In 1868, Mrs. Jane Cunningham Croly, a newspaper woman in New York City, writing under the name of "Jennie June", wanted to attend a banquet to honor Charles Dickens. Mrs. Crowley was denied entrance because she was a woman. "Jennie June" felt that it was most unfortunate that men could participate in such interesting and cultural experiences, but not women. She then founded the Sorosis Club, which was for women only to "represent the active interests of women, and create a bond of friendship between them."
A few years later, women's club members from all over the country were invited to meet in New York City, where on April 24, 1890, the first president of the General Federation of Women's Clubs (GFWC) stated, "We look for unity, but unity in diversity."
The General Federation of Women's Clubs (GFWC) is one of the world's largest and oldest women's service organizations. Working locally through thousands of clubs in the United States and globally in more than 20 countries, GFWC members support the arts, preserve natural resources, promote education, encourage healthy lifestyles, stress civic involvement and work toward world peace and understanding.
In June of 1892, Maine formed a state federation and in 1894 MFWC became the second state to become affiliated with GFWC. We have two charter clubs still in existence, the GFWC/Skowhegan Woman's Club and the Dexter Women's Literary Club. The 29 clubs in the state are divided into five districts.
In its early years, MFWC was very influential in promoting the passage of legislation establishing State Traveling Libraries and the passage of an appropriation to develop a Forestry Department at the University of Maine. In 1910-1911, its clubwomen worked for AND against Women's Suffrage. In 1911 they worked hard for the passage of the Child Labor Law in Maine. During World War I, they devoted many hours to the Red Cross and during World War II much time and effort went into raising funds for the "Bomber Drive". More recently, clubs have joined together in support of such worthy causes as: Camp Kieve in Nobleboro, a science camp for girls, raising funds to publish the "Maine Breast Cancer Resource Guide", making the book "Believing in Achieving" available to every school in Maine, and raising funds to raise awareness of domestic abuse and violence and make programs available for alcohol and substance abuse. The 2004-2006 President's Special Project was "Go Red for Healthy Hearts in Maine" where we joined with the American Heart Association to raise awareness and provide educational materials to Maine women about cardiovascular disease risks, prevention and treatment.
MFWC's many fields of work are incorporated in six departments: Art, Conservation, Education, Home Life, International Affairs, and Public Affairs which conform with GFWC. Programs within the departments and special committees cover major aspects of today's living.
Maine Federation clubwomen continue to perform outstanding service in Community Improvement, supporting their local libraries and providing thousands of dollars for scholarships. We seek to unite and strengthen the effect of community service work through volunteerism at home and throughout the world.
