Book Lovers Club kicks off new year

Summer tends to make it easier to say “yes” to socializing with friends. That’s what members of the Book Lovers Study Club did for their June meeting as they spent the day at Patricia and Don Cox’s lake house on Cedar Creek Lake.

Members also planned projects for the new administration and conducted orientation for new members. The leadership workshop was titled “A Flightpath to Greatness.” Activities began at 9 a.m. with a walk or ride to the pier for breakfast. Patricia Cox presented the first session, called “Wind Beneath Our Wings.” It covered the GFWC organization. GFWC members have spent the past 134 years volunteering to improve the lives of their neighbors, communities, and the world. Cox gave an overview of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs, the state federations, the region federations, and the international federations.

There are approximately 60,000 members nationwide, including the District of Columbia and 12 countries.

Sometimes these different federations can be confusing, but the General Federation of Women’s Clubs is the main federation that governs the state, region and international federations.

Each state has its own federated club, such as the GFWC Alabama Federation which coordinates all the GFWC clubs in Alabama.

The region federations are divided into eight regions — Great Lakes, Middle Atlantic, Mississippi Valley, New England, South Central, Southeastern, Southern, and Western State regions.

Each state, the eight regions, and the 12 international regions have their own officers, club members and projects that report to the General Federation of Women’s Clubs.

However, GFWC considers the local clubs as the “boots on the ground.”

The president of the GFWC lives in the National Headquarters in Washington, D.C., during her two-year tenure. Suellen B.

Brazil of Alabama is the only club member from Alabama that has severed as GFWC International president. Cheri McCain gave the history of the federation.

The GFWC roots started in 1868 when professional journalist Jane Cunningham Croley of New York attempted to attend a lecture by novelist Charles Dickens at an all-male press club.

When she was denied entrance on account of her gender, “Jennie June” formed a woman’s club, named it Sorosis, a Greek word meaning “an aggregation, a sweet flavor of many fruits.”

In 1889, Sorosis members proposed a conference of women’s clubs to pursue the cause of federation.

Clubs applying for membership in the new General Federation of Women’s Clubs were invited to the ratification convention in New York City held April 23-25, 1890. Sixty-three delegates from 17 states attended. The constitution was ratified on April 24, which GFWC members continue to celebrate as Federation Day.

Jane Cunningham Croley was the founder of GFWC. She wrote for national newspaper under the pseudonym “Jennie June” and each year the GFWC Jennie Award honors one clubwoman from each GFWC Region for outstanding commitment to club, community and family.

In 2024, I was honored to become the only GFWC Alabama recipient of the award.

McCain gave information on some of the affiliate organizations that GFWC endorses. These include the Alzheimer’s Association, Heifer International, Canine Companions, United Nations Foundation Shot@Life Campaign, UNICEF USA, Hope for Justice, March of Dimes, Operation Smile, and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

McCain also gave information on each of the community service programs — arts and culture, civic engagement and outreach, education and libraries, scholarships and ESO, health and wellness, environment, signature program domestic violence and Junior’s Special Program/advocates for children.

As president for the 2026-28 administration, I presented information regarding the GFWC Alabama District 1 meeting, which will be held on Sept. 19 at First Baptist Church in downtown Russellville.

Donna Mahieux, GFWC Alabama District 1 director, will attend the first Book Lovers Study Club meeting on Sept.10 to speak to club members and make final plans for the Sept.19 district meeting.

As president, I distributed committee assignments to club members for the fall district meeting.

There is a lot of work that goes into hosting a district meeting. Book Lovers Study Club will work with Donna Mahieux in coordinating invitations to GFWC Alabama state officers, officers of each of the Alabama state districts; and presidents of each of the Alabama state clubs.

Book Lovers will secure a guest speaker, arrange the luncheon, plan decorations, door prizes, silent auction, name badges, favors, credentials and photographer.

Projects for the district meeting will be the GFWC Alabama President Project — Powering Potential READ Childhood Literacy through donations for books, boxes of crayons and coloring books. The donations will be given to Russellville City Schools.

The Book Lovers project is the Franklin County Department of Human Resources. Donations for this project will be given to DHR for foster children. This administration will recognize GFWC Alabama Book Lovers Study Club as 100 years old (1928-2028). The club’s history will be highlighted at each club meeting starting Sept. 10 with short notes from the past. Plans for the main event will begin in 2027 with members working on various projects to prepare for the event.

I also led the “Next-Flight Leadership 202627 Club Year” that was a breakout session for planning the 2026-27 yearbook.

A fun scavenger hunt called “A Vision in Flight” covered GFWC’s history and impact. Some of the topics included the American Library Association crediting GFWC with establishing 75% of America’s public libraries; 1943 GFWC’s “Buy A Bomber” campaign, which generated funds to purchase 431 planes for war services; and the 1922 federation purchase of its headquarters building at 1734 N. Street NW in Washington, D.C.

A member-prepared luncheon included chicken salad, various salads, fruit, pimento cheese, desserts, crackers, croissants and tea.

The icebreaker of the day was the “Pontoon Ride to the Eagles Nesting Areas,” where members participated in the fun session of taking pictures of eagles and their habitat. It was a beautiful day for observing the environment on the lake.

At 3 p.m. everyone departed for home as a “free bird” on a “flightpath to greatness.”