The GFWC Civic Engagement and Outreach Committee reminds GFWC Pennsylvania members that each of us is a part of a larger society and is responsible for undertaking actions that will create a better quality of life and foster a sense of community – locally, regionally, nationally and globally.

Volunteering is one of the best ways to put civic duty into action and it is often the first step in building a stronger connection to community. There are other ways to contribute, such as advocating, fundraising or donating, and problem-solving. Locally, even supporting small businesses and keeping an eye on your neighbor can play a part in improving your community.

Civic Engagement and Outreach Projects are encouraged including: Citizenship, Crime Prevention, Safety, Disaster Preparedness, the Needy, Hungry, and Homeless and our Military Personnel and Veterans.

During this Administration, clubs are encouraged to do projects in seven general areas. One of each of these will be discussed in a Clubwoman Newsletter.

• Prevent crime and make communities safer by providing information on crime prevention strategies.

• Support your local police, fire departments and EMS units.

• The third area of consideration is help for the needy, hungry, and homeless. Consult your local welfare office, shelters, churches and other community assistance organizations to determine community need and help provide provisions for the needy.

• The fourth service area is support to our military personnel and veterans. Create awareness about the three primary health concerns of military personnel.

• The fifth and sixth areas of consideration on the “to do list” are Heifer International and UNICEF. Go international, learn about these organizations and support them as many ways as possible. 

• Finally, the last two areas of community concern are St. Jude’s Hospital and Operation Smile. Children across the world can benefit from our help.

For more information about these projects and programs, check the GFWC website. Other resources which might interest your club are also listed there. Many of our local communities have handouts for these civic non-profit organizations.

FLY YOUR AMERICAN FLAG

Remember to fly your AMERICAN FLAG all year, and buy ones that are made in America.   Did you know that in June 1813, Major George Armistead took command of Fort McHenry in Baltimore?  Armistead ordered that a flag “so large that the British will have no difficulty in seeing it from a distance” be made for the fort.  On August 19, Mary Pickersgill of Baltimore delivered the flag.  It required 266 yards of red, white and blue English woolen bunting for the stripes and about 10 yards of white cotton for the stars, which measured 16 inches from tip to tip.  Pickersgill charged the U.S. Army $405.90 for the flag.

Between August and September of 1814, the British sent 16 ships to attack Fort McHenry. Francis Scott Key, a Georgetown lawyer and amateur poet, watched the attack from the British admiral’s flagship, where he had been detained by the enemy.  At dawn on September 14, the British tapered off their bombardment of the fort.  Key looked through a telescope and saw from eight miles away the U.S. Flag. He started to write the “The Deference of Fort McHenry,” which he later completed at the Baltimore hotel after he was released by the British.  He set it to music written for a 1778 English social club song called “To Anacreon in Heaven.”  Printers changed the title to “The Star-Spangled Banner.”  The flag remained flying at the fort for another two years.