Ladies First

In honor of March as National Women’s History Month and March 8 being International Women’s Day, this month we’re putting ladies first. While the term “ladies first” may have sprung from sentiments of chivalry and the idea of women being fragile creatures in need of protection, we’re reclaiming the phrase and sharing stories of women who were making accomplishments and shaping our world. These women were important figures in Golden Isles history and their actions have had long-lasting impacts that can be seen in our community today.

Here's to you, ladies!

Georgia’s “Founding Mother”

First and foremost in our history lessons covering women of Georgia is Mary Musgrove. Where Lewis and Clark had Sacagawea and the colony of Jamestown had Pocahontas, the newly founded colony of Georgia had Mary Musgrove. The daughter of English trader Edward Griffin and a Native American mother from Coweta, Creek Nation, she was given the name Coosaponakeesa at birth. She learned Creek culture and to speak their language of Muskogee as a child. She was taken to a small town in South Carolina by her father when she was about seven years-old, and there she learned English and changed her name to Mary. She later married English trader John Musgrove and they established a trading post near the Savannah River, where Mary honed her skills as an interpreter. It was there that she caught the attention of General James Oglethorpe.

Mary acted as Oglethorpe’s primary interpreter from 1733 to 1743 and was central to his dealings with their Creek neighbors. Mary’s work as interpreter for Oglethorpe and Yamacraw chief Tomochichi is said to have been instrumental in the peaceful founding of Savannah, and the colony of Georgia itself. She used her connections to foster peace between the Native Americans and the British settlers and aided Oglethorpe greatly in his understanding of the Creeks. She was compensated financially and earned prestige from her position.

During those years, Mary’s husband John Musgrove died, and she remarried twice. First to Jacob Matthews, with whom she established another trading post on the Altamaha. He died a mere five years later, whereupon she married Christian missionary Rev. Thomas Bosomworth. This cemented her place in the higher echelons of society, and the couple was known to communicate messages from Oglethorpe and the king of England to and from Creek leaders. They often hosted visitors from both nations in their home.

Not only was Mary’s role in the founding of the colony and maintaining amicable relations with the Native Americans remarkable, so was her pursuit of claims to land that had been granted to her by virtue of her position. In 1737, she was granted a plot of land near Savannah by Tomochichi, yet the claim was unsettled when Mary married Bosomworth. The couple was granted claims to Sapelo, St. Catherines, and Ossabaw islands by Lower Creek chief Malatchi. British officials refused to acknowledge the claims, however, arguing that a nation can only cede or grant land to another nation, not to individuals. For approximately a decade Mary continued to press authorities in Georgia and in England to obtain the property that had been granted to her. A compromise was reached in 1760 whereby Mary received the right to St Catherines Island plus a monetary sum and released her claims to the other lands. It was on St. Catherines that Mary took her final breath. In 1993, more than two centuries after her death, Mary Musgrove was declared an inductee of Georgia Women of Achievement. She is also recognized in the National Women’s History Museum. So when you consider the beginnings of our fair state of Georgia, remember the important contributions of its multicultural “mother.”

Women in the Plantation Era

Anna Matilda Page King (1798-1859) is the woman responsible for one of the most recognizable and photographed spots on St. Simons Island: Avenue of the Oaks, the double row of stately live oak trees that now welcome guests to Sea Island Golf Club. Anna’s father, Major William Page, owned Retreat Plantation on St. Simons Island and taught her all aspects of plantation management from cultivating plants to keeping accounts. Anna inherited the property in 1826 upon her parents’ deaths. Anna and her husband Thomas Butler King lived at Retreat after they married, but as their family grew, they moved to King’s plantation properties on the mainland. When a sharp drop in cotton prices made it impractical to keep operating multiple properties, the Kings sold the mainland plantations and moved back to Retreat. While Thomas attended to his political ambitions and duties as a member of Congress, Anna ran Retreat successfully, growing Sea Island cotton, olives, oranges, and fragrant flowers. The nearly 200-year-old live oak trees serve as a beautiful reminder of Anna’s care and pride for her coastal home. You can get a glimpse into her world by reading Anna: Letters of a St. Simons Island Plantation Mistress, 1817-1859, a collection of more than 150 letters written by King detailing everyday antebellum coastal Georgia life.

Another woman who left an indelible mark in the Golden Isles as a plantation owner was Ophelia Dent (1886-1973). Initially established by William Brailsford as a rice plantation around 1806 and managed by Brailsford and his son-in-law, James Troup, Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation became the property of Troup’s children. Hofwyl House was built in the 1850s by Troup’s daughter Ophelia and her husband George. When rice production declined after the Civil War, Ophelia and her sister Miriam rescued the family plantation from debt by converting the property to a dairy farm. The property is now managed by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources. Today visitors to the state historic site can see the house just as it was when Ophelia Troup Dent’s granddaughter (also named Ophelia) left it to the state of Georgia upon her death in 1973, as stated in her will “for use for scientific, historical, educational and aesthetic purposes.” Antiques collected over five generations remain in the house as well as a museum with a model of a working rice plantation and film about plantation life. In addition to tours of the property, there are holiday events and a variety of programs both educational and recreational hosted by Friends of Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation at the site throughout the year.

