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General Federation of Woman’s Clubs -
“ U N I T Y I N D I V E R S I T Y ”
Meetings
Saunemin Community Center
First Monday of the Month
7:00 PM
October thru June
President-
First Vice President-
Second Vice President-
Secretary-
Treasurer-
Officers for 2008-
The officers are as follows (left to right)
Helen Brown-
Karen Kohlmeier-
Brief club history: GFWC Illinois Saunemin Woman’s Club was federated on October 1, 1934. Nancy Lannon was the first president. Meetings were held in members’ homes and started at 8:00 p.m. Dues were $1.00.
The club cooperated with the other local clubs when St. James Hospital asked the public to can vegetables and fruits for them. This was during the Depression and money was in short supply. The club members canned and canned! Mr. John Rich loaded up his pickup truck and he had a truck full of boxes filled with the canned goods.
When the girls and boys restrooms at the high school were in need of mirrors, the club purchased them. During this era the club sponsored an essay contest. Jean Quigley, who is a present member and past president, won and received a book as 1st place in the contest.
During WWII the club held blood mobiles, sent packages to service men, and worked with the Red Cross making bandages. In 1946 Saunemin Woman’s Club sponsored roller skating in the old Town Hall on Monday nights. We used a record player and those great songs of the ‘30s and ‘40s while club members acted as DJs and chaperones.
At one time we had 60 members. We now have 21. We have sponsored a Flower Show, Tom Thumb Wedding, trips to Chicago, trips to The Little Theater in Sullivan, Illinois, plays and musical programs, style shows, and a Gunsmoke night during the 1960’s. The club has sponsored many functions over the years and had a lot of fun.
For many years we sponsored a popular Bikathon for St. Jude’s Hospital.
Some of our more recent projects that we do today include a $300 arts scholarship that we give to the music department for students in junior high to attend Summer Band Camp. Every year we have an Easter Egg Hunt for the younger children in town. Soup Suppers seem to be a popular money maker, and we do one a year. All the clubs in Livingston County were asked by the Livingston County Presidents’ Club to donate $15 to purchase a brick to be used at the new Lincoln Statue Memorial at the courthouse in Pontiac, Illinois.
Two Red Cross Blood Mobiles continue to be sponsored by the Saunemin club each year. The dates are coordinated with Cullom as we share many of the same donors. The village of Saunemin has a celebration each summer in August right before school starts and we have taken an active part in helping with that. The Woman’s Club has served food and also always had a float in the parade. In March of 2007 we sponsored a Mary Diemer Memorial Euchre Tournament and Bingo Party to raise funds to be donated to Livingston County Relay for Life in her honor. Although it was planned as a one time event, people attending wanted us to do it again this year. We are planning another party in March 2008. The amount donated to Relay for Life was $2301.00.
Our records go back to the beginning of our club, and we are still in the process of updating them at this time. Three ladies have been members for over 5o years and their gold pins have been ordered. Our historian has read excerpts from the history at some of the monthly meetings and it is fun remembering back to those events.
It is obvious that our interests lie in doing things for our local community, and most of our projects reflect this. Doing things for the school has been a priority, though times seem to be changing.
Annual Club Projects:
Easter Egg Hunt for the Children of the Community
Two Blood Mobiles for the People of Community
Euchre Party-
