Albany Woman’s Club to host yard sale to raise funds for student scholarship

ALBANY – Books, clothing, home decor and more line the large meeting room at the Women’s Federated Clubs of Albany.

Over the last week, members of the Albany Woman’s Club have arrived – arms full of items to sell – early at the house on Van Buren Street to prepare for an upcoming yard sale. The sale will take place from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. Saturday, and the group is welcoming donations at the house from 9 a.m. until about noon throughout the week. 

The Albany Woman’s Club was organized in 1911 by the Georgia Chautaugua Literary and Scientific Circle. The club soon became affiliated with the Georgia Federation of Women’s Clubs and in 1912 became a member of the National Federation of Women’s Clubs. It’s a club rooted in community service and civic engagement. Members agree it’s less a social gathering and more hard work, but it’s fulfilling. 

“I love the fellowship,” Betty Clark, the club’s vice president said. “It’s hard work, but we get to meet people and be around each other.” 

The club works to provide collaboration with six community service programs. These include arts, conservation, education, health and wellness, international outreach and public issues. The members have worked together to provide supplies for different nonprofits throughout the community like Liberty House, a domestic violence shelter, and Megan’s House, a respite home for people with developmental disabilities. 

One of the group’s favorite memories is providing new stuffed animals to children at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital. 

A key way the group gives back each year is to provide scholarships for women who are seniors in high school: both a $500 education and $300 art scholarship. The Saturday yard sale is to benefit this scholarship program as well as the organization’s other service projects. 

Funds raised also help to keep the club going. Betty Gotsch, the club’s president, said membership has declined over the years. When she first joined, the club had as many as 150 women members, but now has about 15. 

“We still work hard. Members contribute a lot of personal money to the things we do,” Gotsch said. “It seems like a lot of the other clubs in our southwest district have about the same numbers.”

The Albany Woman’s Club shares the historic house at 1012 North Van Buren Street with the Thronateeska Daughters of the American Revolution group. Both clubs have been fundraising to bring much-needed renovation projects to their meeting space. 

The house was built in 1941 for four local women’s clubs and has many outdated aspects. The club members who fill its rooms each month said the home is an important piece of Albany’s history – reflecting multiple trends of the 1940s: women’s movements, automobiles and suburbanization.

In the last year, the clubs have been able to fund fresh paint and other updates in the building’s kitchen space. They rent the house out as an event center as well, so upgrades are important for the space.

The current two clubs also split house expenses each month, which come out to be about $500 total.

Albany Women’s Club members say they would like to see growth. Membership is by invitation only, but the women encourage those interested to come out to the yard sale and ask about membership or reach out to leadership at [email protected].