The following represents a selection of the civic actions taken by the General Federation of Women’s Clubs, of which the SDWC is a member, over the years.
| 1897 | Club officially formed |
| 1898 | Unanimously passed a resolution against child labor laws |
| 1906 | Engaged in a letter and telegram writing campaign which became essential to the passage of the Pure Food & Drug Act. |
| 1910 | Supported legislation for the eight-hour workday, workplace safety, and workmen’s compensation. |
| 1916 | Worked with the Children’s Bureau to promote National Baby Week which focussed on infant and maternal mortality, birth registration, and public health facilities. This resulted in the passage of the Sheppard-Towner Act (1921) which advanced maternal education. |
| 1919 | Created the Overseas Service Unit and sent 100 women to Europe to assist wounded soldiers in the aftermath of WWI. |
| 1921 | Created the Indian Welfare Committee with the goal of improving both educational and health facilities on reservations as well as preserving Native American culture. |
| 1930s | The American Library Association credited Women’s Clubs with the founding of over 474 free public libraries and 4,655 traveling libraries, establiching 75% of America’s public libraries. |
| 1934 | Began a 10 year study to review the question of the Equal Rights Amendment and in 1944 adopted a resolution in support of ERA. |
| 1944 | Participated in the Buy a Bomber Campaign during WWII and sold War Bonds in the amount of $154,459,132.00, enough to purchase 431 planes. |
| 1945 | One of five women’s organizations chosen to participate in the conference to form the United Nations. |
| 1950 | Began a relationship with Cooperative for American Relief Everywhere (CARE) jointly distributing relief shipments to Korea. |
| 1961 | Participated in Crusade for Seat Belts resulting in the installation of more than 1 million seat belts over the course of 1 year. |
| 1965 | Awarded a stamp by the US Post Office in honor of its 75th Anniversary |
| 1990s | Supported passage of Violence Against Women Act, the Americans With Disabilities Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, and legislation supporting handgun control. |
| 1994 | GFWC founder Jane Cunningham Croly inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls, NY. |
| 1997 | Renewed commitment to libraries with the Libraries 2000 project. Over a 5 year period $13.5 million was raised and donated to public libraries & schools nationwide. |
| 2000s | Raised $180,000 for a fully equipped ambulance for use by the FDNY to replace equipment loss suffered during the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001 |
Today, the South Deerfield Women’s Club continues these ideals by supporting our local library, veterans, seniors, scouts, scholarships, community meals, Adopt-A-Family programs, and more.
South Deerfield Women’s Club 