Our Community Service Programs are implemented by committees that plan projects and activities for members to make a difference in our town and state. A sampling of our projects are listed below each CSP. We connect our efforts with the Fuquay-Varina Junior Woman’s Club, American Legion, Girl Scouts, Rotary Club, Garden Club, Cultural Arts Society of Fuquay-Varina, Inc., and Chamber of Commerce to enhance the reach of our projects.
Arts and Culture
GFWC Arts CSP encourages the study of art and culture to enrich the human experience.
• GFWC Arts Festival. We hold a local arts festival inviting 23 schools to take part. The winners of the local level (Middle, High School, and Woman’s Club entries) move on to the District 6 Arts Festival, the winners of the district move on to the GFWC-NC Arts Show, and those winners move to the National Level. There are categories in Literature, Visual Arts, Crafts, and Photography.
• Art Classes
• Supports events at the NC Museum of Art
• Donates to En Plein Air in Fuquay-Varina
• Donates to Friends of the FV Arts Center
• Docents at the FV Arts Center
• Hosts a craft time at the FV Library
Health and Wellness
The Health and Wellness CSP aims to explore opportunities for awareness and advancement of our well-being in nutrition, disease awareness and prevention, physical and emotional care.
• Provides food for Backpack Buddies to local elementary schools (in tandem with the American Legion Post 116)
• Calls monthly bingo at the FV Homes for the Elderly, including gift bags for residents
• Holiday homemade baked goods, cards, and gift bags for residents of FV Homes for the Elderly
• Help package Pine Acres Food Distribution
• Collect shoes for Soles 4 Souls
• Donates to Break the Silence for suicide prevention and awareness
Education and Libraries
Education and Libraries CSP promotes education to adults and children in the community by promoting literacy, libraries, and love of a good book.
• Administers scholarships and grants: (See Scholarship page for more information)
• Sallie Southall Cotton Scholarship
• HOBY scholarships: FVHS, HCHS, WSHS
• Mini Grants
• FV Technical Scholarships
• Collected over 4100 books in 2020-2023 for Wake Up and Read of Wake County
• Providing Books for Backpack Buddies
• Providing period products for a local high school restroom station
• Donated local history books to the local FV Library.
• Supports the local Fuquay-Varina Library and Staff (with meetings, cards, staff appreciation, etc)
• Read for the Record – members read selected books to elementary students
• Read Across America – members read selected Dr. Seuss books to elementary age children in libraries and schools
Environment
The Environment CSP encourages us to become good stewards of the earth by working to preserve the world’s resources, protect wildlife and domesticated animals, live sustainably, beautify our communities, and enjoy nature.
• Educates club members and FV citizens on environmental issues and environmental stewardship such as recycling
• Planted trees in FV parks to celebrate Earth and Arbor Days
• Encourages local, state and national park use and support
• Provided flower arrangements for the Wake County Historical Society Annual Meeting
• Collected plastic bags to make bedding mats for the homeless
• Planning a pollinator garden and member education about pollinator planting
• Donates to the SPCA of Wake County
• Donates to NC Audubon Society, NC Museum of Natural Science, NC Zoo, and JC Raulston Arboretum
• Volunteers with Tarheel Weimaraner Rescue
• Arranges educational field trips for members to visit science museums, local gardens, and parks
Civic Engagement and Outreach
Civic Engagement and Outreach promotes actions for better quality of life and sense of community with efforts to assist in citizenship, crime prevention, safety, disaster preparedness, homelessness and hunger, military personnel and veterans.
• Provides Wreaths Across America in local cemeteries
• Gives appreciation gifts to FV Fire and Police in memory of 9-11
• Highlights Strong Women of Fuquay-Varina every month
• Gather flags for flag retirement ceremony
• Support and volunteer at town projects and events (such as Run the Quay, FV Christmas Parade, Flags for Heroes)
• Provide election updates, encourage voting and civic engagement among members and the public
• Supports Pass It On / Interact
Special Projects:
The GFWC-NC President’s Special Project: Mountains-to-Sea Trail
Our state special project is the Mountains-to-Sea Trail (MST). The MST is 1175 miles long and spans from the Great Smoky Mountains to the Outer Banks. Along the way it shows off some of the most beautiful areas in our state and the variety of terrain, flora and fauna of the state. It climbs to th highest point in NC at 6,684 feet and to the lowest elevation at Cape Hatteras National Sea Shore. The trail is a part of the NC Parks System and has been a labor of love that was proposed in 1973 and added to the NC State Park system in 2000. You can walk, ride, or paddle the trail in its entirety or in short segments.
The GFWC Signature Program: Domestic and Sexual Violence Awareness and Prevention
We support existing activities, work with established programs, and initiating educational opportunities for club women and local citizens. We work to increase awareness and prevention of the widespread occurrence of domestic abuse in communities across the nation. Program focus areas: Intimate Partner Violence, Child Abuse, Teen Dating Violence, Campus Sexual Assault, Elder Abuse, Violence Against Native American Women, Military Sexual Assault, Human Trafficking for sexual purposes.
Did you know 1 in 3 women in the United States have experienced some form of physical violence by an intimate partner? In a single day in 2020, 75% of North Carolina’s domestic violence programs served 1,152 survivors and their children. 569 survivors and their children found refuge in emergency shelter or transitional housing provided by local domestic violence programs. Another 57 requests for services went unmet due to lack of resources. (Stats from NCADV)
Fuquay-Varina Woman's Club 