Their numbers may be small, but their impact is tangible. Members of the Needham Women’s Club have spearheaded many community events and volunteer opportunities in Needham during their nine decades of existence. Currently listing 35 members, the Women’s Club is about to celebrate its 90th anniversary heralding many contributions, including the first renovation of Greene’s Field back in the late ’80s, the annual Holiday House tour, the Needham Spelling Bee and many donations to other local and national nonprofits.
Volunteering and community service is at the heart of the organization, according to Mary Ann Pierce, the current president who joined the club 41 years ago. “It’s giving back to where you live or anywhere in the world.” Members meet casually each week, volunteer for causes that interest them, and fundraise. Pierce said that when a need arises, folks know who they are and can come to them for help, financial or otherwise.
Pierce touted the power of an organization led and run by women. Early in her tenure with the group, she was approached by local male-led organizations who wanted her to join. Back in those days, she said, she didn’t want to be in any organization that “relegated women to doing all the dirty work.” Nowadays, she and her members work with any group that does good, but Pierce likes putting her efforts into the Women’s Club which prioritizes the strength and leadership of women locally and around the world.
Tish Lorinsky, the club’s newest member, has already benefitted from her volunteer experiences and connection to other Needham women. She recently moved to the area after her husband passed away. “I attend grief support groups but life can’t be all about grief. I enjoy being with fun people who want to help.” Her first experience was helping to make birthday boxes for families in need.
The Needham branch of the Women’s Club is an affiliate of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs whose roots can be traced back to 1868. According to the group’s website, that was when Jane Cunningham Croly, a professional journalist, was denied access to an all-male press club dinner honoring British novelist Charles Dickens. Croly went on to create a women’s club that by 1890 included 63 other such clubs and became the GFWC.
The group has initiated and supported groundbreaking legislation, including the Fair Pay Act of 2009. Pierce proudly remembered lobbying with Lilly Ledbetter, also a club member, when she led the fight for equal pay. “I remember walking the halls of Congress with Lilly and feeling so proud when Ledbetter stood beside President Barack Obama as he signed the bill into law.” Pierce proudly stated that Eleanor Roosevelt was also a club member and the founder of the Massachusetts group was author, poet and writer Julia Ward Howe.
The Needham Women’s Club has a proud history, but is also looking to the future. Pierce conceded she’d like to get more young women involved in the group. “It would be a gift they would give to themselves because they would make friends for life, they would understand their community and the world at large better and they would see that they could truly make a difference.”
The Needham Women’s Club will celebrate its 90th anniversary at the Needham Golf Club on Thursday, Sept. 25. More information about the event is at their website
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