Greater Taunton Woman’s Club Awards Received and Student Scholarships Give

L to R – Marisa Jablanski, state Director of Junior Clubs, Robin Gendron, Club President, Sheila Shea, past GFWC National President, T Jablanski, state GFWC MA President

Top Row, L to R – Nancy Martin, Marisa Jablanski, state Director of Junior Clubs, Joyce Clark, Edie Edlund, Cindy Brogan, Jennifer Rego

Top Row, L to R – Nancy Martin, Scholarship Chairman, Sarah Mendonca, Avery LaValle, Mattia McIntyre, Ericka Gendron Front, L to R – Tommy Hammond, Nathan Megna for his twin brother, Cole Megna (not pictured)

Heidi Chiavaroli

Posted Monday, May 13, 2024 12:00 am

Nine members of the GFWC (General Federation of Women’s Clubs) Greater Taunton Woman’s Club attended the GFWC Massachusetts Annual Convention at the Courtyard Marriott hotel in Marlborough, MA this past weekend (May 3rd and 4th) where the club won many awards. The club President, Robin Gendron, won the Sheila E. Shea Junior Club President’s Award and her daughter, Ericka Gendron, won the Ricky Gomes Scholarship, given to a member or family member of a GFWC Massachusetts club each year. The club itself won the “Big Silver Bowl” for winning best Programs and Activities Overall in Junior Membership, a great accomplishment for a small club. The weekend was a celebration of GFWC Massachusetts Club accomplishments but also included good food, inspiring speakers like Sheila E. Shea (a former National President of GFWC), a comedian, Gary Marino, and a trivia contest about women in history.

The last business meeting of the GFWC Greater Taunton Woman’s Club before the summer break was Monday night, May 6th, with the first order of business being the presentation of the seven $500 scholarships to students from local communities. Each year scholarship applications are sent to the seven schools from the Greater Taunton area (towns and cities where the club has members) and are on the club’s website, www.GFWCGreaterTauntonWomen.org. The scholarship committee then judges the applications received, 21 this year, on their resume of volunteer and extra-curricular activities, academic achievement, and their essay on future goals. This year’s winners were Sarah Mendonca, a graduate of Taunton High School, Avery LaValle, a freshman at Roger Williams College, Mattia McIntyre, a graduate of Norton High School, Kate Wagner, a graduate of Bishop Feehan High School, Ericka Gendron a graduate of Taunton High School, Thomas Hammond, a graduate of Bridgewater-Raynham Regional High School, and Cole Megna, a graduate of Somerset-Berkley Regional High School.

After the scholarship winners were able, along with those they brought with them, to enjoy some yummy refreshments, the meeting continued with highlights of the weekend for those members unable to attend the convention and our speaker for the evening, author Heidi Chiavaroli. Heidi told us how she started writing in the third grade and despite having many of her first works rejected, finally had her first novel published in 2017. Her debut novel “Freedom's Ring,” was a Carol Award winner and a Christy Award finalist, a Romantic Times Top Pick and a Booklist Top Ten Romance Debut. She has published many novels since then.

Finally, arrangements for the club’s greatest fundraiser for those student scholarships were discussed. This is the Alice in Wonderland’s Mad Hatters Tea. Tickets for the tea are $20 and include sandwiches, sweet treats, plenty of tea, and the club’s famous basket raffle. Anyone interested in tickets can contact a club member or call Linda at H: 508-952-2116 or C: 603-496-1203.