For 100 years, the Women’s Club of Medford’s motto of “making the community a better place to live” has rung true in the township.
Club president Kathy Cullen said many people from the outside see the club as a social group. However, the club has actually been one of the biggest service organizations in Medford.
“People are very surprised with how much we actually do,” Cullen said.
The Women’s Club of Medford dates back to April of 1914, when three women, Ella Allen, Florence Ullman and Lillian Ullman were credited with forming the club as the “Athena Club.” The club would join the Federation of Women’s Clubs shortly afterward, and in 1919, the name was officially changed to the Women’s Club of Medford.
As time went on, the women’s club focused heavily on service in Medford and the surrounding community. Some of the township’s largest projects were ones taken on by the club.
“We were very instrumental in bringing the first lending library to Medford,” Cullen said. “We meet at the Medford Community Center. The club was instrumental in the early days of the center.”
Today, the club works with organizations such as Mothers Matter and the Special Olympics and sponsors a scholarship for one Shawnee High School female each year. The club remains actively involved in the township.
“We do a lot of service projects in the local area,” Cullen said. “We partner with our organizations in the area for fundraisers as well.”
Cullen said the club is made up of a variety of women from different backgrounds. While many of the members are middle aged or older, there has been an influx of younger women joining the organization.
“We have members from all walks of life,” she said. “We have members who are stay-at-home moms, we have teachers, we have business people.”
“We’re looking really for anybody who wants to give back to the community,” she said. “Anybody in the surrounding area who would like to give back.”
One of the club’s long-time members, Alice Mietz has been giving back to the community with the club for 38 years. While she has participated in countless projects, there is one in particular that really touches her in a special way.
“The project closest to my heart was with social services and adoptive grandmothers,” she said. “We remember them with the holidays and the birthdays, and we visit them at the nursing homes.”
Mietz said many of the seniors whom the club “adopts” are without family and really appreciate the efforts of the club.
In addition, many other projects bring a sense of unity among its members. Mietz said the club’s ability to work as a team acts as encouragement.
“It gives a very wide leadership skills,” she said. “I’d never do this on my own. It gives you the capacity to see what needs to be done.”
Cullen said many of the women who join the club tend to stay friends and continue to participate for a long time.
“Once you are a member, the ladies tend to stay with it for as long as they can,” Cullen said.
Mietz said the club has tons of yearbooks detailing the club’s history. They include details on its founding and some of its earliest projects. The club’s history shows how it has remained service oriented, even as Medford has changed over time.
On March 14, the club is holding its 100th anniversary celebration at the Medford Village Country Club. The club has invited businesses and other organizations whom they have served to celebrate their milestone.
After sharing their services with the township for a century, the club hopes the community will share their milestone with them.
