‘In the big things of life, we are at one.’ – No truer words were ever spoken than in our Club Collect by Mary Stewart. It is with this in mind that the GFWC Grundy Woman’s Club works closely with other organizations to make an even greater impact on our community and our world than we ever could alone.
Partnering with our fellow philanthropists and nonprofit organizations through events, donations, awareness campaigns and other efforts, we actively support the following projects:
| GFWC Signature Project: Domestic Violence Awareness & Prevention
The goal of this program is to increase awareness of and help prevent the widespread occurrence of domestic abuse in communities across the nation by supporting existing activities, working with various established programs, and initiating educational opportunities for club members and local citizens. |
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Sponsorship of Prevent Child Abuse Virginia and initiation of Pinwheels for Prevention in Buchanan County – Prevent Child Abuse America is the leading national, not-for-profit organization whose sole mission is “to prevent the abuse and neglect of our nation’s children.” Prevention is defined as the abuse or neglect never occurring. The Prevent Child Abuse America national office is located in Chicago, Illinois, and its network includes 47 statewide prevention chapters. | |
| Support for the Buchanan County Domestic Violence Shelter through donations – both monetary and in-kind donations of toiletries, baby and personal care items, and new and gently used clothing. | ||
| Juniors’ Special Project: Advocates for Children
GFWC Juniors’ Special Program: Advocates for Children is designed to encourage all General, Junior, and Juniorette clubs to make a difference in our world by becoming advocates for children. Clubs are encouraged to choose to organize projects that benefit children in their community, state, or world. Read more on this topic here. |
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Support of the 29th Judicial District Court Appointed Special Advocate – The 29th Judicial District Court Appointed Special Advocate Program is a non-profit organization that utilizes trained volunteers to advocate for the best interest of abused and neglected children in court. In addition, CASA actively support community awareness of child abuse and neglect and we promote the belief that every child has a right to grow, develop and thrive in a safe and caring environment. | |
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Support for the March of Dimes – The mission of March of Dimes is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality. They carry out this mission through research, community services, education, and advocacy to save babies’ lives. They help moms have full-term pregnancies and healthy babies, and if something goes wrong, they offer information and comfort to families. | |
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Support for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital – St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other deadly diseases. Everything the organization does is centered on finding cures and saving children. And families never receive a bill from St. Jude. St. Jude continues the vision of its founder, Danny Thomas, that no child is denied treatment based on race, religion, or a family’s ability to pay. By sharing our knowledge freely and exchanging ideas openly, St. Jude inspires more collaboration between doctors and researchers worldwide, and, as a result, more lifesaving treatments for children everywhere. Treatments invented at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20 percent to 80 percent since it opened 50 years ago. | |
| Conservation
The GFWC Conservation Community Service Program is designed for members to gain an appreciation for our environment. Members are encouraged to increase awareness of conservation issues, work to preserve, maintain and restore our natural resources, preserve habitats for plants and animals, and participate in endeavors to beautify and sustain the world around us. Our natural resources include, but are not limited to, water, trees, plants, air, land, and wildlife. |
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Support for the Buchanan County Humane Society – The Buchanan County Humane Society works to advocate for animals, promote local spay/neutering, coordinates with the Margaret B. Mitchell Spay/Neuter Clinic in Bristol, Virginia to provide low-cost solutions for all animal owners, and hosts various adoption fairs throughout the region. The society works tirelessly to make a way for local animals to be transported to no-kill facility. | |
| Support of local wildlife through the filling of bird feeders at local nursing homes. | ||
| Education & Libraries
Article 26 of the United Nations’ 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that “everyone has the right to education.” More importantly, GFWC clubs know that education can open doors and expand opportunities and freedoms for their members, their communities, and the world. Education contributes to fostering peace, democracy, and economic growth, as well as improving health and reducing poverty. Throughout this administration, the goal of the GFWC Education & Libraries Community Service Program will be to develop projects that will help improve the quality of life and create a better world. Read more here. |
