A century of service: St. Charles Women’s Club marks 100 years

Like most organizations founded in the 1920s, the St. Charles Women’s Club has evolved over the past century, but its mission remains the same: to educate and support women and children.

Club President Jenn Boyd said the club’s duties haven’t changed too drastically, but the organization has grown a lot and has become more structured in how it supports the community.

The past 100 years

The St. Charles Women’s Club, originally called the St. Charles Mother’s Club, was founded in 1924 by Dr. Edith Lowry and a group of unknown women. Their mission was to support young mothers in the community and improve safety for babies.

It wasn’t until 2018, when then president Maggie Carlson and the executive board changed the name to the St. Charles Women’s Club, to be more inclusive and to better reflect their current mission.

“It’s kind of a balancing act of staying the same, but yet changing to be relevant,” Boyd said. “I think that’s the key to still being here 100 years later.”

Some of their early efforts included heading the Parent Teacher Organization in D303, advocating for healthy milk and bringing in pediatric experts to educate mothers. As they entered the Great Depression, the club was known to pay new mothers’ hospital bills and help buy food and Christmas presents.

In the 1940s, efforts shifted toward helping the Red Cross and supporting the families of soldiers overseas. By the 1950s they started hosting social events which have continued to evolve through the years.

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Members of the St. Charles Women's Club (then the Young Mothers Club of St. Charles) circa 1970. (Provided by the St. Charles History Museum)

The club has more than 100 members today. Boyd said it began with a huge increase after the COVID-19 pandemic, and it has been steadily increasing ever since. She said they still have plenty of room for more, and while their efforts remain focused on the D303 community, members can come from anywhere.

Membership isn’t the only aspect of the club that has increased over the years, as current club dues are $41.50 per year, up almost 3,000% from the $1.50 fees of the 1930s. Notable members today include Mayor Lora Vitek, Alderperson Jayme Muenz, Kane County Associate Judge Sandra Parga and local author Faly Colaizzi.

Boyd became a member shortly after moving to St. Charles in 2021. She said she found the group on Facebook, attended a meeting, became a member and was named vice president at the start of the 2022-23 season. Six weeks later, the president stepped down and Boyd stepped up to take her place.

Boyd said being thrust into the role was scary at first, but it pushed her to overcome her fear of public speaking, and she has since gained a lot of confidence in her ability to perform tasks she would never have done otherwise.

“I became president really fast. I was very green and very scared, but it’s been one of the best experiences I’ve gone through,” Boyd said. “It’s made me grow personally...I had to learn to be better. There are things I’ve had to do that I was not good at and I didn’t have the confidence level I needed, and I’ve just learned to put myself out there.”

Boyd said she was drawn to the club because of how nice all the members are. She said most members join the club because they want to give back to the community, but they stay and thrive in it because they meet so many great people who become their friends.

“It’s been very rewarding to make decisions that you know are for the benefit of 120 people,” Boyd said. “It takes all the self out of it, and you’re thinking for a group mentality. It’s just made me grow a lot, having to do that. The women are so appreciative and complimentary that it gives you the zest to keep going.”

Kandi Ferrandino has been a member of the St. Charles Women’s Club since 2008, and served as president in 2021 and 2022. She said she is very happy with the way the club has continued to grow and evolve in recent years.

“We are very much a community and service oriented organization,” Ferrandino said. “It’s just a very positive climate right now, of women supporting women and women supporting our community.”

How They Help

Each year the club selects two local organizations that benefit women and children to partner with throughout the year. This year, the club is partnering with the D303 United Special Olympics and the Ruth Project.

D303 United Special Olympics works to provide free sporting experiences for children between 8-years-old and 8th grade, and The Ruth Project is a nonprofit organization aimed at ending the modern-day orphan crisis.

“[Working with D303 United Special Olympics] is very rewarding for our members,” Boyd said. “We’re probably getting a lot more out of that than we’re get.”

The St. Charles Women’s Club will provide hands-on help to both of these organizations throughout the year, and raise funds to provide each with a check at their end of the year celebration. Last year they partnered with Fox Valley Hands of Hope and Lazarus House, each of which received a $3,118.57 check.

In the 1990s, the club began working with elementary social workers in D303 to find families in need of support for the club to “adopt.” The club adopts about a dozen D303 families each year, which equates to about 35 children, who they support throughout the year.

Each family the club adopts can provide a wish list of special items they need. The club members use funds raised throughout the year to purchase those items, provide the families with gift cards for groceries before holidays, stockings and warm clothing on Christmas, Easter baskets and more.

Another of the club’s annual offerings is the Sherry Costello Scholarship Fund, named after a former member who died of breast cancer, which gives two scholarships each year to a graduating female high school senior in School District 303 and an adult female living or working in the D303 area continuing her education. Last year they awarded two $5,177.85 scholarships.

The club’s calendar runs August through June. Starting with a kickoff event in August, and ending with an end of year celebration banquet in June. During the end of year event, they present their annual awards, scholarships and checks to their partnering charities, and announce the charities they’ve selected to support during the upcoming year.

They host two major fundraising events each year. The Fall Fundraiser is geared towards supporting the club’s adopted families and the Spring Fundraiser is a larger event that benefits the organizations they’ve partnered with each year, as well as the scholarships. Funds raised at the spring event are split between their charitable partners, who receive 40%, and the scholarship recipients, who receive 60%.

In addition to the major events and fundraisers, the club participates in local parades and festivals, volunteer their time at countless local food banks and charity events, and often get called on by local organizations that need assistance.

Celebrating 100 Years

The club began celebrating their 100th year at their kickoff event in August. Throughout the year, the club held a ribbon cutting at the First Street Plaza downtown and a celebration at Alter Brewing, St. Charles Mayor Lora Vitek gave a proclamation at City Hall, and held a record-breaking spring fundraiser at the Arcada Theatre.

This year’s fall fundraiser was held Oct. 18 and the St. Charles History Museum will host a 100th Birthday Celebration for the club at 4 p.m. on Dec. 1, the 100th anniversary of the club’s first meeting.

Boyd said during her time as a member, the number of events has grown a lot. Outside of the club’s annual charities, they routinely donate time and money to the community and school district, hold monthly public meetings at the St. Charles Public Library, and regularly host book clubs, bunko and girls’ nights out, and recently started hosting events that members’ husbands are invited to.

Boyd said the club provides an outlet for women in the community looking to give back. She said everyone gets busy seasons in their life, where they might not have time for anything outside of work and family, but the club is always there when they are ready and has really helped people.

“It’s a very special group of ladies, where people have literally found lifelong friends.” Boyd said. “We always tell people that you can do as little or as much as you want. Nobody keeps score.”

“We exist to support Kane County and the D303 district, so everything that we do in some way supports our area,” Ferrandino said. “We do as much as we can to give back to our community...We may have expanded and improved certain things, but they’re not new, these efforts have always been the goal.”

Ferrandino said being part of the club and its history has been fulfilling.

“It’s just been an incredibly rewarding organization. It always has been and it continues to be.” Ferrandino said “As we grow bigger and bigger, we’re adapting and making changes to accommodate that, but all the while our goal has been to serve the community of St. Charles and I think that’s what keeps people coming back.”

For more information about the club, visit stcharleswomensclub.com or email stcwomensclub@gmail.com. To make a donation, visit https://stcharleswomensclub.com/page-18081.