A more controversial figure who is frequently mentioned in relation to coastal Georgia’s plantation era is Frances Anne “Fanny” Kemble (1809-1893). While Kemble’s time on coastal Georgia plantations was limited to about four months, her impressions of that time, published in 1863 as Journal of a Residence on a Georgia Plantation, became a classic and reliable source about plantation life and conditions in which slaves lived for scholars and historians, despite the controversy that surrounded it.

Born into England’s most prominent family of actors, Fanny made her own theatrical debut on the London stage at age 19. Not only recognized as a brilliant actress, but she was also an accomplished musician and voracious reader who was passionate about writing. She spoke fluent French and also enjoyed horseback riding. Naturally Pierce Mease Butler found Fanny enchanting when he met her during a theatrical tour of America in 1832. Butler, the grandson of Major Pierce Butler, one of the nation’s founding fathers, a Revolutionary War veteran, and Georgia plantation owner, wooed Kemble and married her in 1834. The marriage was a disaster from the start, and when Butler inherited his grandfather’s plantations on Butler Island and Sea Island, the relationship deteriorated further with Fanny’s abolitionist views clashing harshly with Butler’s role as a slave owner. Butler brought Fanny to Georgia in hopes that seeing the plantations in operation would convince her of the need for slave labor, and Fanny went hoping to convince Butler of the merits of emancipation. Neither was successful and Fanny left after only four months.

She compiled letters that she had written to her friends about slavery and her journal entries recounting her days at the plantation into a book but was pressured by the Butler family not to publish. Pierce and Fanny divorced in 1849 and the Butler family remained in turmoil and splintered by their divided views over slavery. Fanny finally published her journal in England in 1863, 22 years after her time in Georgia, reportedly triggered by her native country’s hostility toward the North and the Emancipation Proclamation issued by Lincoln. When the American version was published later that year, it was vilified by White Southerners and attempts to discredit her account continued for more than a century. One of the most recognized rebuttals was that made by Margaret Davis Cate in 1960. For such a short time spent on the coastal Georgia plantations, Fanny Kemble made a big splash with her memoir that continues to ripple to this day.

Women Preserving History

Coastal Georgia women have been a driving force behind sharing and safeguarding our history. They have written it down, compiled records and resources, and taken steps to make it easily accessible to the public. They have been behind the scenes and at the forefront.

On Jekyll Island, we have Tallulah “Tallu” Fish to thank for the founding of its museum. This Georgia native grew up in Waycross and became enchanted by Jekyll Island on visits to Brunswick with her mother. As an adult, Tallu pursued a career in journalism in Kentucky, writing as a columnist for Louisville’s The Courier-Journal. After the death of her husband, she found her way back to Georgia and was hired by the state to establish the Jekyll Island Museum in Indian Mound Cottage.

According to Mosiac, Jekyll Island Museum curator Andrea Marroquin, Fish was given less than a month to complete the task. Fish got to work immediately, moving into the servants’ quarters at the cottage, and salvaging what she needed from the Historic District’s buildings and cottages to bring the Jekyll Island Club era back to life for visitors to what was once William Rockefeller’s island home. With everything from furniture and porcelain treasures to taxidermy and her magical “Wishing Chair,” Fish curated displays designed to attract and implemented clever ways to raise money for the museum. Guests were first welcomed to the Jekyll Island Museum on December 11, 1954—the same day the Jekyll Island causeway opened to the public.

Fish resided at Indian Mound Cottage for more than eight years before moving to a house on Bliss Lane and remained at the helm of the museum until her retirement in 1969. She compiled the archives at the museum and wrote several books and articles about Jekyll Island during that time. While Fish died in 1971, her legacy lives on with a street on the island named after her and several of the items she originally collected for the museum, including the Wishing Chair, still remain in Indian Mound Cottage along with a portrait of her that was painted by her daughter Betty Smith. During the festivities last year that marked Jekyll Island’s 75th anniversary, the island’s first mural art installation was created in Beach Village and formally dedicated. That mural was painted by Tallu’s great-grandson Wylie Caudill, an interactive public mural artist from Louisville, KY. How fitting.

