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“Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.” – John Dewey

From the 1996 Report of the International Commission on Education for the 21st Century and the 1997 Hamburg Declaration: Literacy, broadly conceived as the basic knowledge and skills needed in a rapidly changing world is a fundamental human right.  There are millions, the majority of whom are women, who lack opportunities to learn or have insufficient skills to be able to assert this right. The challenge is to enable them to do so. Literacy is also a catalyst for participating in social, cultural, political, and economic activities, and for learning throughout life. 

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Having founded over 474 public libraries and 4,655 travelling libraries in the 1930s, The American Library Association credited GFWC with establishing 75% of America’s public libraries. In the 21st century, libraries continue to be an important part of our communities, demonstrated by a 2013 survey in which 90% of Americans, ages 16 and older, said the closing of their local public library would have an impact on their community.

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In the early 1900s clubwomen supported legislation to improve school conditions and create compulsory attendance laws. In 1904 they helped establish the U.S. Dept. of Education. We support the  Hugh O'Brien Youth Leadership Foundation (HOBY).  Our Club has adopted the High Springs Community School and provide mentors, tutors, school supplies for teachers, and books for the elementary school library and Daycare Centers.  We also have a "little library" in front of our Clubhouse where anyone can pick up free books for their entertainment.

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Activities the group participated in for 2021 included:

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• Delivered bilingual books and homemade fabric dolls to a local daycare facility.
   

• Members donated pajamas, backpacks, and books to a foster ministry as a way to encourage children to read.
   

• Purchased subscriptions to Kind Kids News for the second grade students at the local school.
   

• Donated needed hot plates to the science department of a local school.
   

• Purchased a children's kitchen set, including a washer, dryer, coffee maker, cell phone, oven, microwave, lights, etc., for a local daycare.
   

• Purchased copies of the book A Virus Comes to Town for the local school and library.
   

• Purchased gift cards and teacher gifts for new teachers.
   

• Donated art supplies, dry erase markers, and computer headphones for special needs students at a local school.
   

• Donated art-oriented supplies to St. Jude Hospital from their Amazon wishlist.
   

• Donated a beanbag chair to a special needs class.
   

• Thanked the local library staff with home-baked cookies for library appreciation week.
   

• Purchased books about dementia and donated them to the community school to help kids understand loved ones who battle this disease

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