October 4, 2021
FROM THE DESK OF THE PRESIDENT
 
Dearest Members, I am hoping each of you are well and getting back on track with your activities in your Clubs and Districts! This week is my first in-person meeting of my Club, The Torrance Woman’s Club, in many months…my Journal tells me we met last on March 4, 2020, in-person. That is far too long for me.
 
This past week I received the most wonderful email from The Woman’s Club of Lodi, Inc. Complete with a description of their activities and pictures, they chronicled their first meeting in-person in over 18 months, for they too had not met since March of 2020.
 
The email touched my heart and I want to share it with each of you to enjoy as well. My hopes are that it touches your hearts too, for we are all of the same stuff: volunteerism!
 
Here is a copy of the email I received that has touched me to my core, enjoy!
 
 
How we celebrated our first in person meeting, on September 10, 2021, after 18 months of being closed. 
 
We held our last meeting in March 2020. We had elected our new officers and were preparing for a fundraiser in the next months. Shortly after we closed, we held one fundraiser, a drive thru German dinner. The food was prepared by our members and handed out by members. This dinner was well received by our members and the community. It was do well received that we decided to try doing luncheon meetings this way to keep our members involved and in touch. (COVID protocol were followed.) The drive thru luncheon started in April of 2020 and continued until June of 2021. (We were dark July thru August of 2020 and 2021.) The drive thru was so well received that we would serve 100+ luncheons each month. After the first drive thru we included a raffle. Some members wanting to see other members would park their cars and stand on the sidewalk across the street from the food line to wave at those going through the line. We celebrated Anniversaries and other special events by having a drive-by to the person’s home; with balloons and lots of honking and waving to help celebrate the special event. But these are not the same as having a meeting. 
 
We did not do Zoom meetings as most of our members do not embrace technology. More than half our members still receive a mailed newsletter, and the phone tree, or emails have kept them informed of things happening between meetings. The phone tree was altered asking one person from each page of the membership book to call the other members with information on the lunch and anything else going on with the Club. This gave members a chance to talk to each other each month. 
 
To celebrate the opening, we decorated the Club house in Red, White, and Blue, placed an electric flag on the balcony that could be seen by the members on the main floor and asked the members to dress in the patriotic theme colors. We have 148 members and 100 requested reservations for this meeting. (A typical luncheon count for our luncheon meetings is 90 to 120 ladies.) 
The tables were set with Red, White, and Blue tablecloths, with alternating Red, White, or Blue napkins. A runner in a patriot theme was placed in the center of each table, then a hat in flag colors with a topper that held flags completed the table decorations.
 
We have a social hour before each meeting starting at 11AM, with lunch at noon. By 10:30 members had started coming in, anxious to meet and be met by other members. There was a lot of catching up to be done. Pictures to be shared of new grandbabies and other special things and “what have you done during the Pandemic”.
 
The day of our meeting was filled with excitement and joy. Smiling faces, laughs, hugs and exuberance were all there. With a large membership, not everyone sees every member outside of the meetings. By working on luncheon committees and on fundraisers we are able to get to know each other better while having fun and working for our Club. We also provide Bunco and Pinochle during the day and at night for members to enjoy and have fun. This is another way to get to know each other. With the Pandemic restrictions we were left without our interaction with each other. Something that is essential for our members.
 
During the meeting we honored our life members, had a memorial for our deceased members, observed 911. Reports were given by Chairman for upcoming fundraisers and a presentation on members responsibilities and the by-laws as a refresher for old members and new members was given. This way everyone knows what they are responsible to do as a member and what we do as a Club for the community. We installed 3 new members and introduced guest many that have submitted their membership applications.
 
The meeting was a success due to the planning of the Board who acted as cooks and hostess for this first meeting in the fall of 2021. To our members who become part of the sister hood that is The Woman’s Club of Lodi, Inc. and work hard to have fun and enjoy the activities that have helped us contribute to the community for 115 years.
 
