About the Club

The Athens-Oconee Junior Woman’s Club is a civic group of organized women volunteering in the Athens-Oconee area. The mission of the club is to improve the lives of the people of our community. The Athens-Oconee Junior Woman’s Club (A-OJWC) began in 1953 as a small civic organization with 20 members. Encouraged by the Athens Woman’s Club, we sought to become part of the Georgia Federation of Women’s Clubs in 1954. The General Federation of Women’s Clubs was formed in 1890, and is the world’s oldest and largest female volunteer organization in the world, with the international headquarters being in Washington, DC.

We meet the third Tuesday on the month at 7 pm at Central Presbyterian Church fellowship hall. One of our fund raisers is the Annual Golf Tournament held each fall at Jennings Mill Country Club. Membership is open to all that have the desire to serve others. A membership social is held every September. Every October we host an orientation and prospective members join at the club's annual dinner meeting in January. For membership information, please contact Elizabeth Stanziale.

The members of the A-OJWC volunteer within six departments in the club to improve the lives of the people of our community...with a major emphasis on children. The departments are: The Arts, Education, Conservation, Public Affairs, International Affairs and Homelife.

Some projects include:

• Hattitudes, collecting hats for kids who have lost their hair due to chemotherapy. On Dr. Suess’s Birthday, members wear
• Cat In The Hat full costumes and read to kids at schools (we are Partners in Education with Gaines School) and kids at the two local hospitals.
• Hand painted and decorated the playhouse the Athens Habitat for Humanity Women Build.
• Encourage members to join the ESO reading society—where we have a fun book club.
• Sponsoring HOBY students at the local high schools.
• Walking in the American Cancer Society Relay For Life.
• Provide needed items to Project Safe.
• Work to help keep the local streams clean and helped clean up Gospel Pilgrim cemetery.
• Teach kids in schools seat belt and bike helmet safety with the Bee-A-Buckler Bee mascot and safety puppet show.
• Support CARE and UNICEF and created and donated the Athens Stories of Light for the Make A Wish Foundation.
• Host the Oconee County Easter Egg Hunt where over 4,000 kids hunt over 50,000 Easter Eggs.
• Created, with the Athens Woman’s Club, the Athens Women in History exhibit for the Athens bicentennial. This year we had the exhibit put on DVD and CD and gave it to the local schools for their libraries.

The WE LET THE DAWGS OUT art exhibit will benefit the following charities:

Nuci’s Space
A resource/support center dedicated to promoting the emotional, physical and occupational well being of the music community.

The AIDS Coalition of Northeast Georgia
The official grassroots body committed to caring for members of the community affected by HIV/AIDS. They serve 10 counties: Clarke, Barrow, Elbert, Greene, Jackson, Madison, Morgan, Oconee, Oglethorpe and Walton counties.

Agriculture exhibit at the ENSAT Center at Sandy Creek Nature Center
This exhibit will cost $40,000 and will teach youth what is grown in Georgia and how it is grown and harvested.

Georgia 4-H
The youth education branch of the Cooperative Extension Service, 4-H provides grants, establishes programs/initiatives, designs and publishes curriculum and reference materials, and creates linkages fostering innovation and shared learning to advance the 4-H youth development movement. They help build a world in which youth and adults learn, grow and work together as catalysts for positive change.

Extra Special People
Their mission is to provide service to developmentally disabled youth and young adults. By providing meaningful learning and leisure opportunities for all developmentally disabled youth, young adults and their families, they can give the children a support system of acceptance and understanding. Funds we provide will help fund their summer camp program.

Hope Haven of Northeast Georgia, Inc.
A private nonprofit corporation whose primary purpose is to provide services for individuals with developmental disabilities who reside in the Athens-Clarke and surrounding counties in northeast Georgia.

Canine Companions for Independence
Organization that enhances the lives of people with disabilities by providing highly trained assistance dogs and ongoing support to ensure quality partnerships.

Operation Smile
Groups of doctors and nurses who donate their time and services and repair the facial deformations of children who can not afford the surgery.

Bike Helmets for Kids
It is against the law to ride a bike without a helmet...but ticketing a kid is not the answer. Giving them a helmet is! We will provide the local police with bike helmets and when they see a child riding with out one, will give them one free.

Make A Wish Foundation
They provide wishes for children 2 years to 18 years old who suffer from a life threatening illness. Their mission is to grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength, and joy. The Georgia chapter grants over 400 wishes per year.

Tallulah Falls School
Owned and operated by the Georgia Federation of Women’s Clubs, Tallulah Falls School was formed by Athens resident Mary Lipscomb in 1909. It is a co-education boarding school for grades 7-12. With a student-teacher ratio of 11-1, Tallulah Falls prides itself in offering a quality academic program that ensures the success of every student. The small class size and close-knit campus community enriches the students both academically and socially.