Huntsville Woman's Club Hisory

Huntsville Woman’s Club (HWC) began in 1965 with 35 chartered members whose husbands were the engineers and scientists who had come to Huntsville to work in rocket and space programs.  Previous to the  opening of the rocket/space programs Huntsville (the oldest town in Alabama) was a sleepy “King Cotton” community of about 3,500 people. The members agreed that their immediate purpose would be to identify and help solve the problems of the 75,000 new arrivals into the Huntsville area.

Now in 2010, our 45th year as a volunteer organization, we are proud of our  accomplishments.  In past years club members compiled a sign language dictionary for the deaf, carried diabetes detection kits door to door in  Huntsville, held charity balls to raise funds for the American Cancer Society, developed and presented a smoking awareness program for all 5th and 6th grade public schools.  The members assisted in opening a Day Care Center for mentally challenged adults enabling them to live with their families rather than be institutionalized, and equipped satellite stations of  the Madison County Senior Center to provide blood pressure monitoring  for senior citizens. Our club members donated cash and collected and  delivered needed items for Care Assurance System for the Aging and Home Bound of Madison County (CASA).

Our largest fundraiser, an annual Luncheon and Fashion Show, provides funds for Meals-on-Wheels, resulting in over $161,000.00 being donated  over 25 years.  In 2009, our 25th Fashion Show netted enough to furnish over 3,600 meals ($9,000).

Our club members have won many honors and awards in the past 45 years:  First Place in Creative Writing of Poetry, Photography, Cloth Painting,  Decoupage and Wood Burning Pictures, and Best Overall for the scrapbook for three consecutive years from the Alabama Federation of Women’s Clubs (AFWC).  Our club also received special awards from the General  Federation of Women’s Clubs (GFWC), AFWC District I, and our local city government. 

Since 1986 our club has awarded scholarships to mature women of Madison County who are studying at the University of Alabama, Huntsville, who need further education to return to the workforce after an absence.  These scholarships are in the amount of $1,000 each, and are administered by the University. In 2009, two additional $500 scholarships were awarded.