The Tunkhannock Junior Women's Club, or 'TJWC,' began in the autumn of 1967 with a handful of women from the Tunkhannock area who wanted to form a group dedicated to community service. The majority of the women were married to men who worked at the then-new Procter and Gamble plant in Mehoopany, Wyoming County. Most of the families had settled in Tunkhannock and the women knew each other from plant functions, school events or because their children played or studied together.

 

This was 1967 and the majority of the women who started TJWC did not work outside the home. That fact was, in a way, responsible for the club being started: the women felt a need to contribute to the community which was going to be their home for the foreseeable future. They seized the opportunity of their leisure time to begin to meet and identify ways in which they could positively impact the Tunkhannock area.

 

Initially, TJWC aligned itself with the General Federation of Women's Clubs, a blanket national organization which broadly encompasses a number of women's clubs. GFWC provided the fledgling TJWC with a structure-officers and committees, for example-and the legitimacy it needed to recruit new members. Also initially, TJWC had a very strong alignment with the Tunkhannock Area School System, since most of the members had children in the area's schools. As its name implies, TJWC was designed with young women who lived in Tunkhannock Borough and Township in mind. However, as Club grew these specifics would expand and adjust to the changing demographics of the area and the challenges of a developing society, while the founding principles of TJWC-- charitable service, civic involvement and mutual friendship-remained.

 

One of the earliest projects of TJWC was an annual Blood Drive in conjunction with the local Red Cross. Although other civic groups also ran Blood Drives in the area, TJWC's was known as the one with the best cookies! TJWC was also a driving force in the start of a girls' softball team in the Tunkhannock Area. The Club began a modest Scholarship Program to benefit college-bound graduates of the High School, and also started an association with the county's largest annual charitable program, Interfaith's Christmas Bureau.

 

To foster friendships and mutual understanding among its members, TJWC also began to have its meetings following a group dinner at an area restaurant. This 'night out' provided members a chance to socialize and interact as well as conduct the business of TJWC. Orientation 'teas' were begun at which prospective members were welcomed and told a little bit about what TJWC could offer both to them and to their community. An annual holiday Cookie Exchange was also begun, which not only gave members a chance to show off their baking skills but also gave those who attended an opportunity to take home a variety of special cookies for their families and for holiday entertaining.

 

By 1989 there were over 30 active members in TJWC and Club had become a recognized force in the community. When members solicited funds for a TJWC project just the mention of the Club's name often produced willing cooperation and generosity from businesses and residents in the area. New members were drawn to Club because of its commitment to community service and also because of its sterling reputation.

 

The 'look' of club had also begun to change. As more women joined the work force, at P&G and elsewhere, women who worked both part time and full time began to become members of TJWC. Additionally, Club admitted members who lived in neighboring communities, not limiting itself to residents of Tunkhannock. Club Committees were broadened to include a wider range of interests which would better reflect the tastes of its members. The programs presented at most meetings also reflected the diverse interests of members, from nuclear waste disposal to culture and society in equatorial Africa to estate planning and investments. During this period, new projects were taken on by Club as well. One of the most notable was the Fall Fest which would become TJWC's largest fund raising effort.

 

In 1993, TJWC decided to split from its longtime 'parent' GFWC. Several members had begun to question the fact that a portion of their yearly dues to TJWC went to support a national organization which they felt gave TJWC little or no support. After much debate, a vote was taken and TJWC became an independent club. While it kept, to large extent, the structure adopted from GFWC, Club was now free to depart from GFWC guidelines if it saw good reason to. Most importantly, 100% of TJWC's membership dues-which were raised from $10 to $12 and eventually to the existing $25 -stayed in club and therefore in the community.

 

In the past four decades TJWC has continued to provide a place for area women to come together to act for the benefit of the community in which they all live or work. TJWC now includes a wide range of individuals including full time professionals, retired career women, single women and full-time mothers. The broadening of the scope of Club membership has made TJWC stronger and more effective. Its diversity means it attracts women from many walks of life, and they in turn bring innovative ideas and fresh support to Club's goals.

 

TJWC continues to be rooted in and committed to its founding principles, but also eager and able to embrace the challenges and changes of its community and its membership.