Founded in 1890, the General Federation of Women’s Clubs is an international women’s organization dedicated to community improvement by enhancing the lives of others through volunteer service.
Sixty three clubs from around the U.S. convened at that time in New York City to form GFWC. In 1896, Missouri joined and it is recorded that a group of Platte City women organized a class to study Shakespeare’s plays and paid 50 cents per lesson to Miss Pearl Monk, a drama teacher from Camden Point Missouri Christian College, to conduct the classes.
Classes were held on Saturday afternoons, twice a month, in the fall of 1907 and spring of 1908. The following October the club was organized as the Platte City Study Club. The program for the year was Bay View Study Course, consisting of Art, Literature, and History.
“In the year 1911 American literature was the subject to be studied for the year,” Anne Jones, GFWC 19-year member said. “For lack of a definite teacher a program committee was appointed each year. Miscellaneous programs of widely different subjects were planned. The social side of activities consisted of having luncheons, parties, and teas. Each year one meeting day was known as Mercy Hospital Day and garments and linens were made and donated to the hospital. The Platte City Study Club became a part of the Missouri State Federated Club in 1925. Charter members were Mrs. C.C. Cowherd, Mrs. Spence Redman, Mrs. Lou Waller, Mrs. Anna Mason, Mrs. Jas, L. Miller, Mrs. A.F. Fulcher, Mrs. J.L. Carmack, Mrs. Jane Collins, Mrs. J.O. Johnson, Mrs. Guy Coleman, and Mrs. C.A. Skillman.”
Jones served as president of GFWC for two terms from 2008 to 2010 and from 2018 to 2020.
As a member of the Historical Society, she volunteered to help stuff inserts into the Platte County Citizen, as this was a money-making project for that club.
As it turned out, Jones appeared to do this on the wrong day for three weeks in a row. She did her part of the stuffing and enjoyed chatting with the other ladies. Finally, a woman thanked her for coming to help but wondered why she was helping The Study Club group. They all had a good laugh and Jones was asked to join the Study Club. She said she was enticed by the programs that Study Club had each month in addition to their service to others, and friendly members.
Headquartered in Washington D.C., there are 80,000 GFWC members in 3,200 clubs in every state and more than a dozen countries There are 66 clubs in Missouri, with more than 1,200 members. GFWC is one of the world’s largest and oldest nonpartisan, non-denominational, women’s volunteer service organizations.
The club’s roots can be traced back to 1868. A professional journalist, Jane Cunningham Croly tried to attend a dinner at an all-male press club, which was honoring novelist Charles Dickens. Because she was a woman, she was denied admittance. She decided to form a woman’s club called Sorosis in response to the denial.
To celebrate the 21st anniversary of Sorosis’ founding in 1889, Croly asked members of women’s clubs across the U.S. to pursue the cause of federation by attending the convention in New York City. The next year, 63 clubs officially formed the General Federation of Women’s Clubs by ratifying the GFWC constitution.
The club’s members are united through district, state and regional organizations. Their mission is to volunteer their time, talents, and resources to improve the quality of life through service to others.
Each year, GFWC awards scholarships to help intimate partner abuse survivors obtain a post-secondary education that offers a chance to reshape their future by securing employment and gaining personal independence.
Each year the Platte City Study Club donates to Shop with a Cop and Shop with the Sheriff. They also donate to the Ronald McDonald House and Missouri Girls Town. They give to Sophomore Pilgrimage, donate paper towel rolls for kids’ crafts at the YMCA, collect pill bottles for a local vet to recycle, recycle bottle caps and milk lids for benches and fulfill Walmart Christmas wish lists.
Volunteer hours are reported by members monthly at the meetings. Members choose their own path for volunteering. Members volunteer at Hillcrest Thrift Store, churches, the Historical Society, schools, nursing homes, Platte County Fair, elections, etc. At the end of the year volunteer hours are reported to district, state and national organizations.
It is different from other clubs in that individual clubs can choose their own area of interest to focus on, and bring women together. Members can choose from a wide array of club interests, such as reading clubs and sewing and quilting clubs, while some involve the arts. Others focus on helping hospitals and domestic violence survivors.
“All come together to achieve the greater goals of the federation,” Jones said. “There is power in numbers. This is the way we can influence legislature to provide a better quality of life for all.”
The club has been a powerful force in the resistance against domestic violence.
It is listed as a Signature Program for GFWC to create awareness and prevention, and many clubs have had special projects during Domestic Violence Week, including putting up yard signs, school posters and bathroom stickers. One club purchased security cameras for a survivor shelter for protection. Another club put Hot Line numbers in restrooms at rest stop areas.
“Our club has volunteers who work at the Hillcrest Thrift Shop in Platte City,” Jones said. “The Federation provides survivors of domestic abuse scholarships, and $97,500 has been provided since 2012.”
For Jones, it is very important to support this community-based organization. “As a teacher I have always valued education as a means of improving one’s life. I am always eager to learn new things and meet new people. I enjoy the programs of the club and love the way they expand my knowledge in many areas. Service to others gives me purpose. Being part of an uplifting group brings the joy of caring and sharing.”
Some of the programs presented in the last few years show the variety of members’ interests. Programs included: Our National Parks by Marilyn Canaday; Trip to the Holy Land by Anna Nutt; Christmas Music by Brice Wilson; K-9 Training by State President Project; Home Gardening by Nancy’s Greenhouse; Identity Theft by Platte County Sheriff; Conservation by John Zise; Mission Trip to Haiti by Rebecca Rooney; Sleep Study by Tom Weston and Alzheimer’s by Sara McClanhan.
Fifty-year member, Cathy Wright, enjoyed when meetings were held in members’ homes and had a more personal, and social aspect. “It was very formal, so ladies wore their best dresses, hats, and gloves,” Wright said. She fondly remembers that her mother never wore the same hat twice.
“Study Club was an elite club in its beginning,” Wright said. “Members had to have a personal invitation from another club member, then they were required to have three written recommendations. They would be considered a guest at three meetings before a vote of acceptance would be taken.”
For Jones, her fondest memory of GFWC is doing the Sophomore Pilgrimage. She served four years as District Chairman and two years as the State Chairman for the Pilgrimage. She still likes to tag along with new club chairpersons.
After a century since the clubs founding, GFWC continues to address the diverse needs of their communities through times of social change, technological revolution and war and peace by promoting education, preserving natural resources, stressing good citizenship, encouraging healthy lifestyles, contributing to world peace and international understanding and supporting participation in the arts. Club members will continue to tackle issues of women’s health, illiteracy, child abuse prevention, community improvement, opportunities for people with disabilities, safety for older Americans and substance abuse prevention as they head into the next 100 years.