Education & Libraries CSP

Send HOBY Donations:

EASTERN HOBY: 12811 McCarthy Circle, Philadelphia, PA 19154

Northeastern District

  • Bangor
  • Bethlehem
  • Saucon Valley
  • Nazareth
  • Pen Argyl

Southeastern District

  • Boyertown
  • New Century of Berks
  • Spring Township
  • Perkasie
  • Quakertown
  • Warrington
  • West Chester
  • Media
  • Springfield
  • Overlook Hills
  • Ambler
  • Whitpain
  • Collegeville
  • Schwenksville
  • Indian Valley
  • Indian Valley Junior

 

 

Send HOBY Donations:

CENTRAL HOBY: PO Box 8743, Lancaster, PA 17604

Northeastern District

  • Abington Heights
  • West Side
  • Mountaintop
  • Plymouth
  • Pocono Mountain

Southeastern District

  • East Petersburg
  • Lebanon Junior

North Central District

  • State College
    Hollidaysburg
  • Milton
  • Warrior Run

South Central District

  • Littlestown
    Camp Hill
  • Mechanicsburg
  • Upper Allen
    Hershey
    Dillsburg
  • Spring Grove

Send HOBY Donations:

WESTERN HOBY: PO Box 834, Mount Pleasant, PA 15666

North Central District

  • Curwensville

Northwestern District

  • Meadville
  • Presque Isle
  • Erie

Southwestern District

  • Duquesne
  • Pittsburgh
  • Wilkins Township
  • Baden
  • New Brighton
  • Intermediate League of Butler
  • Junior Butler
  • Saxonburg
  • Carmichaels
  • Rostraver
  • Town & Country

Affiliates

Founded in 1958, HOBY’s mission is to inspire and develop our global community of youth and volunteers to a life dedicated to leadership, service, and innovation. For more than five decades, HOBY has been inspiring young people to make a difference and become catalysts for positive change in their home, school, workplace, and community.
Visit our HOBY page for more information.

Contact your local school district now to find creative ways to help schools in this time of great need!

Education is important and fundamental. Establish a scholarship; advocate and assist children and adults with special needs; support schools, educators and students with donations; partner with local PTA/PTO associations; assist GED candidates by tutoring or establishing a fund to pay for tests and/or babysitting; advocate and support STEM for Her in local schools; or promote DEAR (Drop Everything and Read) Day on April 12th. These are just a few examples of what can be done in education and libraries.

Other sources of information include:

I Love Libraries website: ilovelibraries.org

Banned Book Week website: bannedbooksweek.org

American Library Association website: ala.org

Books for Babies, United for libraries under ala.org website

1000 Books Before Kindergarten website: 1000booksbeforekindergarten.org

Education & Libraries CSP

Libraries provide:

  • Books, newspapers and magazines
  • Videos, audio books and e-books
  • Children’s library and activities
  • Adult activities such as knitting group and game night
  • Computer/internet access
  • Language lessons
  • Gardening advice
  • A music library
  • Reference materials
  • GED information and materials
  • Community meeting rooms

What clubs can do:

  • Encourage members to get a library card and use it.
  • Encourage members to join Friends of the Library.
  • Support fund raisers such as dine outs, auctions and book sales.
  • Read to children at the library.
  • Volunteer at the library for book sales, etc.
  • Donate books for the book sales.
  • Donate money to the GFWC Library Fund.
  • Donate books to a library in need, a little library or to a Head Start program.
  • Find out what the library does with books not sold at the book sale. If they just get rid of them, find out if your club can take them and then give them to a place in need. Use these books to start a library at a laundromat for example.

 Projects and activities:

  • Host a book shower for a shelter with adult and children’s books.
  • Donate a bookshelf and books to new Habitat for Humanity homes.
  • Donate books of diversity to schools, children’s hospitals and other sites.
  • Create themed early literacy kits.
  • Assemble a “Books for Babies Basket” for new babies in the community.
  • Establish or support an existing service to deliver books to homebound library patrons.
  • Celebrate Library Card Sign Up Month in September with an event such as a Fall for Books Funfest for children with games, face painting, prizes and a library card sign-up table.
  • Hold a Dr. Seuss birthday party by reading to children, giving them a book, a plush toy and a birthday bag of treats.
  • Encourage reading by giving club members a bookmark at the beginning of the club year.
  • Celebrate National Library Week April 23-29, 2023.
  • Banned Books Week is the annual celebration of the freedom to read, September 18-24, 2022
  • Host a 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten Challenge.

 

Ways to Support the Schools

Provide back-to-school supplies (Most schools have lists of required supplies.)    

Ask school librarians what they need.

Or check on your school’s website.         

Share teachers’ projects with club members. 

Gather community support.

Sponsor a “Cool to be in School” Program to honor students who are doing well.

Donate equipment, playgrounds, classrooms, and monetary donations towards field trips, or school projects.

Connect with Affiliates

HOBY

HEIFER INTERNATIONAL

OPERATION SMILE

PCAA

ST. JUDE CHILDREN’S

RESEARCH HOSPITAL

UNF SHOT @ LIFE CAMPAIGN

UNICEF USA

STEM FOR HER

READ ACROSS AMERICA

READING IS FUNDAMENTAL

REACH OUT AND READ

EPSILON SIGMA OMICRON:

Epsilon Sigma Omicron is an honorary educational society open to all per-capita dues paying GFWC members.  ESO provides clubwomen with a structured reading program that is educational and stimulates a desire for self-improvement. ESO materials are available online at www.gfwc.org/what-we-do/community-service-programs/epsilon-sigma-omicron.

There are several ways to support ESO activities and membership within your club, including:

  • Establish reading groups for study and discussion

  • Sponsor a book-signing event

  • Work with your local library or book store in reading to children events

HUGH O’BRIAN YOUTH LEADERSHIP (HOBY)

Since 1958, more than 425,000 students have begun their leadership journey with HOBY. Annually, more than 10,000 high school students from across the country and around the world participate in HOBY programs.  Visit their website at www.hoby.org.  Support HOBY by:

  • Volunteering at the events

  • Providing gifts-in-kind

  • Sponsoring students to attend a HOBY program

HOBY is something very near and dear to my heart, as I am a 1998 HOBY alumnus.  HOBY changed and impacted my life in many ways; It was through HOBY that I learned about GFWC and what lead me to join federation.  I love sharing my HOBY experience, so if you or your club would be interested in learning more please let me know!

“Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think.”

Albert Einstein

Join a Club Near You

Reach out to our membership chairman for help finding a club near you.

For general inquiries, contact Headquarters below or the Chairman of a specific program or advancement area.

GFWC Pennsylvania Headquarters

1301 Allegheny Street, Suite 119
Hollidaysburg, PA 16648

T: 814-317-6489
[email protected]

Membership Chairman

Tracy Mueller

[email protected]

 

GFWC Headquarters

1734 N Street, NW
Washington, DC  20036

T:  202-347-3168
F:  202-835-0246
www.gfwc.org