Local club women attend GFWC Maine Fall Conference

    DOVER-FOXCROFT — Eight women from Dover-Foxcroft attended the General Federation of Women’s Clubs (GFWC) Maine Fall Conference at the Best Western Plus Hotel in Waterville on Oct. 8-9.
    They were Betsey Ryan, Minnie McCormick, Athalie Burke, Dorothy Tonick, Leona Dow, Vicki Moschella and Anne Cress. Attending from the D-F Cosmopolitan Club was Suzanne Raymond.

Contributed photo

    GFWC LOCAL MEMBERS — Pictured, front row, from left: Betsey Ryan, Minnie McCormick and Athalie Burke. Back row: Anne Cress, Suzanne Raymond, Leona Dow, Dorothy Tonick and Vicki Moschella.

    The 2014-16 GFWC Maine Administration’s theme is “Our Past Will Determine Our Future.” Marjorie Goodwin, GFWC Maine President stated, “What we as clubwomen do now, will affect our daughters and their daughters, just as what the clubwomen did before us has affected the clubwomen of today. We need to set a good example of what volunteerism can do for a community, so that future volunteers will be willing to work within their communities. Communities gain much with what clubwomen contribute in projects and dollars.”
    The president’s special project is “Elder Abuse Awareness.” This is a sensitive subject that is all too often not addressed. Members were encouraged to take part in the Meals on Wheels program in, or near their communities. The elderly and the very young are the most vulnerable members of our society. In 2010, domestic violence awareness and prevention became the signature project for GFWC International. The banner hanging across Main Street in Dover-Foxcroft, proudly displaying the GFWC logo, proclaims October as “Domestic Violence Awareness and Prevention” month.
    Club women heard from two very special speakers on the subject of elder abuse: Lynne Caswell, a staff attorney at the Maine Office of Aging and Disability Services and Nan Bell, an educator for the Family Violence Project since 1998.
    Caswell co-chairs the Maine Council on Elder Abuse Prevention and chairs the Maine Elder Death Analysis Review Team. She has worked for DHHS since 2010, and assists on policy and legislative matters related to Maine’s disabled and elder populations. She oversees the Maine Long Term Care Ombudsman Program and Legal Services for the Elderly.
    Bell’s work is focused on raising awareness about domestic violence through trainings and presentations to community groups, colleges, local businesses and community systems in Kennebec and Somerset counties. She is a survivor of domestic violence, and speaks publicly about her experience in an effort to “break the silence” that surrounds the issue of abuse in intimate partner relationships.
    GFWC Maine State Chairman of several programs and committees provided updates on the Arts, Education, Public Issues, ESO, Conservation, Home Life, the GFWC Signature Project: Domestic Violence Awareness and Prevention, and International Outreach. Additionally, Chairmen from the Membership, Leadership, Legislation/Public Policy, Maine Youth Leadership, and the Educational Loan Fund Committees provided much valuable information to our clubwomen.
    Maureen Provencal, GFWC Maine 2014 LEADS Ambassador, is a member of the GFWC Semper Fidelis Club of Skowhegan. She gave an overview of her time spent in Chandler, Ariz. during the GFWC Annual Convention held in June. LEADS is the acronym for, “Leadership, Education, and Development Seminar.” The “LEADS” program is one of the most valuable programs GFWC has available for its members. One clubwoman from each of the 50 states is selected to represent their state each year at the GFWC Annual Convention. This seminar covers presentations on conflict resolution, mediation, public speaking skills, time management, and parliamentary procedures.
    Anne Cress, GFWC Maine Immediate Past State President, presented a talk of her time while in Arizona this past June attending the GFWC Annual Convention where GFWC-Maine received eight national awards for excellence.
    Three awards were received in the areas of domestic violence awareness and prevention, one in education, one in the arts and three in photography. She told the GFWC Maine clubwomen how very proud she was to have received these awards on their behalf for all the hard work they had done over the past year.
    Suzanne Raymond, Chairman of GFWC Maine Leadership, spoke on what it means and takes to be in a GFWC Maine leadership role.
    Minnie McCormick, Chairman of Public Issues for GFWC Maine, presented a wonderful and informative talk about what GFWC Maine club women can do to make a difference in our communities.
    If any woman of any age is interested in becoming a member of a GFWC Maine Club to help others in their communities, please call 717-7576. The national website is www.gfwc.org and the Maine website can be visited at www.gfwcmaine.org.