STE. GENEVIEVE – Fifty-four women gathered at the DuBourg Centre for a very special lunch meeting on November 13th.
Missouri Girls Town Auction Committee members (from left): Carol Huck, Dorcas Grass, auctioneer Sandy Stewart, Georgia Honermann and Alexandra Bergtholdt
Special guests included GFWC of Missouri President Amy Boone, and several members from the GFWC Monday Club of Farmington. All were here to support the Missouri Girls Town, 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.
The theme for this meeting was “Rounding Up Friends for Giving”, and many who attended sported western wear. 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. Auctioneer Sandy Stewart kept the spirit lively as good-natured competition among bidders often dissolved into 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. 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. Deanna Barger representing Missouri Girls Town summed it up: “These girls don’t have a lot of people in their court – they’re really lucky to have you”.
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 $2,385 from the Ste. Genevieve Woman’s Club which they can use for much needed materials as well as matching grants.
The next meeting of the GFWC Woman’s Club will be December 11, 2023, at the Ste. Genevieve Progress Sports Complex. For more information, please send an email to gfwcmostegen@gmail.com.
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 scholarships.