Women's club reaches 100
The Butler County Women's Club has a reason to celebrate.
The club marked its 100th anniversary recently with a luncheon meeting at the Butler Country Club. There were about 60 people in attendance, and the celebration had many of the women reminiscing about earlier years.
Mary Hulton Phillips is the club's longest member, having joined in 1971. When she was president from 1974 to 1978, she said the club had about 250 members and held two meetings per month. Now, the club only meets once a month in the afternoon, which doesn't always suit people, she said.
Phillips said, back in the day, the club hosted an annual bazaar. She said the Citizen's Bank Building used to be a car lot and for two days a year, it was taken over by the women's club, which sold hand-made children's clothes, towels and purses as well as homemade canned goods, jams and jellies.
"Iremember crocheting purses and things to sell there,"Phillips said. "Back then, everything was hand-made."
She said they also used to have a high tea in September, December, February and May on occasions Phillips likes to call High Holy Days. These were very formal affairs and the women always had a good time, she said.
"It was very fancy with candles and all that, but of course you can't do those things anymore."
She said it may be hard to do, but she would love to see the women's club regain its numbers. Phillips said people today have too many irons in the fire and when a person ages, nature takes over and they may not be able to do as much as they'd like.
"We almost disbanded this year because no one wanted to take leadership," Phillips said. "But Aggie stepped up and said she'd try, so God willing, we're going to keep moving forward."
Agnes Rauschenberger, 76, of Butler, is the organization's president and is busy getting the group's service projects under way. She said the women's club is collecting soda can tabs and turning them into the state to benefit the Ronald McDonald House and Shriner's Children's Hospital.
She said they are also collecting non-perishable food items to benefit VOICe. They are also gathering mittens, hats, underwear and socks, which will go to a charitable organization that has yet to be determined. Rauschenberger said the items will go to those that need them most.
The Women's Club is also in the process of collecting used postage stamps, which were requested by the state.
"I have no idea why they would want used postage stamps,"Rauschenberger said. "But they said bring some, so I took some."
Another project the Women's Club had been notorious for were Dolls to Go. Rauschenberger said they are travel dolls made from fabric. They look like paper dolls, but are much more durable. Rauschenberger's 7-year-old granddaughter still plays with hers. The project was taken over by the Mars Women's Club.
Eunice Nevins, 96, of Butler has been a member since 1990 and was also a charter member of the Women's Club Intermediate division. She said when the intermediate club started, they were supposed to transition their members to the Women's Club after 15 years. Since then, they have done away with the age limit, so Women's Club membership has deteriorated to about 50 members.
"It's changed very radically because the older women have quit or died and the younger women are staying in the intermediate club,"Nevins said. "It's just like a lot of clubs in the Butler area."
She said the women's club doesn't do the civic things it used to do. She remembers how they used to have pie baking contests and show-and-tell programs, and wishes they would go back to that.
"They're trying to revive it right now, but it's a lost cause unless we get some new blood or intermediate transitions," Nevins said.