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Support for the Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership (HOBY) – Founded in 1958, HOBY’s mission is to inspire and develop our global community of youth and volunteers to a life dedicated to leadership, service, and innovation. For more than five decades, HOBY has been inspiring young people to make a difference and become catalysts for positive change in their home, school, workplace, and community. HOBY also provides adults with opportunities to make a significant impact on the lives of youth by volunteering. More than 4,000 committed HOBY volunteers plan and execute the programs each year. Due to the selfless efforts of volunteers and the contributions of generous donors, nearly 10,000 students participate in HOBY programs annually. | |
| Advocacy of education through annual college scholarship programs at Southwest Virginia Community College (http://sw.edu/scholarships/), the Appalachian College of Pharmacy (http://www.acp.edu/scholarships-and-grants/), and the Appalachian School of Law (http://www.asl.edu/Admissions/Financial-Aid-/Scholarships.html). Students interested in applying for these grants may contact their financial aid office to learn more or click on the links associated with each institution. | ||
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Support of the Boys & Girls Club of Central Appalachia – The Boys & Girls Club of Central Appalachia works to enable all young people, especially those who need them most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens. Located across Buchanan County, Virginia, the BGCCA operates three clubs at J.M. Bevins, Hurley and Riverview elementary-middle schools. | |
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Support for the Buchanan County Public Library – The Buchanan County Public Library is located on Poe Town Street in Grundy, Virginia. It provides services to all Buchanan County residents and residents of near by counties. The library holds more than 100,000 items that circulate, including the latest bestsellers, audio books, DVDs, and popular magazines. It offers one of the broadest local history and genealogy collections in this region. Digital services include downloadable audiobooks, eBooks, databases, and more available to library card holders from any internet connected computer in Buchanan County. | |
| Health & Wellness
The human body, mind, and spirit comprise our health and wellness. To improve our wellbeing, we must address three key components: nutrition, disease prevention, and physical and emotional care. This Community Service Program aims to explore the various opportunities for awareness and advancement of each of these vital areas:
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Support for Easter Seals – Easter Seals provides services to ensure that all persons with disabilities have equal opportunities to live, learn, work, and play. Easter Seals assists more than one million children and adults with disabilities and their families annually through a nationwide network of more than 550 service centers. Each center provides top quality, family focused, and innovative services tailored to meet the specific needs of the community it serves. | |
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Support for Canine Companions – Founded in 1975, Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) is a non-profit organization that enhances the lives of people with disabilities by providing highly trained assistance dogs and ongoing support to ensure quality partnerships. Headquartered in Santa Rosa, CA, CCI is the largest non-profit provider of assistance dogs, and is recognized worldwide for the excellence of its dogs, and the quality and longevity of the matches it makes between dogs and people. The result is a life full of increased independence and loving companionship. | |
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Support for the Heart Truth – The Heart Truth® sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health, is a national education program for women that raises awareness about heart disease and its risk factors and educates and motivates them to take action to prevent the disease. Through this program, the NHLBI leads the Nation in a landmark heart health movement embraced by millions who share the common goal of better heart health for all women. The Heart Truth and The Red Dress are registered trademarks of HHS. Red Dressis a service mark of HHS. National Wear Red Day is a registered trademark of HHS and AHA. | |
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Support for Inside Knowledge – The Inside Knowledge: Get the Facts About Gynecologic Cancer campaign educates women and health care providers about the five most common types of gynecologic cancer: cervical, ovarian, uterine, vaginal, and vulvar. This initiative was developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and supports the Gynecologic Cancer Education and Awareness Act of 2005, or Johanna’s Law, passed unanimously by Congress in 2006, and signed into law in 2007. Inside Knowledge offers information and resources in English and Spanish to women and health care providers about risk factors, symptoms, and prevention strategies associated with each of the cancers. | |
