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Program Area News
Arts and Culture
Education and Libraries
Arts and Culture
Summer Concerts at Fountain Park
We support the Wilbraham Nature and Cultural Center by supplying and staffing the Snack Shack at the Summer Concerts.
Concerts are 6:30 - 8:00 on Thursday nights. Visit ExploreFountainPark.com for more information
Book Club
Education and Libraries
Arts and Culture
Last Tuesday of the month* at 7:00pm
We read both fiction and non-fiction books. In the summer club members suggest books and then vote on the selection for the year.
*Book Club night is sometimes moved to another date, please check our calendar.
Education and Libraries
Education and Libraries
Education and Libraries
Read Across America - March 1, 2024
On Friday, March 1, 2024 we read Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss in fourteen classrooms at the Mile Tree School.
We award a scholarship to a Minnechaug High School graduating senior who best exemplifies the spirit of volunteerism.
We donate a children's book to the library whenever one of our members has a baby or grandbaby.
Environment
Education and Libraries
We are currently collecting Collecting prescription pill bottles for recycling/reuse at the TJ O'Connor animal shelter.
In February 2024 we send 13 lbs. 6.6 oz of greeting cards to St. Jude Ranch for Children to be reused in their fundraising efforts.
Health and Wellness
- We sew Comfort Pillows for breast cancer patients at Baystate Hospital.
- We provide the schools with Hygiene kits in handmade cloth bags for children in need.
Civic Engagement and Outreach
- Pack-a-thon for Haiti - we helped pack 47,760 meals for Haiti
- We provide microloans to 4 women entrepreneurs around the world through Kiva.org.
Advocates for Children
Domestic and Sexual Violence Awareness and Prevention
Domestic and Sexual Violence Awareness and Prevention
GFWC Juniors' Special Program
We made masks for special needs students. The masks were attached to lanyards so the children wouldn't lose them at recess!
After learning of the need for soap and shampoo for students experiencing transition due to crises, members collected hygiene items and sewed cloth bags to make portable kits. Each kit contains travel size soap, shampoo, deodorant, toothbrush and toothpaste and a comb. Kits are distributed by middle school nurses to students reporting a need.
Domestic and Sexual Violence Awareness and Prevention
Domestic and Sexual Violence Awareness and Prevention
Domestic and Sexual Violence Awareness and Prevention
GFWC Signature Program
We are working with local organizations to apply for grants to support their efforts to address domestic and sexual violence.
We are also working with GFWC Massachusetts to raise money to support the grant program.
Ongoing activities and Projects
Pillowcases for Springfield Rescue Mission
Pillowcases for Springfield Rescue Mission
Pillowcases for Springfield Rescue Mission
Periodically we have a pillowcase making event at the Wilbraham Senior Center. We are surrounded by a loving community of quilters and needleworkers who have been very generous with their fabric donations and their talent. There are also kits prepared for making pillowcases. No experience is necessary, all are welcome to participate.
Springfield Rescue Mission's 43-bed Emergency Shelter located at 148 Taylor Street provides homeless men with nutritious meals, safe shelter, and hygiene items, as well as clothing, counseling, and referrals to community resources as needed. The Emergency Shelter operates at capacity nearly every night of operation and is expected to serve approximately 500 unduplicated men annually, ages 18 and older. Form more information on SRM, please vist: https://springfieldrescuemission.org/
Knit, Stitch, Pray
Pillowcases for Springfield Rescue Mission
Pillowcases for Springfield Rescue Mission
Knit, Stitch, Pray meetings are once a month on a Saturday morning 10:00- 12:00. All are welcome. No experience is necessary. Our mission is to make items for others that will bring comfort, peace, and love. whether it be a prayer shawl, a quilt, sweater, hat, or scarf. Please invite a friend, even one who doesn't have any project in mind, but would like some company. We talk about life and share each other's experiences, jays, and concerns. Check our Event Calendar for meeting dates or contact Karen Gatchell for more information.
Prayer Shawls
Pillowcases for Springfield Rescue Mission
Prayer Shawls
“In 1998, Janet Severi Bristow and Victoria Galo, two graduates of the 1997 Women's Leadership Institute at The Hartford Seminary in Hartford, Connecticut gave birth to a ministry as a result of their experience in this program of applied Feminist Spirituality under the direction of Professor Miriam Therese Winter, MMS. Compassion and the love of knitting/crocheting have been combined into a prayerful ministry and spiritual practice which reaches out to those in need of comfort and solace, as well as in celebration and joy. Many blessings are prayed into every stitch.” https://www.shawlministry.com/
Karen Gatchell is willing to teach anyone who would care to learn about making a shawl and is happy to take the time with individuals either at a meeting or at the learner’s convenience. There is no need to purchase yarn as there is a supply on hand. If you would like to make a prayer shawl in your own time, please do so and when you are finished hand it into the office at Wilbraham United Church, to Pastor Janet or to Karen. If you know of anyone who needs a shawl, please let the pastor or Karen know.