LUDLOW, Vt. – The General Federation of Women’s Clubs (GFWC) Okemo Valley Women’s Club (OVWC) met on Monday, Nov. 13. Seventeen club women gathered at the studio of Pam Hardiman, a liturgical fiber artist. Pam has focused on designing and creating fiber arts for the church since the late 1980s. She combines fabric of many cultures and paints silk at her studio in Ludlow, Vt. Many examples of her work appear on her website, www.pthardiman.com. Commission items can be made to your specifications, and Pam is available for workshops on silk fabric painting, as well as banner design and construction. On Monday night, Pam introduced the club women to creating crafts using painted silk fabrics. The women created handmade cards and bookmarks and, despite sticky fingers from gluing fabric, everyone succeeded in creating something fun and beautiful that they each designed themselves, learning much about fiber arts in the process.
After learning about fiber arts, the club held a business meeting to discuss recent and upcoming events. The Tree of Remembrance will be lit in Veterans Park in Ludlow on Friday, Nov. 24, at 5 p.m. The Tree of Remembrance is one of the club’s annual fundraising events that memorializes and honors loved ones at the holidays. At the lighting ceremony, there will be caroling to celebrate the season.
The recent state fall meeting of Vermont GFWC was held in Ludlow on Oct. 14, with the Okemo Valley Women’s Club hosting the event at the Black River Valley Senior Center. The speaker for the state meeting was Carol Lightall of the Ludlow Area Chamber of Commerce, who discussed community efforts to assist victims of the historic July flood. Local efforts, including the OVWC, contributed more than $250,000 to victim relief. OVWC also baked cookies to assist with a recent program to deliver baked goods to thank our local veterans on the recent Veterans Day holiday.
The club will once again hold their annual Holiday Project to assist the efforts of Black River Good Neighbor Services in helping local families make their holidays special for their children.
The GFWC Okemo Valley Women’s Club meets monthly and welcomes new members. GFWC is an international organization dedicated to community improvement by enhancing the lives of others through volunteer services. Anyone interested in attending a meeting may contact President Penny Trick at 860-305-6558, Membrship Chairwoman Suzane Garvey at 802-236-4341, or any club member.