Submitted by Brenda Poore, President
Jamie Cole, District Representative
 
Luv, Pam

NOTE FROM THE FINANCE TEAM:
We have discovered an error in the Federation at Glance booklet dealing with the Finance department. We want to let all clubs and districts know that page 69 and 70 have several errors concerning filing your taxes that will be corrected when the new edition is released in the spring. Currently follow instructions from “Tax Filing and Raffle Info” in QuickBytes for filing all taxes and raffle permits. Notice that CFWC does not do group filing for clubs and districts. October 15 is the deadline for most clubs and districts to file their taxes so please follow the guidelines printed in QuickBytes as these are current. Feel free to call Reggie, Marsha or Jill for any assistance if you have questions.

Editor's note: The last edition of Federation at a Glance was prepared in 2010, there may be other information that has changed and is currently being addressed by the current administration.

IT'S OCTOBER -
THAT MEANS IT'S TIME FOR OUR ANNUAL AREA CONFERENCES.
Mark your calendars and follow registration instructions when they appear.

AREA C -
Marcia Willett, Area Vice President

Best wishes for a GREAT conference.
For those of you attending,
please check the Invitation link below
for any special instructions or things to bring.

Have Fun !!


 
AREA B DEADLINE FOR RESERVATIONS - OCTOBER 8, 2021
AREA B
Patsy Wilson, Vice President


AREA D DEADLINE FOR RESERVATIONS - TOMORROW, OCTOBER 5, 2021
Area D Conference is Coming!
         This year, the Area D Conference will take place on Saturday, October 23, 2021. De Anza District will host at the Riverside Elks Lodge, Riverside. All members in Area D are welcome and we welcome members who cannot attend their Area’s Conference. The CALL, Agenda, and Registration Form has been emailed to all Club Presidents in Area D - De Anza, Palomar, San Bernardino, and Southern Districts. [Also attached in this Quick Byte] Please forward the registration as listed on the form, by the deadline date of October 5, 2021.
         We are very excited for you to meet our CFWC President Pam Ament. Also presenting will be President-elect Barbara Briley Beard, 2nd Vice President Sonya Matthies and updates from CFWC Program/Project Chairs.
         There will be some fun activities! Yes - Vendors and a “Mask-R-ade” (see CALL). Mark your calendars. Looking forward to seeing you on October 23rd. Please contact me with any questions. In Federation, Wendy Curran Area D Vice President
AREA D DEADLINE FOR RESERVATIONS - OCTOBER 21, 2021 AT NOON
Area A Spooktacular
 
     October 30, 2021
Coffee at 9am, call to order at 9:30am
    Northgate Village, Banquet Hall,
El Patio Restaurant in Tracy, California
 

Legislative Action
If you are a member of the GFWC Legislative Action Center, you received the following notification. Hopefully, you responded by letting your Representative know that you are supporting H.R. 2119.  
 
"This week, the U.S. House of Representatives is going to consider the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA) reauthorization bill, H.R. 2119, which provides core funding for more than 1,500 domestic violence programs nationwide, supports more than 240 tribes and tribal organizations, provides funding for state domestic violence coalitions, and provides funding for a network of training and technical assistance resource centers key to prevention. The bill also funds the National Domestic Violence Hotline and the StrongHearts Native Helpline. Urge Congress to provide these resources which are so critical to local communities to help families in need."
 
If you are not registered with the Legislative Action Center, please consider doing so. It is very simple to do so. You no longer have to go through the Member Portal at gfwc.org
 
Go to cqrcengage.com/gfwc and sign up.
 
We Can Make A Difference!
 
