PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

The theme for my administration is “Charting our Course” and is represented by the Compass. We
need to move the club into the community so we are no longer the best kept secret. By nurturing our
membership and welcoming our new members, we plan to make our meetings fun, informative and make a huge effort to be inclusive. That said, if you have any ideas on how we can do this, please consider attending our RETREAT which will be on July 23rd at the Abigail Stuart House from 10 to 3 p.m. We will plan, strategize, laugh, have fun and Chart Our Course to becoming better and better.
Join us on Tuesday, May 28th at 10 a.m. in the coffee shop/food court area of Haggen’s on Olympia’s west side for coffee and conversation.
Sandra Groves, President

LUELLEN CHARNESKI
HONORED AS CLUBWOMAN OF THE YEAR

PLANNER

NEXT MEETINGS
General Membership
June 4, 2024
Program: Honoring Scholarship
Winners Potluck
Evening Group
June 12, 2024
6:30 p.m. social time
7:00 p.m. meeting
Contact Us:
The Woman’s Club of Olympia
1002 Washington Street SE
Olympia, Washington 98501-1352
(360) 753-9921

Website:
www.womansclubofolympia.org

Search Facebook for:
Abigail Stuart House-Woman’s Club of Olympia

Newsletter Editor:
sandragroves10@gmail.com

The Woman’s Club of Olympia
JOURNAL
June Issue 2024

THE WOMAN’S CLUB OF OLYMPIA JOURNAL

VOLUNTEER CORNER

NEW MEMBER JOINS WCO
Gloria Pardo was initiated into The Woman’s Club of Olympia at the May meeting.
Welcome!

SOCK COLLECTION –
Carol Valley
We have a new total of 922 pairs of socks!!!

PLANT SALE AND ART FAIR

The Plant Sale netted us $224.00. Thank you everyone who donated plants, starts, cuttings, and bird feeders. It was a great sale for us even though it was a cold day!

The Gull Harbor
Art Fair raised $200.00 for cupcakes donated and we received $200.50 from vendors for a total of $400.50 for Relay for Life.

THE WOMAN’S CLUB OF OLYMPIA JOURNAL

ITEMS BEING COLLECTED FOR CHARITY

 Pop Tabs: Pop Tops from soda cans are still being collected for the
Ronald McDonald House. Save your tabs and bring them to a meeting.

 Bread Tags: You know those little plastic tags
that come on your bread packages, collect them, save
them and bring them to a meeting. They will be donated
to “Danielle Cares for Chairs” which recycles the tags
and purchases wheelchairs for children.

 Prescription Bottles: The prescription bottles we have been
collecting will be counted and sent in as our donation after the June meeting. We
will start collecting again in September, so be sure to save those bottles over the
summer when we don’t meet.
Let’s keep these items out of the landfill.

AS WE PARTNER WITH RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS, THESE ARE THE ITEMS BEING COLLECTED FOR THE NEXT MONTH. Bring items to the club meeting and they will be given to our partners.
June – Rochester Organization of Families (ROOF) Collecting soup, tuna, spam peanut butter, cereal, jam/jelly, macaroni and cheese, oatmeal, cooking oil, chili, Rice a Roni, juice, canned beans, canned fruit, spaghetti sauce, pasta, and other non-perishable food.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR UPCOMING EVENTS
Tuesday, June 4th – Membership Meeting Potluck
Saturday, July 20th – Pajama Drive at the Clubhouse
Saturday, July 20th – Rummage Sale at the Clubhouse
Tuesday, July 23rd – WCO Planning Retreat
PEN PALS TO VISIT JUNE MEETING
Our Pen Pals from Lincoln Elementary School will visit the June 4th meeting between 1:15 and 1:30 to meet with those who have written them letters. We plan to greet them, give them a cookie bag and take a picture or two. They are looking forward to meeting you so please be there for them.

DON’T FORGET YOUR POTLUCK ITEM

FOR THE JUNE MEETING!!!

THE WOMAN’S CLUB OF OLYMPIA JOURNAL Page 4 of 8

PRESIDENT THANKS COMMITTEE CHAIRS
AT LUAU MEETING
President Linda Wolfe presented flowers to each of her committee chairs during the May meeting as they submitted their annual report to the membership.

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Woman’s Club of Olympia General Membership Meeting

