March is all about the ladies. The entire month is Women’s History Month, and tomorrow, March 8, is International Women’s Day. As someone who attended an all-girls school for both grade school and high school, I was initially unaware of the discrimination that confronts girls growing up – college and the workforce, though made up for all that. Therefore, it seems fitting that we start by celebrating the Women’s Club of Olympia, which is hosting a special celebration this week.
Women’s Club of Olympia
Friday, March 10, from 4:00 – 7:00 pm, the Women’s Club of Olympia is inviting the public to step back in history to celebrate the 140th anniversary of the formation of their organization. Everyone is invited to join them at the historic Abigail Stuart House (built in 1908) for tours, programs, and a performance by the Olympia High School Chamber.
Abigail Stuart founded the Woman's Club of Olympia in 1883 to improve the lives of women and to serve the community. It should be noted that this was six years before Washington became a State. According to Sandra Grove, Immediate Past-President of the organization, in those days, the women sometimes had to ask their husband’s permission to join the organization and often got a “no.” “The primary purpose of the organization was for the women to educate themselves. Members were responsible for researching a topic and reporting on it to the others,” explains Grove. (not that in the era before the internet) “They did an amazing amount of work and we have reports from as far back as 1883 in our archives”. Since 1890 as part of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs, the Olympia organization has worked on numerous causes, including:
The Current Women’s Club of Olympia
Today, the Women’s Club continues as a nonprofit, nondenominational, nonpartisan volunteer service organization. According to Grove, the Club’s 40 members focus on a diverse array of local projects such as collecting diapers and socks for local nonprofits, packing free lunches for students who would otherwise go hungry over the weekend, preserving the Abigail Stuart House as well as their organization’s archives, and continuing to coordinate $7,000 in scholarships for local male and female high school students that was first started in 1959. “The Women’s Club of Olympia is a great place to make friends and help the community.”
A Tasty Way to Support Young Women
Of course, a delicious way to celebrate women (or women to be) is to buy girl scout cookies! Just when all of the holiday and valentine’s day candy has been eaten, and you are ready to renew your weight loss resolution, smiling faces greet you at the store with an offer you cannot refuse. We encountered these munchkins dressed in their green and brown uniforms at Big Tom’s Eastside last weekend (talk about adding on the pounds!) Unfortunately, I failed to get all the details (I think they were from Troop 46234), but their leader told me they have been together as a troop for nine years, and most of the girls are now seniors. All proceeds from your $6 box of indulgent calories stay with local councils and troops, and these girls plan to use the funds they raise for a trip to the other Washington, D.C.
However, cookie sales are much more than a fundraising tool (speaking as a lapsed Girl Scout). According to the Girl Scouts of America website, when cookie sales began, the cookies were baked by girl members with moms volunteering as technical advisers. The sale of cookies to finance troop activities began as early as 1917, five years after Juliette Gordon Low started Girl Scouts in the United States. Since then, the sale of girl scout cookies has helped millions of girls gain valuable leadership skills, math skills and most importantly through the sale of cookies, they have learned how to use their voice not only to sell cookies but to speak out against injustice and racial inequality.
Release the Salmon
The South Puget Sound Enhancement Group will be releasing its chum salmon fry on March 18 at Woodland Creek Community Park. They received 200 chum salmon eggs from Minter Creek Hatchery (Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife); those eggs were spawned on November 29th, 2022 and arrived to their office tank on January 17, 2023. Now they are ready to be released into the approved stream so that they can start their journey to the estuary and then the ocean.
Volunteer Opportunity
The City of Olympia is recruiting up to 15 community members for its Community Project Team, which will support the City’s climate risk and vulnerability assessment (CRVA). Members of the Community Project Team will participate in a series of six meetings and workshops, which will occur from April through July of 2023, to learn about anticipated future climate conditions and assess potential impacts of current and future climate hazards. As part of their work, team members will share personal perspectives and insights on the potential impacts of future climate conditions. Interested individuals are encouraged to apply by March 27 at 5 p.m. Apply online by clicking here or contact pbraff@ci.olympia.wa.us or 360.753.8249 for translations, paper copies or questions.
Soliciting your ideas
If you know of a nonprofit that is doing something great, celebrating a success, needs some outstanding volunteers, or hosting an event, let me know! This column (aside from a little education) celebrates nonprofits!
Mary Beth Harrington, CVA (Certified Volunteer Administrator) lives in Tumwater. She travels the country speaking at conferences and to individual organizations articulating issues facing nonprofits. Send your ideas to her at MaryBeth@theJOLTnews.com
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