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Support for the Ronald McDonald House – Helping a sick child fight their illness takes a big enough emotional toll on a family. Adding a financial strain can make it all almost too much to bear. RMHC can help address those problems, whether they involve housing that’s near a hospitalized child, the expense of staying together in another city, or even getting basic medical and dental care in a vulnerable community. In 2015, RMHC has local Chapters in 60 countries and regions with: 353 Ronald McDonald Houses, 196 Ronald McDonald Family Rooms, 50 Ronald McDonald Care Mobiles, grants to non-profit organizations that also focus on the needs of children, scholarships to students across the United States, and chapters around the world creating country-specific programs. Since 1974, RMHC has helped address these needs every day, with 305,000 volunteers and staff members, our connections with medical communities around the world, partnerships with respected companies and generous donors. | |
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Support for the Relay for Life of Buchanan County and the American Cancer Society – The American Cancer Society Relay For Life event is a life-changing experience that gives everyone in communities across the globe a chance to celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer, remember loved ones lost, and fight back against the disease. | |
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Support for the Remote Area Medical Grundy Expedition – Remote Area Medical provides medical care through mobile clinic events in underserved, isolated, or impoverished communities. Most clinics provide general medical, dental, vision, preventive care, and education unless otherwise indicated such as veterinarian services. In Buchanan County, RAM coordinates with Mission of Mercy (MOM), the Lions Club of Virginia and many other non-profit organizations, working together to provide free health services to the underprivileged and under-insured people of the region. | |
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Support for Heritage Hall – Heritage Hall houses many elderly and disabled residents of Buchanan County, Virginia, providing short-term, intermediate and long-term care. | |
| Support for Backpack Blessings – A local organization in Buchanan County, whose goal is to provide every child in need with nourishment, Backpack Blessings sends children home with a bag of easily accessible foods. For kids who might not get enough to eat over the long weekend, this might include easy-open packs of tuna, crackers and nabs, snack cakes, pouch drinks and much more. | ||
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Promotion of Stomp Out Bullying and Blue Shirt Day – Initially established as the signature program of Love Our Children USA in 2003, its founder recognized a critical need to address the issue of bullying and cyberbullying and created STOMP Out Bullying in 2005. Today, STOMP Out Bullying is the leading national bullying and cyberbullying prevention organization for kids and teens in the U.S. STOMP Out Bullying is recognized as the most influential anti-bullying organization in America and beyond. The organization created Blue Shirt Day: World Day of Bullying Prevention to signify the importance of National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month each October. | |
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Creation of and support for Light It Up Blue, Buchanan County Initiative – Every April, people from around the world join together in support of Autism Awareness Month by lighting up their communities and wearing blue. The GFWC Grundy Woman’s Club started this effort on a regional front by selling blue bulbs to benefit Autism Speaks and A Voice for Our Children, a local nonprofit organization whose goal is to benefit children with special needs in Buchanan County, Virginia. | |
| Civic Engagement & Outreach
In this Community Service Program, four “broad strokes” of Civic Engagement and Outreach are highlighted and encouraged, including: Citizenship; Crime Prevention, Safety, and Disaster Preparedness; the Needy, Hungry, and Homeless; and Our Military Personnel and Veterans. Beyond these suggestions, look within your own community and to the wider world for ways to make a positive impact. |
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Support for Sew Much Comfort – Sew Much Comfort provides adaptive clothing to support the unique needs of our wounded service personnel members, including all branches of the military and national guard. Unfortunately, standard clothing does not properly fit with fixators, prosthetics, and casts. For many, a hospital gown is the only option. SMC adapts store-bought or sewn clothing using our custom-designed patterns. The clothing is designed to appear as normal civilian clothing, and is constructed for ease of dressing, fostering self-care. Most of all, it is a symbol of gratitude for their sacrifice. Sew Much Comfort is the only organization providing adaptive clothing at no cost to our wounded service members. | |
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Support for United Service Organizations (USO) – Millions of times each year at hundreds of locations around the world, the USO lifts the spirits of America’s troops and their families. A nonprofit, congressionally chartered, private organization, the USO relies on the generosity of individuals, organizations and corporations to support its activities. The USO is not part of the U.S. government, but is recognized by the Department of Defense, Congress and President of the United States, who serves as Honorary Chairman of the USO. | |
To learn more about What We Do, see our Annual Events & Fundraisers to find our how you can support our efforts.
