The General Federation of Women’s Clubs of Oklahoma held its 126th State Convention on April 25-26 at the Hotel Indigo, downtown Tulsa.
Friday tour day included the Greenwood Rising Black Wall Street Center, an outdoor lunch, and Woody Guthrie & Bob Dylan Centers. GFWCSouth Central Region President Debbie Thomas and Vice President Miriam Costilow attended.
The convention began at 6 p.m. with a dinner program. Tulsa Tours & Oil Capital Museum owner Jeffrey Tanenhaus welcomed club women to Tulsa. Charlene spoke on the decline of pollinator population and the importance of pollination. Agricultural expansion and urbanization, pesticide use, and climate change have been identified as the leading causes for the decline of pollinators. A recent study by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that declines in pollinator populations have a direct and negative impact on human health. Many campaigns to save pollinators focus on actions individuals can take, from growing native plants in backyard gardens to buying organic foods to disincentivize pesticide use. Charlene mentioned the Color Oklahoma with Wildflowers program. Color Oklahoma provides grants to organizations and municipalities to plant native wildflowers along Oklahoma highways, interstates and turnpikes as well as public spaces across Oklahoma. Past State President Fleta Haskins presented GFWC-Oklahoma history on our continuous involvement since the early 1930s with the First Ladies Rose Garden at the Governor’s Mansion in Oklahoma City. In about 2017, the entire rose garden was decimated by disease. A wellknown native landscape design firm in Oklahoma developed a new design for the commemorative garden to include rose bushes and Oklahoma native wildflowers to increase food for pollinators and to increase pollinator education for tour groups visiting the mansion grounds. The project will be funded through monies raised by the Friends of the Mansion, corporate sponsors recruited by GFWC-OK, and state clubs sponsoring rose bushes for planting.
President Ridgway’s State Project is the physical and mental wellbeing of Oklahoma children. Oklahoma ranks 33rd in the nation for providing access to mental health services and support. The mental health of our Oklahoma children suffered significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic. One in 5 (20%) of Oklahoma children from every background and economic status suffer from mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety. Oklahoma’s suicide rate (age 10-24) is among the worst in the nation.
Keeping with her State Project, President Ridgway’s Friday evening guest speaker was Dr. Amy Emerson, Pediatrician, State Appointed Juvenile Affairs Board Member, and Director of Hope Driven Parenting, an initiative of Hope Rising USA. Dr. Emerson serves on several boards devoted to providing safe and stable families for at-risk children and youth. The common themes of her interests lie in child welfare, juvenile justice, early brain growth and family strengthening. She presented an inspiring, powerful educational program on the “Science of Hope.” Attendees were asked to serve as ambassadors of hope in their communities.
First Lady Sarah Stitt, co-founder of Hope Rising USA and the Sarah Stitt Hope Foundation and OU Professor and author Chan Hellman are committed to raising hope among all communities in our state. Sarah Stitt is a passionate advocate for those impacted by mental health issues. As children growing up in Oklahoma, both Stitt and Hellman experienced the pain of childhood adversity and trauma. But they also experienced the gift of hope when they needed it the most, and it shaped their lives in incredible ways. They have joined forces to bring the science of hope to organizations and communities across the nation. Dr. Chan is an internationally renowned Hope Scholar and Founding Director of Hope Research Center.
The state convention “Done-in-a-Day” Project was collecting toys from clubs across our state to give to Tulsa’s St. Jude-Saint Francis Children’s Hospital toy cart. Each cancer patient chooses a toy for comfort/play in their hospital bed. Megan Marshall, Clinical Manager of the St. Jude Affiliate Clinic at The Saint Francis Children’s Hospital, spoke on St. Jude leading the way the world understands, treats, and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Financial donations benefit families in that they never receive a bill for treatment, travel, housing, or food so they can focus on helping their child live.
The Demand Project-Tulsa co-founder and CEO Kristin Weis presented an outstanding program on their mission to eradicate child sex trafficking, online enticement, child sexual abuse material, and the commercial sexual exploitation of children through prevention, protection, recovery and restoration. Demand Project operates one of the nation’s largest residential campuses for trafficking survivors and collaborates with law enforcement, the justice system, and communities. They believe in educating, equipping, and empowering the community on how to stay safe against online predators, child traffickers/ buyers, and anyone that seeks to sexually exploit children for commercial and personal gain by providing in-depth presentations on how predators and traffickers operate, how to keep children safe online and safe in the community, and how you can stay educated on any emerging technological trends and trafficking tricks. Board members are a strategic mix of dedicated professionals with careers in law enforcement, criminal justice, mental health, financial planning, physical wellness, spiritual wholeness, education, and employment.
GFWC clubs around the world educate, engage, and empower club women who make positive and longlasting impacts on their communities. GFWC was founded in 1890 and has been promoting and living the volunteer spirit for 135 years. GFWC members work in their own communities to support the arts, preserve natural resources, advance education, promote healthy living, encourage civic involvement, promote domestic and sexual violence awareness and prevention, and advocate public policy through their website legislative action center. Oklahoma has 380 members. In 2024, Oklahoma clubs completed 638 Projects and 40,171.50 Volunteer Hours, donated $311,696 and In-Kind $59,247 to community, district, and state projects. GFWC is proud to partner with the Alzheimer’s Association, Canine Companions, Heifer International, Hope for Justice, March of Dimes, Operation Smile, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and UNICEF USA for a greater reach and synergy to move the hearts and minds of masses to support our collective causes for the greater good.
