In the community of Carmichaels there is a gem of an organization: the Carmichaels Women’s Civic Club. This group is made up of community-minded women of all ages from the Carmichaels area who have joined together to provide community service through volunteering. Currently, the club has around 42 members and meets the first Thursday of each month from September to May.
The Carmichaels Civic Women’s Club is federated with the state as part of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs (GFWC), one of the world’s largest and oldest women’s service organizations. While the club has volunteered for many local projects, it also participates in projects suggested from the state level. For the past year, the state project has been military and veterans.
Through the state project, the club members have donated blankets and outerwear to the Veterans Hospital in Pittsburgh for homeless veterans and made glam bags and mommy & me bags for female veterans. An often-overlooked aspect of military-focused donations is that there are military members and veterans having babies who need support, as well.
Locally, members have participated in the Wreaths Across America program for 12 years at the Laurel Point Cemetery; every December, club members and community volunteers place wreaths on the graves of local service members buried in the cemetery. The group also recognizes a young lady from the Carmichaels High School Senior class each month. Their latest project is overseeing the Hometown Heroes Military Banner project.
At each meeting, a member of the community is invited to be the guest speaker. These speakers provide ideas and information that assists the club members’ decision on a project to help the community.
September 30, 2023, is the National Day of Service and the GFWC is asking local women’s clubs to help end hunger in our country by volunteering at local food banks, organizing a food drive, raising awareness about hunger issues and advocating to end food insecurity in America.
Club President Andrea Semenoff is very proud of the accomplishments of the Carmichaels Civic Women’s Club and speaks very highly of its members saying, “The Civic Club members are hardworking and very generous individuals.”
The club’s brochure lists the benefits of membership as follows: the satisfaction of being part of a service organization that makes a difference in the community, the opportunity to meet women who share the same interests and concerns, and the ability to experience a variety of informational and educational programs. All members are united by a dedication to community improvement through volunteer service!
Andrea also shares, “Volunteer work and helping as much as possible is very rewarding. I would recommend it to everyone!” She hopes that the folks of the Carmichaels community will understand and appreciate what the Carmichaels Women’s Civic Club represents—their past, present, and future. New members are always welcome and will really enjoy being part of this organization.
