Westborough Woman's Club

HOLIDAY HOUSE TOUR SET FOR DECEMBER 12TH

The Westborough Woman's Club is pleased to announce that the annual Holiday House Tour will be held on Saturday, December 12th. Five lovely Westborough homes will be open for ticket holders from 1-4 p.m.  Refreshments at the Evangelical Congregational Church will be open to ticket holders from 12:30-2:30 p.m.  Tickets are available from Priscilla Federici at 508-366-4538, Kathie Wong at 508-366- 0902 or Judy Wilchynski at 508-870-1895.

All of the five homes are varied in age and style this year.  There is a New England Cape style residence that was 1300 square feet, but has since been expanded.  The second house was built in the early 1800's. Many local families have called it home and many residences have great memories of the house. Another home was built in 1900 in the style of the New England cottage. A lovely saltbox house based on saltbox styles dating to 1797 will be open. It will show how modern living can be accommodated in a house based on plans of homes years ago.  Also on  the tour will be a home that is celebrating its 280th birthday.  It has been modernized for today's family living, and boasts a long history of many uses over the years.

The annual house tour supports the community projects and scholarships that the club sponsors in the area. The Westborough Woman's Club is celebrating its ninety third anniversary of community service to the town and many projects. Membership is open to any woman age 18 and over, from any town. For membership and club information please call Judy at 508-870-1895.

The General Federation of Women's Clubs (GFWC) of Massachusetts is pleased to be offering scholarships for 2010.  Over a dozen scholarships are available in varying amounts for new college students and those returning to college.

The application forms are available online at www.gfwcma.org or at the reference librarian at the Westborough public library.   The following scholarships are available for any Massachusetts resident.  The Julia Ward Howe scholarship is for graduate study in political science, Pennies for Art scholarship, Music scholarship for voice, Music scholarship for major in piano, instrument, music education or therapy and voice; Memorial Education Fund for graduate study in library science or engineering, Return to School scholarship, Education Teaching scholarship, Woman's Italian Club of Boston scholarship for undergraduate study, Catherine Philbin scholarship for undergraduate or graduate study in public health and a Communication Disorders-Speech Therapy scholarship for graduate study.  All awards will be paid directly to the college for tuition only.

All scholarship recipients will be invited to attend a scholarship luncheon at the GFWC of Massachusetts state convention on May 2, 2010.  For more information call Judy at the Westborough Woman's Club at 508-870-1895.

[Note: deadlines for applications begin as early as February 1, 2010 -- webmaster]

PACKER SELECTED FOR MASS STAR LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

The Westborough Woman's Club is pleased to announce that Kasey Packer was selected to attend the MassSTAR Leadership conference at Lasell College recently.  The club sponsors a sophomore high school student each year to attend.  Avidia Bank provides the funding and the high school guidance department participates in the selection of the student.

Over one hundred sophomores from across the state attended the conference. The General Federation of Women's Clubs of Massachusetts is an official sponsor of the program.

Over the course of three days delegates listened, talked to and observed panels, presentations and fellow leaders from across Massachusetts. Some of these keynote speakers included Jim Laughlin director of communications at Life Is Good Inc., Chef Jayson, a former White House Chef, and also Catherine Pisacane executive director of Project Smile and many more. The goal of the conference was to force each student to open their eyes to the world around them. Delegates were encouraged to stand up and ask a question of the presenters, make impromptu speeches, and interview and introduce each of the guest and keynote speakers. Being forced into a leadership role immediately caused the delegates to open up, learn new skills and most importantly learn from each other.

By the end of the conference all one hundred students were empowered to do something more with their leadership roles using the skills and opportunities they had just received.  Each delegate was asked to go home and make a difference in their school and communities. This year Central District MassStar has begun work on a bigger project all student run, pooling ideas together. The Central District MassStar delegates are starting work on a benefit concert where all proceeds will go to the Soles4Souls group. This organization collects “gently used” shoes, and sends them to citizens in countries around the world who are unable to afford shoes. One thing’s for certain, each student was given the gift to no longer take things for granted and to change themselves and people around them for the better.  For information on the MassSTAR program go to www.massstar.org.

The Massachusetts Youth Leadership Foundation (MYLF) is a Massachusetts-based 501(c)3 tax-exempt non-profit organization seeking to recognize, teach, and empower leadership in high school sophomores across the state. The organization values the potential of young people as our future leaders and provides them with the tools to create positive change in their schools and communities.

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