 Deborah E. Bushnell 
CFWC Legislation and Public Policy Chair
i
ADVOCATES FOR CHILDREN-Stick Your Neck Out
What project is your club planning for GFWC ADVOCATES FOR CHILDREN WEEK coming up October 24 to October 30? Although our clubs do many things for children all year, one special week in October is designated by GFWC to reach out to the children of our communities, our nation and the world. The Giraffe award will be presented at the 2022 GFWC convention during the Junior Business Session to the one club that enters a service project that does the most for children during Advocates for Children Week. This is a Challenge Project. So, “Stick Your Neck Out” and do a special project for the children the last week of October and try for the Giraffe Award. The application for the Giraffe Award is in the 2020-2022 GFWC Club Manual or contact me for a copy.
Carol Burkhart. Chair
Advocates for Children

Military & Veterans – Yolanda Petroski, Chair                                                                      
 
 Since 2012, all 50 states recognize October 26 as the National Day of the Deployed. The idea had its start in South Dakota in 2006  when a young woman wanted to honor her cousin serving in the military. This particular day was chosen, as it was her cousin’s birthday. Some interesting facts: deployments can last from 90 days to 15 months; women make up 16.5% of active duty military; of those deployed, only 0.2% are found in the Western Hemisphere, meaning all others are on the other side of the world; over 45% are under 25 with 8% being 41 or older; slightly over half are married with 6.7% in dual-military marriages. What can you do? Send a Care Package or donate to organizations that do, offer assistance to someone whose loved one is currently deployed, or tie a yellow ribbon around a tree or mailbox to signify you are remembering someone in the military. You might also consider a program embraced by many clubs: Stars for Our Troops. Check out their website www.starsforourtroops.org for details. You can either order bags of stars from them or cut the embroidered stars from retired American flags and make your own little packets to distributed or mail them 3’x5’ American made flags with embroidered stars. There is a short message to accompany star packets if you make your own: “I am part of our American flag that has flown over the USA. I can no longer fly. The sun and winds caused me to become tattered and torn. Please carry me as a reminder that you are not forgotten.” The poem and star are placed in a small ziplock bag that the military has approved to be carried on their person. Consider any of the above as a project to recognize the upcoming National Day of the Deployed on October 26.





Are you ready to write your 2021 Reports ?

Our CFWC President Pam Ament,
1st Vice President Barbara Briley-Beard
and the Communications Team
have prepared a video to help you.

Communications Committee Defining the Roles Part 4
Sonja Hults, CFWC Communications Chair

Your Social Media Chairman
A committee is all about working together towards one goal. The Communications Committee is no different. The Communications Committee is there to assist in all areas of communication for your club/district. On your committee could be the following leaders the; President, 1st VP, Treasurer, Website Editor, Newsletter Editor, Social Media Editors, Public Relations/Media and your Photographers.  
Your Social Media Chairman is someone that enjoys interacting with others via the social media platforms. We have been advised by GFWC to look at Twitter, Instagram, Linkedin and Facebook. Even though all these platforms are viable and user friendly, it would be a full-time job to post to all of pages independently. I have working with Constant Contact in the last couple of years and it is a LIFESAVER when it comes scheduling your social media, it saves me hours of work each week because I can schedule out the entire month at one time, in all the above platforms.
Here are things to think about as the Social Media Chairman:
·      Social Media is all about Algorithms. Doing 2 to 3 posts a day and being consistent is imperative.
·      Planning: You must plan out your year with your committee ahead of time, this gives you a blueprint of how to plan out your months and it wont leave you scrambling at the last minute. Share the GFWC and CFWC publications, this will help you fill your post calendar. As an example: October is Breast Cancer Month, and you could have people tell how breast cancer has touched their lives, have them send photos of them wearing pink, and how they are giving during this month.
·      Create posts in a program such as CANVA. We are a visual nation, plan your posts in sets of 12 weeks. Look in CANVA under campaigns and this will help you plan your color schemes.
·      Use photos. People looking at your page are engaging with the photos. You have NINE seconds to catch their attention. Your photographers are a big part of the team and with careful planning you will never run out of photos.
·      ENGAGE. YOU as the Facebook Chairman, go out to find and get to know each member, and club. What are they are doing to inspire your club/district. Like, Comment and Share their Club/District stories of their fundraising events, the photos after the event, the day-to-day nonprofit giving, and general meeting photos, showing the great ways you are having fun.
·      Offer workshops in your Club/District. Teach everyone how to engage with social media because the numbers are important!!! Work together to help each other’s social media numbers grow. Teach everyone how to take a good iPhone photo and encourage them to learn and to share.
The thing to remember in social media is consistency. You need to post every day asking your club/district members to engage. SHARING is where you grow. NOTICE when someone SHARES. Send them a star or a note thanking them.
This is a lot and I have learned through working on this for years that nonprofit social media is not the same as profit social media. We are going to be starting a 5-week Social Media Workshop on Tuesdays at 5:30 on November 2nd. For the zoom codes, email the team with the email below, EVERYONE is welcome. Hope to see you there.
How can I help?  Would you like to have a Communications Committee meeting with me? Can I help you plan the year? Call me. We are looking for one Club and one District to volunteer to have a planning session with me. I would like to hear what you need so my Communications Team can put together the resources you need to make your team successful, and your communications thrive. To get ahold of me email cfwccommuncations@gmail.com. I am very excited to get to know you and to learn what CFWC can do.  
Good morning all and welcome to October!
 
