STE. GENEVIEVE – Forty-four women gathered at the DuBourg Centre for a very special lunch meeting on November 14th.
This is the giving time of year, and Missouri Girls Town is the premier Club Project for the GFWC Woman’s Club of Ste. Genevieve. The doors were held open for women arriving laden with gifts and purses containing cash and checkbooks.
In the photo at far right, auctioneer Sandy Stewart is assisted (from left) by Carol Huck, Vicki Wibbenmeyer and Georgia Honermann in the Girls Town auction.
The atmosphere was filled with good cheer as members tried to outbid each other for the most desired desserts and specialty items donated for the auction. Some members are gaining fame for particular recipes, such as Past President Judy Gustafson’s rum cake. Good-natured competition among the bidders often gave way to several bouts of laughter.
But the amusement had a serious side. The money raised goes to girls in their teens who have no home except Missouri Girls Town. As committee member Georgia Honermann explained to the gathering, these girls need our help. The facilities at Girls Town house as many as 30 young women who come to them from the court system or a social services organization, often with nothing but the clothes they are wearing. Girls Town staff work to build trust in a structured environment to help mend the broken lives of girls in their care. It’s a tough job, with tough love. But it all costs money.
Club members rose to the occasion, donating items and cash, bidding on the Live Auction and Silent Auction items, a purchasing tickets for the 50/50 raffle and buying $5 grab bags. As a result of this generosity, Girls Town will receive a check for $2,790 from the Ste. Genevieve Woman’s Club which they can use for the purchase of much needed materials as well as a match for future grants.
The next meeting of the GFWC Woman’s Club will be December 12, 2022, at the Ste. Genevieve Progress Sports Complex. For more information, please send an email to gfwcmostegen@gmail.com or contact Club President Rosemary Douglas at 573-535-1612.
The GFWC Woman’s Club of Ste. Genevieve is dedicated to strengthening their community and enhancing the lives of others through volunteer service. They help to create change by supporting the arts, preserving historical and natural resources and advancing education through.