GFWC ~ Did You Know?
The GFWC Federation color is blue.
The Federation's flower is the red rose. It was officially adopted at the Council Meeting in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in May 1940.
GFWC has an organizational flag. It was first used at the Golden Jubilee Celebration of GFWC in Atlantic City, NJ on Pioneer Night, May 19, 1941. The flag has a blue background with an embroidered GFWC emblem in color.
The official song of GFWC is "America, The Beautiful" written by Katherine Lee Bates. GFWC selected the song in 1922, as it "…is a song of dignity and beauty, easily sung, and reflecting the true spirit of America and the ideals of this Federation."
The history of the Unity in Diversity Motto ~ Ella Dietz Clymer gained a particular place of honor in Federation history as the author of the GFWC motto, "Unity in Diversity." Speaking to the delegates at the first conference in 1889 she said, "We look for unity, but unity in diversity. We hope that you will enrich us by your varied experiences...." The aptness of the motto is evident in the diverse interests and methods of GFWC members, who have implemented a broad range of programs and projects tailored to meet the needs of their communties Adopted as the official motto in 1957, it set the tone for the flexibility that has allowed GFWC to grow and adapt to the changing and diverse lifestyles and concerns of women throughout more than a century of volunteer work. (GFWC Club Manual)
Massachusetts is proud of these three women who served as GFWC International President:
The history of "A Collect for Clubwomen". Mary Stewart, a Colorado school principal, wrote the words to the Collect in 1904 as a personal daily prayer. Mary titled her poem "A Collect for Club Women" when it was first published because she felt it might have special appeal to clubwomen. According to Mary, "The first women's organization to hear or use the Collect or to print it in its year books and biennial reports was the General Federation of Women's Clubs." Prior to her death in 1943, Mary Stewart's own account of the history of the Collect was recorded. During GFWC President Dorothy Houghton's administration (1950-1952), the American Home Department published Mary's history along with an interpretation of the text and suggestions for using it in GFWC programs.
A COLLECT FOR CLUBWOMEN
Keep us, oh God, from pettiness; let us be large in thought, in word, in deed.
Let us be done with fault-finding and leave off self-seeking.
May we put away all pretense and meet each other face to face, without self-pity and without prejudice.
May we never be hasty in judgment and always generous.
Let us take time for all things; make us to grow calm, serene, gentle.
Teach us to put into action our better impulses, straightforward and unafraid.
Grant that we may realize it is the little things that create differences, that in the big things of life we are at one.
And may we strive to touch and to know the great, common human heart of us all, and oh Lord God, let us forget
not to be kind!
The Federation's flower is the red rose. It was officially adopted at the Council Meeting in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in May 1940.
GFWC has an organizational flag. It was first used at the Golden Jubilee Celebration of GFWC in Atlantic City, NJ on Pioneer Night, May 19, 1941. The flag has a blue background with an embroidered GFWC emblem in color.
The official song of GFWC is "America, The Beautiful" written by Katherine Lee Bates. GFWC selected the song in 1922, as it "…is a song of dignity and beauty, easily sung, and reflecting the true spirit of America and the ideals of this Federation."
The history of the Unity in Diversity Motto ~ Ella Dietz Clymer gained a particular place of honor in Federation history as the author of the GFWC motto, "Unity in Diversity." Speaking to the delegates at the first conference in 1889 she said, "We look for unity, but unity in diversity. We hope that you will enrich us by your varied experiences...." The aptness of the motto is evident in the diverse interests and methods of GFWC members, who have implemented a broad range of programs and projects tailored to meet the needs of their communties Adopted as the official motto in 1957, it set the tone for the flexibility that has allowed GFWC to grow and adapt to the changing and diverse lifestyles and concerns of women throughout more than a century of volunteer work. (GFWC Club Manual)
Massachusetts is proud of these three women who served as GFWC International President:
- Grace M. Poole-Reynolds, 1932-1935
- Ann Holland, 1992-1994
- Sheila E. Shea, 2016-2018
- Barbara Shaw, 1954-1956
- Marta DiBenedetto, 2004-2006
The history of "A Collect for Clubwomen". Mary Stewart, a Colorado school principal, wrote the words to the Collect in 1904 as a personal daily prayer. Mary titled her poem "A Collect for Club Women" when it was first published because she felt it might have special appeal to clubwomen. According to Mary, "The first women's organization to hear or use the Collect or to print it in its year books and biennial reports was the General Federation of Women's Clubs." Prior to her death in 1943, Mary Stewart's own account of the history of the Collect was recorded. During GFWC President Dorothy Houghton's administration (1950-1952), the American Home Department published Mary's history along with an interpretation of the text and suggestions for using it in GFWC programs.
A COLLECT FOR CLUBWOMEN
Keep us, oh God, from pettiness; let us be large in thought, in word, in deed.
Let us be done with fault-finding and leave off self-seeking.
May we put away all pretense and meet each other face to face, without self-pity and without prejudice.
May we never be hasty in judgment and always generous.
Let us take time for all things; make us to grow calm, serene, gentle.
Teach us to put into action our better impulses, straightforward and unafraid.
Grant that we may realize it is the little things that create differences, that in the big things of life we are at one.
And may we strive to touch and to know the great, common human heart of us all, and oh Lord God, let us forget
not to be kind!
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In 1916 Helen Cheney Kimberly wrote
The Junior Pledge: I pledge my loyalty to the Junior Clubwomen By doing better than ever before what work I have to do, By being prompt, honest, courteous, By living each day, trying to accomplish something, Not merely to exist. The Junior Invocation: 0 Lord, under Thy guidance May the Juniors of this Federation Seek knowledge courageously Walk fearlessly, And live nobly in Thy service. |
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