 Attached you will find the digital copy of the October Fall Edition of GFWC/CFWC California Clubwoman Magazine. The team is happy to report that our digital Subscriptions have increased internally by 95 since the last issue; and, our external digital subscriptions have increased by 1,683 since the last issue. We credit our increase in Subscriptions to all of you - because without your stories, your passion, and your leadership, the magazine could not come to life. You are appreciated beyond measure.
 
District Presidents - please send this copy to your Club Presidents and ask them to send it to those in their membership that have email. Please remind them that their club stories about their projects, their special members, and their club is a gem and we would love to see this section grow. Their stories are the secret recipe to Federation success!
 
From the entire Clubwoman Magazine team - Thank you for your support!
 
With hugs, love and respect,
 
Lu Arredondo
Editor

Our Clubwoman team has been fast at work so that we can continue to see our subscriptions and our advertising in the magazine grow. In that vein, we wanted to not let the dust settle and get right to work on the January issue. So, while the printing presses were hot and the mail house was anxiously awaiting the magazine for distribution, the team got together and worked through several potential themes for January. That said, we are super excited to share that the January Theme will be:
 
Learning from the Lotus
 
We felt the characteristics of the Lotus are a perfect analogy for life, the new year, and our Federation work in the clubs. It is a theme that will allow us to reflect on the months and years behind while also looking forward to what lay ahead. Even when in the dirtiest of waters, the Lotus will persevere and produce the most beautiful flower. In kind, our men and women in Federation when challenged with the most pressing issues in their community, a pandemic, post-pandemic chaos, etc have shown us they are still able to produce the most beautiful results and achievements. Like the Lotus, it is a testament to their internal strength.
 
As you begin to think about your articles for the January Issue, please keep the theme in mind. As always, if you know of any stories, clubwomen, or projects that you believe will have impact - on both our internal and external audience, please share them.  Also, if you know of any potential advertisers, please let us know and we can send you the current advertising rates for internal and external audience. As of today, including digital subscribers, we have 15,271 (known). Our unknown subscriber base includes (Womens Issues students in the Cal State System, Mt Saint Mary's College, Stater Bros, and CA Library System). We are trying to get numbers for these as well. As of now it is best to just say our digital and hard copy subscribers exceed 15,000. This is the most accurate at this time.  
 
Again, many thanks for your support. Can't wait to see what you submit for January!
 
Hugs and have a wonderful holiday season
Lu Arrendondo, Editor 
GFWC/CFWC California Clubwoman Magazine Team

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Just a thought ......

"A pessimist is one who makes difficulties of his opportunities.
An optimist is one who makes opportunities of his difficulties."
Harry Truman