WOMAN’S CLUB OF HARTLAND
In 1938, a group of Hartland women, meeting regularly as the Hartland Garden Club, decided to reorganize and form the Woman’s Club of Hartland. On Dec. 20, 1938, this group met for the first time under that name, joining the State Federation of Woman’s Clubs. They joined the national General Federation of Women’s Clubs on Feb. 3, 1939.
The purpose of the club was to study issues and support community improvement. The initial departments of the newly formed club were Garden and American Home, Literature and Library, and Arts and Drama.
The first civic action of the club was to press the Hartland Village Board to provide garbage collection. It also provided leadership and funding to establish Girl Scouting in the village. Other major projects were organizing and staffing a youth center, funding tennis courts and numerous beautification efforts in the Hartland.
The Hartland Public Library has been a long-time beneficiary of Woman’s Club fundraising and efforts. In 1949, the club played a significant role in the expansion of the village’s cramped quarters in the community center. The women not only lobbied village officials and raised funds for the project, they also worked bleaching woodwork and shelves, painting walls and ceiling, sewing draperies and framing artwork. As a result, a beautiful two-room library opened to the public in January 1950, increasing operations from one to three days per week with a significantly bigger book collection. Again, in 1992, the club raised money for the library as it anticipated groundbreaking for a new building in 1994. The women donated $3,400 from the proceeds of its Historical Home Tour to establish a History Room in the new building. The Hartland Public Library continues to receive financial support from the club.
Supporting the community remains the focus of the Woman’s Club of Hartland. The club’s most recent donations have gone to Hope Center, Zachariah’s Acres, Hartland Food Pantry, Hebron House, Family Promise, Lake Area Free Clinic and Blessings in a Backpack
GENERAL FEDERATION OF WOMEN’S CLUBS
There would be no Woman’s Club of Hartland without the General Federation of Women’s Clubs. Founded in 1890, GFWC’s roots can be traced back to 1868 when Jane Cunningham Croly, a professional journalist, attempted to attend a dinner at an all-male press club honoring British novelist Charles Dickens. Croly was denied admittance based upon her gender, and in response, formed a woman’s club — Sorosis. In celebration of Sorosis’ 21st anniversary in 1889, Jane Croly invited women’s clubs throughout the United States to pursue the cause of federation by attending a convention in New York City. On April 24, 1890, 63 clubs officially formed the General Federation of Women’s Clubs by ratifying the GFWC constitution.
The Woman’s Club of Hartland is one of 2,300 local chapters of GFWC. With more than 60,000 members in affiliated clubs in every state, the District of Columbia, and more than a dozen countries, GFWC members work in their own communities. They support the arts, preserve natural resources, advance education, promote healthy lifestyles, encourage civic involvement and address issues related to domestic and sexual violence awareness and prevention, and advocacy for children.