A Season of Gratitude
Empowering Change - Stronger Together
GFWC OHIO
2024-2026
ARTS AND CULTURE
State Chairman
Sue Adams
District Chairmen
Southwest District: Clare Heinsler
Lake Erie District: Amy Winter
Northeast District: Ruty Patterson
Southeast District: Scarlet Ebenhack
Photography Chairman
Jeannie Chaney
Creative Writing Contest
Sue Adams
PROJECT IDEAS
• Sponsor a cultural experience for the community or school students
• Organize community projects with children to explore their creativity
• Partner with your local school to sponsor a creative writing project
• Partner with your local library organizing a creative art project or author visit
• Make cards and craft gifts for nursing homes for special holidays
• “Hire” musical entertainment to perform at club events or meetings
• Sponsor ads in local theatre or school theatre playbills
• Develop an art scavenger hunt for members or students. Select items for participants to find and snap photos or document the location.
• Create no-sew blankets, knit or crochet baby hats or any other sewing project
• Host an art supply drive. Contact local schools, day cares, community centers to see what is needed.
• Work creatively with children experiencing disabilities
• Donate art or crafts to the Silent Auction during our state convention
The Arts & Crafts Auction will be held at the OFWC Convention. We encourage donations of handmade items from our clubwomen, local artists and Ohio businesses but all items will gratefully be accepted.
GFWC Affiliates
CANINE COMPANIONS
• Purchase bolts of fabric for Canine Companions to sew vests for dogs or stuffed puppies. • If you live near the Regional Centers, offer to provide meals, etc., when team training is being offered.
• Make donations for dorm rooms or decorate the dorm rooms at Regional Centers.
• Contact your closest Regional Center to see if your club can fulfill any items on their wish lists.
• Visit and tour a regional training center.
• Participate in the Canine Companions Signature Event—Dog Fest Walk ‘n Roll. For more information visit www.cci.org/dogfest.
HEIFER INTERNATIONAL
• Construct and decorate a parade float designed to promote Heifer International and join in the next parade in your community. Hand out bookmarks and “Cow Tail Candy” along the parade route.
• Support Heifer’s “Women’s Empowerment and Entrepreneurship” project and help women earn living incomes in traditionally male-dominated cultures. www.heifer.org/gift-catalog/womens-empowerment
MARCH OF DIMES
• Create blankets for babies. Create a pattern just for your club. The blankets will be distributed to military moms at baby showers sponsored by March of Dimes.
• Create baby hats with your club’s special colors. March of Dimes has a toolkit that provides instructions and guidance for pattern and size. www.marchofdimes.org/materials/Advocacy-Toolkit-Q3-2019-v2.pdf
OPERATION SMILE
• See how your club can help prepare a child for life-saving surgery with coloring pages, stuffed animals, and games to relieve the stress of surgery. https://catalog.operationsmile.org/prepare-kids-for-surgery-0
• Host a neighborhood ice cream social to share the mission of Operation Smile and the resulting improvement in the quality of life for children. Accept donations to support an operation.
ST. JUDE CHILDREN’S RESEARCH HOSPITAL
• Sew mask straps. Do you have seamstresses in your club? Consider meeting to assemble bags with materials to make mask straps for the children at St. Jude and having seamstresses take the bags home to complete the project with their personal sewing machines.
UNICEF USA
• Consider how individuals in other countries are handling the COVID-19 pandemic. Utilize UNICEF’s website to gather information on how different cultures are tackling the pandemic and how UNICEF has already helped reach over half a billion people with COVID-19 prevention messaging. www.unicefusa.org/mission/covid-1