A special anniversary is approaching for the Dublin Woman’s Thursday Club as they begin their new year and enter 125 years as a service organization.
Though its 125th birthday is not until November, the club kicked off its 125th year and the new year with a meeting Saturday, Sept. 24 with a luncheon at the Dublin Church of Christ.
The club was organized in 1898, joined the state federation in 1902, and joined the general federation in 1914.
The General Federation of Women’s Clubs is the largest and oldest nondenominational, nonpartisan, international service organization of volunteer women in the world.
Their purpose is to unite women’s clubs and the like throughout the world and to promote the areas of arts, conservation, education, home life, public issues and international issues. On a state level they also focus on Texas Heritage.
Not all TFWC groups participate in these vast areas, but the groups do volunteer wherever their services are needed.
Dublin’s club focuses on providing themed studies and programs throughout the year and volunteers as much as possible.
At the meeting, President Fran Jurney welcomed guests and club members to an elegantly themed luncheon boasting the club’s colors of purple and white, showcasing orchids.
Kathy Horak-Smith, GFWC- Texas second vice president and Lou Hitt, district president were both in attendance at the meeting.
Jurney spoke to the club about a project the club will take on for the new year to aid CWJC/Transformation Pathway. The local organizations helps both men and women with life skills development and job skills education in a Christian context where women mentor women and men mentor men, along with volunteer teachers and staff.
In Dublin, CWJC operates a resale shop to help fund operations. The Thursday club will be collecting such items as paper towels, sticky notes, staples, painters tape, toilet paper, flattened plastic bags and putting together hygiene bags.
The hygiene bags will help those that may be escaping a domestic violence situation or simply need a helping hand with expensive toiletry items both for the local food pantry at First Methodist Church and at CWJC.
Jurney explained a little of the club’s history by asking members to take a step back in time with her to 1898, when the club first started.
“They decided to gather once a week to keep their brains from rusting,” she said. “125 years later we are still adding to the history of Dublin.”
The club also received their handmade servicebooks featuring a beautiful cover and a place to record volunteer efforts of each member.
The Thursday Club meets once a month on the second Thursday at a variety of different locations.