Our Club was founded in 1970.
In 1971, before she was Georgia’s first lady that champions statewide causes, Sandra Deal’s focus was centered on Hall County. During that year that she became the president of the Phoenix Society, now known as the Gainesville Phoenix Woman’s Club.
“(Deal) was the second president of the Phoenix Society, the first being former school principal Shirley Whitaker,” said Connie Howard-Propes, a charter member of the original group. “Both did fantastic jobs at the helm of the fledgling group so many years ago.”
According to Howard-Propes, the group was started in the late 1960s as a rebirth of the local chapter of the General Federation of Women’s Club.
“The former women’s club wasn’t doing anything at that time, but they had some great programs and a very good focus, so about 12 of us decided there needed to be another group in town that does volunteer work,” said Howard-Propes, a Hall County resident.
“We named our group the Phoenix Society, like the little bird that rises from the ashes.” In the last few years, some of the members decided to change the name just a little bit to correspond with the other state organizations (under GFWC Georgia Federation of Women’s Clubs).
“When we first started, there was only one other woman’s group in town. Forming our group was a way to give another perspective to volunteerism. Some of the things we were doing weren’t being done by other organizations.”
“In the early days, some of the group’s special projects included volunteering at the Hall County Hospital and organizing summer programing for the Girls Club, which was a predecessor to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Hall County”, Howard-Propes said.
One relatively new area of support is the For Her Glory Foundation, a local nonprofit that helps provide wigs and prosthetics to women with cancer who couldn’t otherwise afford them.
The foundation was the brainchild of Judy Piotrowski, her husband Scott Piotrowski and their friends, Jackie and Counte Cooley. “Judy Piotrowski was a past president of the Phoenix (club). She started the foundation in 2004, shortly before she died from breast cancer,” said Brenda Martin, a GFWC Gainesville Phoenix club member. “When I became the president of the (GFWC Georgia Federation of Women’s Clubs) in 2008, I asked (the foundation) if we could make For Her Glory a statewide project and they agreed. “It was a project dear to my heart because (Piotrowski) got cancer about six months after I was diagnosed. We (sic) went through treatments at the same time.” Throughout her tenure from 2008 to 2010, women’s clubs statewide conducted projects to support For Her Glory, which is based in Gainesville, GA.
“Some clubs in the Warner Robins area have set up a satellite store, so they are still helping women,” said Martin, who has been a member of the GFWC Gainesville Phoenix club since 1981. “We continue to raise money for the foundation because it is a wonderful organization that does so much to help women. We like to do things that support our community.”
The GFWC Gainesville Phoenix ladies have come up with a unique way to cut costs for their fundraiser luncheon that benefits For Her Glory. Instead of paying extra for decorations, they let their club members take care of those details. “Each year, women in our club host a table of 8 ladies and may choose a theme for their table,” said Renette Todd, former GFWC Gainesville Phoenix president. “Each hostess may decorate her table according to the theme she chooses. We have had several beach-themed tables, a Christmas-themed table and even a 1950s ladies-who-lunch-themed table where every guest wore a hat, gloves and pearls.”
“It’s always a treat to see the creativity of each hostess.”
Past Presidents
1970-71 Shirley Whitaker 1971-72 Sandra Deal 1972-73 Marjorie Strittmatter 1973-74 Sue Dunn 1974-75 Connie Howard 1975-76 Linda Sundstrum 1976-77 Sylvia Garland 1977-78 Carolyn Shope 1978-79 Carol Snelling 1979-80 Nancy Anderson 1980-81 Teresa Green 1981-82 Teresa Bowman 1982-83 Judy Presley 1983-84 Judy Seagraves 1984-85 Marilyn Sykes 1985-86 Kitty Wise 1986-87 Terry Massey 1987-88 Brenda Martin 1988-89 Kitty Wise 1989-90 Sandra Whitmer 1990-91 Robin Dickson/Brenda Martin 1991-92 Peggy Blackmon 1992-93 Jean Hawkins 1993-94 Lisa Allison 1994-95 Megan Whalen 1995-96 Joanne Walter/Cynthia English 1996-97 Cynthia English 1997-98 Beth B. Holmes 1998-99 Ginger Folger 1999-00 Bonnie Keating 2000-01 Cynthia English 2001-02 Cynthia English 2002-03 Jamie Nelson 2003-04 Renette Todd 2004-05 Kathy Hayes 2005-06 Kris Roa 2006-07 Peggy Blackmon & Cynthia English 2007-08 Lea Tomlin Joy 2008-09 Lea Tomlin 2009-10 Lea Tomlin Joy 2010-2012 Renette Todd 2012-2014 Brenda Martin 2014-2016 Candace Turner 2016-2018 Caroline Brasch 2018-2020 Jill Bagley 2020-2022 Caroline Brasch 2022-2024 Mary Bob Fox 2024-2026 Debbie Brown
GFWC Gainesville Phoenix Woman's Club 