OUR MISSION:

Uniting Women in Friendship and Volunteer Service

for the Good of Our Community and Beyond.

Established  in  1937, the  Junior  Woman's  Club  of  Chevy  Chase  (aka JWCCC or JWC3) is a non-profit  501(c)(3) charitable  organization  located  in  Chevy Chase, Maryland -- a  neighborly suburb of Washington, DC -- dedicated to both supporting the community and to having  fun.

The JWCCC is  historically associated  with the GFWC Woman’s Club of Chevy Chase, Maryland,  Inc.  and federated with  the  Montgomery County Federation of Women’s Clubs and the Maryland Federation of  Women’s Clubs, which are affiliated with the General Federation of Women’s Clubs (“GFWC”),  an  international   organization  of  community-based  volunteer  women’s clubs whose motto is “Unity in Diversity.” 

JWCCC is locally governed by an elected Board which establishes and administers policies  and  programs assisted by standing committee members.

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"GFWC's  roots  can  be  traced  back  to 1868  when  Jane  Cunningham  Croly (1829-1901),  a professional  New  York   journalist who  wrote under the pen name of Jennie June, attempted to attend  a  dinner  at an  all-male press club honoring  British novelist Charles Dickens. Croly was denied admittance based upon her gender, and, in response, she formed a club for women. She chose  the name Sorosis, a Greek word meaning "an aggregation; a sweet flavor of many fruits."

1898: GFWC  unanimously  passed a  resolution against child labor. With the help of clubwoman Jane Addams (1860-1935), child  labor  became a  major  area of  concern for the Federation. In 1901, Addams headed the Federation's Child Labor Committee to work for the maintenance and improvement of child labor laws.  

1899: GFWC's  Chicago  Woman's  Club  supported  the  juvenile  court  law,  the  first ever to be passed in the United  States. This   law became the model for all subsequent juvenile court laws, many of  which  were  passed at the  insistence of GFWC clubwomen. Julia Lathrop (1858-1932) led this club  effort  and  was  appointed  by President William Howard Taft to head the Children's Bureau in 1912.

1901: The 56th Congress  of the  United  States chartered GFWC and designated the Federation be headquartered in Washington, DC. 

1922: GFWC  Clubwomen  purchased  1734 N Street, NW in  Washington,  DC to   serve  as the Federation's International Headquarters. 

1930s: Having founded over 474 free public libraries and 4,655 traveling libraries, women's clubs were  credited  by the  American  Library  Association  with  establishing  75 percent of America's public  libraries. Supporting  local  libraries  continues  to  be  a  Federation  priority  today.  

1932: GFWC established the Junior Department in response to an increasing number of younger women participating in volunteer community service.

1934: GFWC  began   a 10-year  study  to  review the  question  of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). In  1944, GFWC  adopted  a  resolution  in  support  of  the  ERA,  which  the  Federation continues to support today.   

1990s:  GFWC  actively   supported  the    passage  of  the  Violence  Against  Women  Act;  the Americans  With  Disabilities  Act;  the  Family and Medical Leave Act; and legislation supporting handgun control. 

1994: GFWC  founder  Jane Cunningham Croly  was  inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls, New York.

1997: GFWC renewed  its  commitment  to  libraries  with  the  Libraries 2000 project. Over a five year  period, GFWC  clubwomen  raised and  donated  $13.5 million to public libraries and public school libraries across the nation.

2000's: GFWC  members  contributed  $180,000  for a  fully-equipped  ambulance for use by the New York Fire  Department  in response  to  the  loss  of  equipment  suffered  during the terrorist attacks on September11, 2001.

GFWC continues  its tradition of  addressing  social  issues affecting women and families through programs that combat violence against women and promote human rights."

We are able to support our community in the spirit of our GFWC founders

through volunteer enthusiasm, fundraising activities,

and the generosity of our neighbors.

YOU CAN HELP! 

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