What's Going on at Missouri Girls Town?
Missouri Girls Town websiteMissouri Girls Town
The Number One Project for GFWC of Missouri
Missouri Girls Town has had a single mission: "To provide a loving, stable home for abused and neglected girls." It is a mission that defines who we are, what we do, and why we say confidently that Girls Town is a home "where caring counts."
New for 2012, a new form for making donations to Missouri Girls Town. Download form (pdf)
Please use this form when making contributions to Missouri Girls Town (monetary or Goods In Kind). Note on the form there is a side to fill out if this is a club donation and a side for individual (personal) donations. If your club or individual would like an acknowledgement, please check the box at the top of the appropriate column. Also, please note in the bottom section the line as to whether to send an acknowledgement to the donor, the one making the tribute (memorial, etc.), and a line to check and fill out if an acknowledgement goes to the recipient or family being honored. If you know of anyone, whether a member in your club or others who make individual, personal donations to MGT, please make sure they have a copy of this form.
The Feinstein Foundation has published the 2011 awards in the Feinstein Foundation challenge to feed the hungry in America. In Missouri, the smallest award was $100, the largest $2,963.71. Missouri Girls Town has been awarded $315.23. You will find all the awards listed on the FeinsteinFoundation.org website. GFWC of Missouri and Missouri Girls Town raised $21,153.44 in response to the Feinstein Foundation challenge.
Sixth District Special Project for Missouri Girls Town
Tammy Curtis, GFWC of Missouri Sixth District President, and the 6th District Missouri Girls Town Chairman, Eunice Lainchbury, have conducted a special project for Missouri Girls Town at each District Convention in 2010 and 2011. At the November 5 Fall Convention, clubs and members brought a total of 36 sets of knit scarfs, gloves and hats, an additional 4 sets of gloves and 1 more hat. A fall basket was donated by a member of the GFWC Cabool Girls Town Club and was silent auctioned for $40. All these items will be delivered to Missouri Girls Town at the Board of Directors meeting to be held Wednesday, November 16. Check your Missouri Clubwoman magazine, recently delivered, and the Missouri Girls Town website to see delightful pictures and read of the October Open House.
This is the July installment of the GFWC of Missouri District winners of the Missouri Girls Town Outstanding Project entries for 2010 projects.
GFWC Women’s Service League of Carthage, District 7
Many people cross our lives and yet we never know how much we impress them with something we care dearly about. This was the situation with a sweet lady named Shirley Stigall. For many years several of our Club members would “pull” clothes at our Nearly New shop for Missouri Girls town. We would examine the tags (they had a date on them and anything beyond a certain date would be tossed) and either keep the clothes for the girls or bag them for another donation that the shop made.
Shirley was the bookkeeper for the Nearly New, which is operated by the Episcopal Church. When we were there, she would ask us questions about MGT and wanted to know how the girls were, she knew that MGT was special. In later years, Shirley would phone me to pick up soup labels for MGT, sometimes mailing them to me.
I was unaware that Shirley had become a cancer victim and totally startled when I was questioned by Kathy Becker as to whom this lady was. Shirley passed away. There was no notice in the papers. I questioned several that attend her Church and they were not aware of her passing. There was no funeral service, but she left Missouri Girls Town a legacy. The total MGT received from her estate is $195,486.00
GFWC West County Women’s Club, District 8
We have been privileged the past several years to be a part of the Woodsmill K-Swiss Tennis Tournament. It is our biggest fundraiser of the year. Shhh - don’t tell anybody, but we actually set up a silent auction displaying wonderful gift baskets in the men’s locker room for a two day period. (The Woodsmill Tennis and Racketball Club makes other arrangements for their male members these two days.) Our club serves dinner for two nights to the ladies participating in the tournament. It is a fun even for club members to help host, and the tournament participants look forward to it from year-to-year.
One hundred percent of the proceeds of this event went to Missouri Girls Town. The fundraiser was held on May 18 and 19, 2010. WCWC prepared gift baskets for the silent auction during our April meeting. The contents of the baskets include items donated by members and items donated from local businesses. Gift cards for dinner out and tickets to theater or sporting events seem to bring the most “bang for the buck”.
We set up the silent auction the morning of the 18th. We, also, set up a 50/50 raffle and sold raffle tickets for a silk flower arrangement, donated by a local business. The activity began around 4:30 p.m. with tournament participants coming to play tennis. In between tennis matches they viewed the auction items and started writing down their bids and took their chances on the raffles. We began serving dinner (sandwiches, fruit, and cookies) at 5:30 p.m. We started the second day, again, at 4:30 p.m. and served a pasta dinner with fruit and cookies at 5:30 p.m. We closed the bidding at 9:00 p.m. the second night and distributed the auction items to the highest bidders.
During the event, we have a table set up with Missouri Girls Town information as well as GFWC, WCWC, information. As the president of WCWC, I spoke to the group about MGT, GFWC, and WCWC at the end of the event. The event actually served as a recruiting effort, too. We had three ladies join our club in the fall after attending the tennis tournament in the spring! Every member of WCWC participates in a variety of ways to make this event successful. There are a couple of ladies who go above and beyond to put this event together. Our treasurer, Ann Jones, is the silent auction guru. She has this down to a fine science! Sue Blake is our connection with the Woodsmill Tennis and Racketball Club. She has a tremendous passion for the MGT cause and spent four or five months soliciting businesses for donations. The fundraiser was fun and a lot of work. It is nice to know our efforts earned a significant donation for MGT. We have been invited back to help the tournament again May 17 and 18, 2011!!! (The amount earned at the tournament and donated to MGT was $6,100.00.)
GFWC Ste. Genevieve Woman’s Club, District 9
The spirit of Christmas was honored at the beautifully decorated home of Annette and Frank Rolfe (also known as the Historical Landmark Old Louisiana Academy), by the General Federation of Women’s Clubs local chapter at their Holiday Brunch Meeting December 13th. The theme of “Home Life” fit not only with the surroundings, but the subject of the guest speaker, Kathy Becker, Executive Director of Missouri Girls Town. Chapter President Judy Gustafson said the Woman’s Club of Ste. Genevieve has been supporting the efforts of Girls Town for more than fifty years. “Our club has a special connection with MGT since making a significant contribution towards State-required building repairs last year, enabling the home near Kingdom City to remain open to abused or neglected girls.” Girls Town remains the principal project of the Club.
Kathy Becker spoke of the challenges faced by Girls Town in providing care for these young women, some of whom are very angry at the world, and in need of special attention. “Christmas is often a difficult time for them, and the direct care staff and counselors go out of their way to make sure each girl receives special gifts. Especially at this time of the year, our staff gives the time and effort needed to make a girl smile, laugh, and feel special.” She thanked the Woman’s Club of Ste. Genevieve for their past and continued support, and accepted funds in the amount of $542 raised at the meeting from a 50/50 raffle and a very successful dessert auction. Bidding at the auction became heated as favorite delectable cakes, pies and candies from specially crafted recipes from our members became available. Kathy also departed with a trunk full of donated items for the girls at Girls Town with an estimated value of more than $1,500. These contributions and others have helped Girls Town give countless girls a new starts.
Pat Zachary
GFWC of Missouri Girls Town Chairman
Please use this form for making your Missouri Girls Town contributions. (pdf)
Save the Labels for Girls Town!
Please help Missouri Girls Town. Local Clubs, please save labels, especially the upc code labels for Campbell's and other products on the list. See the list. Please feel free to print the list and take to your club meetings.
Visit the Missouri Girls Town website at www.mogirlstown.org