Trinity District celebrates 63rd Annual Spring Conference

Our local Amity Study Club, part of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs (GFWC), hosted their Trinity District for their 63rd Annual Spring Conference at Law’s Chappel Methodist Church Saturday, March 25.

Judy Cook, Amity Study Club’s president and Donna Bird, vice president said they were happy to host their home district this year and to have members come from all over Trinity District to celebrate their 63rd conference in Atlanta, Texas.

The General Federation of Women’s Clubs is dedicated to community improvement by enhancing the lives of others through volunteer service.

“Collectively, we are living the volunteer spirit,” Cook said.

Patti Lloyd, a member of the local Amity Club since she retired about 24 years ago was one of many longtime members who were present at the conference.

The group meets and pledges to dedicate themselves to different projects, while also trying to tie those projects in with the state president’s chosen project.

Outgoing state president, Billie Williams, for example, did a campaign for ‘Save the Bees’ in which Cook said Trinity Club was able to incorporate locally.

“Everything we focused on we incorporated pollinator seeds, honey, and more for our area projects,” Cook said. “The conference was an exciting opportunity to have people here from clubs that are all over for our (Trinity) district conference.

One example of a club member seizing an opportunity to focus on a project to help the community is Julia Braun, who plans to hold an electronic recycling or E-Cycle event on Earth Day (Saturday, April 22) at Industrial Atlanta Park.

Barbara Harvey, President-Elect for the state of Texas– who is also a Trinity District member living near downtown Dallas–was present for the Atlanta Conference. Harvey is stepping into the role of president soon.

“It’s always good to come home–to your home district,” Harvey said. “Patricia Tate is also a member of the executive committee GFWC Texas and she’s our parliamentarian–- tries to keep us somewhat in line. I also bring greetings from our current state president Billie Williams.”

Williams, she said, was in Dublin, Texas with a club celebrating its 125 anniversary so she was unable to attend the Trinity conference in Atlanta.

The state convention in Denton, Texas is slated for late April, Harvey said.

“GFWC Texas collected almost a million dollars last year,” Harvey said. “None of our clubs, as you know, keep that… it’s not setting in a bank somewhere. That is money we are able to put back in our communities to do things in our communities that we wouldn’t be able to do … so I was just very, very impressed by that.”

The GFWC Texas will hold their Fall board meeting in September in Austin, Texas.

“Hopefully we will be able to visit our historical headquarters building there,” Harvey said. “I just wanted to say welcome to you all, we are glad to have you as part of GFWC Texas and I’m certainly glad to be a part of Trinity District.”

Donna Parkinson, from Whitesboro, Texas’ club, is currently the president-elect for the Trinity District and delivered remarks as well as outgoing president of Trinity District, Pam Windham.

Trinity District has 12 clubs of GFWC in Texas, including our local Amity Study Club, Cook said.

Texas is part of a region made up of 6 states, Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Arizona, and Oklahoma–all part of this district.

The club is national, with a club in Ukraine still meeting there, throughout the war efforts of Russia, club members said.

Pam Windham, Trinity District’s president elect, along with Salina Gunner traveled the furthest to be in Atlanta for the conference, coming out of Fairfield–three hours from Cass County.

The group convened early at Law’s Chapel for brunch before holding their 63rd annual convention.

Atlanta Mayor James Brooks, along with several other members of Trinity District’s board delivered remarks celebrating another year in the books for the district as they look forward to new projects to help transform their communities.

“We have a Maker’s Market going on downtown. You might check it out and stick around a little bit,” Brooks said. “We’re super glad to have y’all here and, please, make yourselves at home.”

Trinity District Executive Committee 2022-2024 includes: Pam Windham, President Donna Parkinson, President-Elect Fran Mask, 1st Vice President Jan Hamilton, 2nd Vice President Rona Vickers, Recording Secretery Wanda Godso, Treasurer Beth Hemby, Trinity District HF Trustee Terri Kennedy, Trinity District Scholarship Representative Patricia Tate, Parliamentary Advisor The GFWC motto is: “In small things Liberty, in large things Unity, in all things Charity.”

The conference passed out a pamphlet with a lovely poem written by Mary Stewart, entitled ‘A Collect for Women’: “Keep us, oh God from pettiness; Let us be large in thought, in word, in deed. Let us be done with fault-finding And leave off self-seeking May we put away all pretense And meet each other face-to-face, Without self-pity and without prejudice. May we never be hasty in judgment And always generous. Let us take time for all things; Make us to grow calm, serene, gentle. Teach us to put into action our better impulses, Straight forward and unafraid. Grant that we may realize it is the little things that create differences, That in the big things of life we are at one. And may we strive to touch and know the great, common human heart of us all.

And, oh Lord God, let us forget not to be kind!” To find out more about our local Amity Study Club, and Trinity District, please visit gfwctexas.org/awards/ to inquire about how you can get involved.