman Club Institute

SPOTLIGHT ON

CLUB INSTITUTE

Location ~ GFWC of MA Headquarters, 245 Dutton Road, Sudbury

Carpooling appreciated

Odds n Ends

Julia Ward Howe President’s Award

How can you say thanks to your club president? Has she

represented your club at state events, encouraged members to support the state

president’s project, and helped your club members to know the value of their GFWC

membership? Does she create agendas to help the success of your club meetings?

Take a few moments to tell us why your club president deserves to be recognized as this year’s Julia Ward Howe President’s Award winner. Download the Nomination form at www.gfwcma.org or contact federation Headquarters Secretary Diane McCurley at gfwcma@aol.com to request a form be sent to you. We want to recognize club presidents who have demonstrated lead-ership during the 2014 club year. The Julia Ward Howe President’s Award will be awarded at Annual Meeting in Westborough May 3.

Nomination forms are due to Elfriede Parker, First Vice President, by April 1, 2015.

Club vice presidents are encouraged to nominate club presidents, but anyone may submit a

nomination form.

Julia Ward Howe Award

Try an Easy Fundraiser

Flower Power Fundraising offers you the chance to buy and sell flower bulbs for gardens all over your

community. Earn 50% profit from sales while taking pride in a fundraiser that helps to beautify the

community. An extra 5% from every sale also goes directly to GFWC to support national projects. When

requesting information, please use GFWC in your organization name. Information and

sales supplies can be found at www.FlowerPowerFundraising.com/

GFWC or call 1-888-833-1486.

Givers need to set limits because takers rarely do. Rachel Wolchin

Just For Laughs

DO NOT wash your hair in the shower!!

It's so good to finally get a health warning that is useful!!!

IT INVOLVES THE SHAMPOO WHEN IT RUNS DOWN YOUR BODY WHEN

YOU SHOWER WITH IT.

WARNING TO US ALL!!! Shampoo Warning!+

I don't know WHY I didn't figure this out sooner!

I use shampoo in the shower!

When I wash my hair, the shampoo runs down my whole body,

and printed very clearly on the shampoo label is this warning,

"FOR EXTRA BODY AND VOLUME."

No wonder I have been gaining weight!

Well! I got rid of that shampoo and I am going to start showering with Dawn Dishwashing Soap.

It's label reads, "DISSOLVES FAT THAT IS OTHERWISE DIFFICULT TO REMOVE." Problem solved! If I don't

answer the phone, I'll be in the shower!

99% of a child’s

awesomeness comes

from their

grandmother…

Just saying.

Making the most of Storm Juno

Convention 2015

June 13-15

Experience the rich history of Memphis, Tennessee at the GFWC Annual Convention, June 13-15, 2015. Overlooking the legendary Mississippi River, the newly-renovated Sheraton Memphis Downtown will provide accommodations, while the Cook Convention Center, just a skywalk away, will host meetings and meals. We hope to see you there!

2015 Convention Tours The 2015 GFWC Annual Convention tours have been set! A quartet of options are available on three consecu-tive days from June 10-12, 2015. Convention attendees and guests can mix and match from the offerings as they wish. Space for some activities is limited, but we will do our best to provide room for all.

The 2015 GFWC Annual Convention Logo Are you ready to rock your Volunteer Spirit in Memphis? Let the 2015 GFWC Annual Convention logo ignite that spark! Evoking the musical history and heritage of Memphis, the 2015 Convention logo and its related elements will be featured on all Convention-related materials. To obtain a copy of the logo to promote Convention through your club, state, or region, please email PR@GFWC.org. Speaking of Convention, as a special thank-you gift for attending, every regis-tered general, Junior, or Juniorette attendee will receive a FREE 125th Com-

memorative Photo! This photo will be your state photo from group pictures, and it will be available to pick-up at Inter-national Convention Photography’s (Joel) photo display before the Gala on Monday evening.

Volunteer at St. Mary’s Soup Kitchen 7:00 a.m.—9:45 a.m. St. Mary’s Catholic Church Soup Kitchen has been operating continuously since 1870. Six days a week it serves the commu-nity’s homeless and less fortunate, averaging more than 300 servings a day, including 91,000 in 2012.

Graceland Tour 10:00 a.m.—1:00 p.m. Get a taste of Elvis Pres-ley’s life at Graceland. The Music Room. The Jungle Room. The Trophy Room. It’s all here, preserved for all time. Don’t forget to stop in the Meditation Gar-den to view Elvis and his parents’ final resting place.

St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital Tour 10:30 a.m.—12:00 p.m. Experience guided tours of the Pavilion and Hospital with a stop at the gift shop before your journey is com-plete.

National Civil Rights Museum and Rock N’ Soul Museum 1:15 p.m.—4:00 p.m. Learn about the Civil Rights Movement at the museum built on the site of Martin Luther King’s as-sassination. From there, meet the pioneers whose love of music overcame socio-economic and racial barriers to give birth to Rock N’ Soul.

Riverboat Ride and Downtown Memphis Tour 2:00 p.m.—5:00 p.m. Board a paddleboat for a relaxing ride down the mighty Mississippi to see Memphis from the water. Then, view the world-famous sites from land on the Downtown Memphis Bus Tour.

12 persons per day maxi-mum

$55 $5 $50 $40

stmaryssoupkitchen.org graceland.com stjude.org civilrightsmuseum.org memphisrocknsoul.org

Dates to Remember

DEADLINE: Summer Issue JUN 5, 2015

Pictures need to be 20 or higher DPI (resolution)

and sent as JPEGs Be sure to provide identification of

subjects in picture and brief description of activity.

Editors reserves the right to edit any copy used in

the columns of the GFWC Massachusetts state

newsletter - Federation Topics

Editors:

T Jablanski

tjablanski@gmail.com

508.769.9008

Diane Erickson - Subscriptions

ericksondi@aol.com

508.856.9305

Annual Meeting

March 5 - Club Institute—Headquarters

April 2 - Awards Day—Headquarters

April 22 - Earth Day

April 25- Junior Annual Conference

May 2-3- Annual Meeting - Westborough

June 4- Federation Day

June 13 –16 GFWC Convention

Tennessee

May 2-3

Doubletree Inn by Hilton

5400 Computer Drive

Westborough, MA

508-366-5511

Guest Speakers & Performer Dianne Weinfeld (aka Jennie June) Step Into the Spotlight

SCHOLARSHIP Awards Club Awards

Let Us be GRATEFUL to the people who make us HAPPY: They are the charming gardeners who make our souls BLOSSOM - Marcel Proust -

Member Match – How many members can you match to

their GFWC Massachusetts chairman position?

A. Fran Warren 1. Meeting

B. Nancy Gale 2. Bylaws

C. Donna Shibley 3. Club Institute

D. Pat Owens 4. Education

E. Paulette Cole 5. Credentials & Registration

F. Shirley Gomes 6. Headquarters Commission

G. Ruth Corridan 7. Membership

H. Martha Casassa 8. Elections

I. Eloise Wellington 9. Appointments

J. Laura Coppola 10. Endowment Fund

3 of 10 – not bad / 7 of 10 – pretty good

10 of 10 – you’re on board – that’s great!

Answers can be found in the

GFWC Massachusetts Manual/Directory

APRIL is ...

American Cancer Society Month

Celebrate Diversity Month

Community Service Month

Happy 125th Anniversary GFWC!