Autumn Raulerson
reporter2@greenepublishing.com
On Sept. 9, the Madison Woman’s Club of Madison held the first of their monthly meetings held September through May. This meeting’s theme of giving was geared toward school supplies, and the club celebrated their success in gathering a great donation of supplies to give to the charity “Take Stock in Children of Florida,” a non-profit organization that helps low-income, underserved youth escape the cycle of poverty through education, mentorship and college scholarships.
The meeting also had a visitor, reigning Miss Olustee and previous Miss Madison County, Sarah Beth Rutherford, and a guest speaker, North Florida College’s Director of the Office of Communications, Allison Finley. Rutherford was there to announce her own charitable program, Crowning Brighter Futures. This program will focus on giving teachers a boost and helping them have what they need to run a successful classroom, which will in turn help the students.
The other speaker, Finley, announced the college’s official plan of increasing involvement with the communities they serve, as well as their recent accomplishments, including having the state’s number one graduation rate for the fourth year in a row and the new Community Center that is in the works.
The club’s new board was introduced by their new President, Regina Alie. Previously serving as treasurer, Alie is very excited to be stepping into this role. She expressed her desire to let the community know who the women of the Woman’s Club really are — not just what they do. The meeting was also the perfect opportunity to introduce the new board members taking over this year. Aside from the new president, Alie, the club also has a new Vice President, Nita Fico, a new Secretary, Debbie Bass, a new Chaplain, Jean McWilliams, a new Membership Chair, Martha Beggs, a new Parliamentarian, Ethel Barefoot, and a new Treasurer, Rhoda (Tootie) Walley.
“We are not defined by what we do or give, but by who we are. We have serviced Madison County for over 115 years. That’s our legacy. There are women in Madison who don’t know we exist, and we need to show them not just what we do for the community, but who we are together as women,” Alie spoke to the club about her goals for this year.
The Madison Woman’s Club is one of the oldest service organizations in Madison County. The club undertakes several community service projects throughout the year, ranging from providing school supplies, helping to stock local food pantries to providing food and other supplies to Madison County Sheriff’s Office Animal Services and the local Humane Society. The club meets in the Madison Woman’s Club Building, located at 345 SE Lakeshore Dr., in Madison, on the second Thursday of each month, from September to May, at 11:30 a.m.
The club collected donations of school supplies to give to Take Stock in Children. [Photo by Autumn Raulerson, Greene Publishing, Inc.]