ML Women's Club celebrates 100th anniversary

MOSES LAKE - One of the first purchases of the brand-new Neppel Women's Club, back in 1914, was a little memo book with red covers. In that book the club's founding mothers wrote their bylaws, and their names. New members have written their names in that book ever since, going on 100 years now.

The Women's Club will celebrate its 100th anniversary with a historical exhibit at the Moses Lake Museum and Art Center, with the opening reception from 1 to 5 p.m. Jan. 9 at the museum, 401 South Balsam St.

"It was the community on the lake," Margaret Schiffner said, of that small town of Neppel. Schiffner is the current Women's Club president.

Neppel was a good town, but there were ladies who thought it could use some improvement, and also knew that there were people in and around town that could use some assistance. So the women's club was born.

The club has been part of the General Federation of Women's Clubs (GFWC) almost from the beginning, and the goal of the local, state and national women's clubs has been to improve the community through local initiatives, according to information provided by the national federation.

The town that became Moses Lake owed its first library to the women's club - and its second library, for that matter. (When the city opened a library in 1955 the club donated about 1,200 books from its library.)

The women's club donated books to the Moses Lake High School library too, back in the day, and were sponsors of the high school's National Honor Society chapter for a while. They donated to and supported Samaritan Healthcare.

During World War II every town had a place, or places, where military personnel going from one place to another could stop for a snack or directions. In Moses Lake one of those places was the women's club; the ladies donated their space for the purpose.

The club's projects have changed over 100 years, of course. In 2014 club members have five areas of focus, including promotion of the arts, conservation, education, helping women and promoting civic involvement, Schiffner said. Clubs also work on international projects, she said.

The Moses Lake chapter sponsors a $1,000 scholarship for a MLHS senior attending Big Bend Community College, Schiffner said. Its members work with the local Audubon Society chapter to show elementary school kids the local wildlife refuges and why they matter, she said, and have a program to promote conservation and better treatment of animals.

The club helps support a tutoring program called the Youth-Senior Connection, where senior citizens give extra help to elementary students. They donate to the Moses Lake Food Bank's Christmas toy campaign, the Camp Fire chapter, Grant County Search and Rescue, animal care and Habitat for Humanity, Schiffner said. They donate supplies to the New Hope domestic violence shelter and sponsor Christmas assistance for two families, she said.

They sponsor a food drive among their members on World Food Day (the collection is donated to the food bank, Schiffner said), and participate in Operation Christmas Child. (That's a private charity that asks participants to fill a shoebox with gifts for children overseas.)

"We have never met a lot of the people (helped through club activities), but we know we're going to touch their lives," Schiffner said.

But it's getting tougher, because the club is getting smaller, Schiffner said. The club bought a clubhouse in the late 1940s, but had to sell it in 2010 because of declining numbers. Women's club members were in charge of the arts and crafts division at the Grant County Fair for 30 years, but had to give that up after 2012 because there weren't enough volunteers, she said.

In a time when women have a lot to do, belonging to another organization might seem far down the priority list. But club members said they joined the women's club, and stay in it, because they can do good things for the community.

"It is an organization with a history of giving to the community, an organization committed to making a difference," wrote Colleen Crane in a booklet prepared for the 100th anniversary.

"I have enjoyed my membership because not only do we do many good things with our time and money, but I have also made many wonderful friends," wrote Doris Rowe. Volena Dunn said she met Schiffner through the YSC tutoring program, and was invited to join the women's club. "I do not like to belong to clubs that don't do anything for the community," Dunn wrote, but she thought the women's club did plenty. "I've been with them ever since."

"I am always amazed at what volunteers accomplish through clubs like GFWC," wrote Evelyn Stout. "I gives people like myself and others the opportunity to give back to those who have helped us."

Women who want more information about the club can contact Schiffner in Moses Lake, or attend the exhibit reception Jan. 9, she said.