STE. GENEVIEVE – The GFWC Woman’s Club’s largest fundraiser of the year was held in November in support of its signature project, Missouri Girls Town. Members worked for weeks organizing the annual fundraising event held at the spacious Artisan at Baetje Farms in Bloomsdale. The venue had been decorated in this year’s theme, “Hats Off to Women”, with an amazing variety of lovely and sporty hats mingled with festive decorations.
Members arrived (all wearing hats) and laden with gift items for three separate fundraisers; the live auction, a silent auction, and $5 grab bags. After lunch the action began when auctioneer Sandy Stewart started the bidding for baked goods, gift baskets, and decorative items donated by members and friends. Sandy kept the pace lively, the competition manageable, and the offerings entertaining. All the planning, organizing and hard work paid off. A total of $3,290 was raised for the cause of helping young women in need.
Missouri Girls Town was founded by the General Federation of Women’s Clubs of Missouri in 1953 to provide care and treatment for abused and neglected girls, and their facility at Williamsburg, Missouri, has been the primary focus of funding efforts by our local chapter ever since.
The featured speaker was Maria Mulcahy, Director of Development for Missouri Girls Town. She thanked the Woman’s Club members for their continued generosity and spoke of the ongoing challenges in providing community-based care to young women who find themselves without a safe harbor.
Some of the stories are heartbreaking. Girls Town currently supports 17 active residents by providing a safe space, a normalized environment with structure, rules and responsibilities. They also have recreational facilities, therapy sessions, and a school on campus. The goal of their programs is that girls transition out into the community with the skills necessary to build healthy relationships and a brighter future.
At the end of the meeting, results were announced for the member’s hat contest in different categories from biggest hat, most historic hat, sportiest hat, etc. Winners pictured left to right are Debbie Dollar, Debbie Kirchner, Diane Miller, Linda Clark, Laura Riley and Theresa Roe.
In other Holiday-related activities, the GFWC Woman’s Club of Ste. Genevieve raised $180 for the “Shop With A Cop” initiative and participated in the Holiday Christmas Parade and Festival.
For more information on becoming part of the GFWC Woman’s Club of Ste. Genevieve, please contact Dorcas Grass by by email at gfwcmostegen@gmail.com or by phone 573-883-6286. The General Federation of Women’s Clubs is an international woman’s organization dedicated to community improvements by enhancing the lives of others through volunteer service.