May 7, 2024

Meeting opened by President Linda Wolfe at 12:07pm. Collect read by members and guests and the
Pledge of Allegiance recited.
Present: 22 members present and one guest, Kristy Wilkins from PALS.
Motion by Linda Malanchuk-Finnan to approve minutes as written. Seconded, Passed.
Motion by Irene Lewis to accept Selena Winner as the new Secretary. Seconded. Passed.
Program: Kristy Wilkins with Pet Assistance for Low Income Seniors (PALS) described the program, what
it does and how it is funded. The program is part of Senior Services. Last year they were able to help 187
seniors and were able to pay $80,000 in vet bills. They are funded through grants and donors and work
building networks of pet assistance. For more information, please go to the website:
https://www.southsoundseniors.org/pals
Tea Committee: Linda Wolfe, Pat Keith, Dani Lewis and Lauren Rogers. The Luau was delicious and
beautifully displayed. Thank you.
Treasurer’s Report: The CD’s discussed at the last meeting were purchased. The Gull Harbor event was a
success.
Membership: Gloria Pardo is our newest member. She was welcomed by all.
The Committee Chairs offered reports on the activities from the last year. They will write their reports for
the archives.
Installation of Officers: Cindy Bassage welcomed the incoming officers: Sandra Groves, President;
Barbara Pugliese, Vice-President and House Chair; Anna McKinney, Treasurer, Selena Winner, Secretary,
Luellen Charneski, Librarian. The theme for the next two years is “Charting A Course.”
Raffle: $72.00 total, $36.00 to the winner.
Adjourn: 12:04 pm.
COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS – Sandra Groves
I recently emailed everyone who signed up to serve on a Committee for the next administration. If you signed up, you received a copy of some guidelines about the Committee and some ideas for potential projects. We have a diverse number of committees and so there is something for everyone! You don’t need to do everything for every committee, just pick what you want to do and participate. Without member participation, the club will flounder and become stagnant. Let’s breathe new life into the Club and focus on the committee work to make our community a better place. In the past administration, you stepped up and participated and reported your hours for each of the committee functions, and in turn we received many awards for your efforts. Let’s keep this trend going.
My goal is to have every active member serve on at least one committee. A lofty goal? I don’t think so. We all participate in some way, and we make the organization better and healthier by pooling our talents.

THE WOMAN’S CLUB OF OLYMPIA JOURNAL Page 6 of 8

PAJAMA AND BOOK DRIVE COMING
Pajama Program is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that promotes equitable access to healthy sleep so all children can thrive. They provide new pajamas and storybooks, sleep health education, and caring connections to ensure that children facing adversities—including low family income, housing
insecurity, and family instability—have the tools they need for better bedtimes. Since 2001, Pajama Program has delivered over 8 million Good Nights for Good Days. Pajama Program leverages a national network of volunteers and partnerships with 4,000 community-based organizations across the United
States, and also provides local programming in New York City, Atlanta, and metro-Detroit.
Anna McKinney is Washington State’s liaison to the Pajama Program and she is holding a pajama and book drive on Saturday, July 20th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Abigail Stuart House. The pajamas and books will be distributed to Pajama Program’s Community Partners.

4 SURPRISING BENEFITS OF VOLUNTEERING

1. Volunteering makes you feel like you have more time. One feels
   more time affluent and less time constrained from wasting the time
   they have.
2. Volunteering helps you Develop New Skills. Skill based
   volunteering is an excellent opportunity to develop talents.
3. Volunteering helps you have a healthier body. Research shows
   lower mortality rates, greater functional ability, and lower rates of
   depression.
4. Volunteering make you feel more love. Volunteering makes people
   happier, building empathy, strengthening social bonds, and makes
   one smile – factors that increase the feeling of love.

THE WOMAN’S CLUB OF OLYMPIA JOURNAL

WHAT IS THE WOMAN’S CLUB OF OLYMPIA

HISTORY: The Woman’s Club of Olympia was founded in 1883 by Abbie Howard Hunt Stuart and eight other progressive women, six years before Washington became a state, to improve the lives of women and to serve the community. They fought for the right for women to vote, fought illiteracy and poverty, and provided aid for children and needy families before there were public assistance programs. The Woman’s Clubhouse was built in 1908 and later named for Abbie Stuart. We are a non-profit, non-denominational, non-partisan volunteer service organization. Learn more at www.womansclubofolympia.org.
CLUB GOALS: The Woman’s Club of Olympia is a member of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs (GFWC),
GFWC Washington State and the Peninsula District of 9 fellow clubs, volunteer community organizations that support the arts, preserve natural resources, promote education, encourage healthy lifestyles, stress civic involvement, and work toward world peace and understanding. Our current projects include:
 Fundraising and partnering to support other community non-profit organizations sharing our goals;
 College scholarships for Thurston County high school seniors based on academic success and financial need;
 All Kids Win providing food for disadvantaged high school and middle school students; and
 Preservation of the historic Abigail Stuart House, and rental of the house for community programs and
organizations.
MEETINGS: Our daytime meetings are at noon on the first Tuesday of each month, September through June.
Our evening group meets at 7:00 p.m. the second Wednesday of each month. All meetings are held at the
Abigail Stuart House at 1002 Washington Street SE, Olympia.
TO BECOME A MEMBER: Attend two meetings or Club functions, fill out an application and return it with a
$10.00 application fee. After the Board approves the application you pay $40.00 annual membership dues and will be initiated at the next meeting.
MEMBERSHIP RESPONSIBILITIES: Woman’s Club members are expected to contribute actively by serving on at least one committee or project throughout the year. A Board Member will talk with you about your interests and availability. Also, each member who attends the daytime meetings is expected to serve on a committee to host a tea or luncheon for at least one meeting per year.
MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS: You have the opportunity to meet, work, and grow with other women who are
interested in self and community improvement. You are part of a historical local, state and national organization making a difference in the world.
Contact womansclubolympia@gmail.com