On St. Simons Island, it was Abbie Fuller Graham who founded the library in 1937. It began with 50 books temporarily housed in the home of Captain and Mrs. J.C. Clark on Arnold Road. Later that year, Glynn County Commissioners agreed to house the library in the Casino building under the sponsorship of the Cassina Garden Club. Drums along the Mohawk by Walter Edmonds (1936) was purchased from the Baker & Taylor Company for $1.88 as the first book accessioned by the library. It remains there today. Mrs. Graham is also known for her book Old Mill Days 1874-1908. This scrapbook history of St. Simons Island is credited by Eugenia Price as the inspiration for her novel, Beloved Invader, and the books that followed to make up her St. Simons Trilogy.

Women Impacting the Arts

A true national treasure, Mary Elizabeth “Bessie” Jones (1902-1984) has been described by the National Endowment for the Arts as a shining representative of the musical heritage of the Georgia Sea Islands, “a style of music unlike any other in America or the world.” Bessie helped form the Georgia Sea Island Singers in the 1960s and recorded both with them and as a solo performer. She is known for singing this distinctive African influenced American folk music of endurance and freedom in the unique dialect of the islands “in a Bahamian accent accompanied by wild, outrageous African handclap rhythms.”

Bessie wasn’t born on St. Simons Island or in the Sea Islands at all. Her origins were in Smithville and, later, Dawson, where she grew up in a large, extended family who used music and storytelling to teach her “the old ways.” Throughout her life Bessie traveled a great deal and held many jobs from childcare to farmhand. She settled on St. Simons Island in 1933 with her second husband, George. Here she joined Lydia Parish's Spiritual Singers Society of Coastal Georgia. After Bessie’s husband George died in 1945, she continued living and working on St. Simons Island, and was active in the founding of the Harlem Church of God in Christ.

It was in the mid-1950s that Bessie met Alan Lomax. The folklorist was conducting fieldwork in the Georgia Sea Islands and working to collect the music of the Spiritual Singers Society. In 1960, while participating in Lomax’ film on the Spiritual Singers Society, Bessie felt "called to teach,” and began passing on to others what she knew about slavery and little-known aspects of African-American history through the songs and stories that she learned as a child. Over the next several years, Jones toured extensively, performing at concerts and at festivals around the country.

In 1963, Bessie teamed up with other singers to form The Georgia Sea Island Singers. Alan Lomax made another film with the group as its subject. Bessie also continued to sing with the Spiritual Singers Society, and during the Civil Rights Movement, she participated in a traveling prayer band that marched with Martin Luther King in Beulah, Mississippi. In 1972, Bessie published a collection of children's games and various stories from her life entitled Step It Down. Her first solo album, So Glad I'm Here, was released in 1973, and was followed in 1975 by Step It Down. Bessie remained active singing with the Georgia Sea Island Singers and performed at President Jimmy Carter’s inauguration in 1977, she participated in workshops at schools, and sang at festivals throughout the country. Her performances, recordings, and educational programs earned many awards, including a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. The year before her death in 1984, Bessie recounted her life and commitment to preserving African American music and folklore in For the Ancestors: Autobiographical Memories, co-published with John Stewart. Through Lomax’ historic recordings and the important cultural legacy she left through folk music, Bessie Jones’ distinctive voice and the history of the Sea Islands lives on.

Augusta native Mildred Nix Huie (1906–2000) was known as much for her colorful life as the enduring passion she had for art, history, and literature. This remarkable woman who called St. Simons Island her home for almost 40 years was an impressionist painter, sculptor, historian, and writer. She spent much of her childhood at her family’s home in Savannah, and could even claim Johnny Mercer as a next-door neighbor. Although Huie obtained a degree in classical education, rather than pursuing a career in that field, she managed WALB radio and TV stations in Albany, and was named Woman of the Year in 1950. She settled on St. Simons Island in the early 1960s and just a couple years later, joined with other artists to establish the Left Bank Art Gallery. This marked the beginning of a long family tradition of sharing a love of arts and humanities with the Golden Isles community.

Not only was Huie a respected historian and writer about the Golden Isles, her artistic depictions of St. Simons Island, especially its historic structures, became an integral part of the island’s visual culture. Mildred’s daughter, Mildred “Millie” Huie Wilcox, is also an accomplished artist and beloved patron of the arts in the Golden Isles. After working in the fashion industry in New York, Millie returned to St. Simons Island in 1966 and took over operations of Left Bank Art Gallery with her husband Robert. They expanded the gallery from a showcase for local artists to a home for both national and international artists with an emphasis on French Impressionism.

In 1967, Huie made the Mediterranean house on Frederica Road her studio, packing it from floor to ceiling with her artwork and memorabilia—paintings, life-sized dolls, plantation records, it was a real treasure trove! After Huie’s death in 2000, Millie maintained Mediterranean house as a museum for nearly twenty years. The property was purchased in 2018 by the St. Simons Land Trust and is now a pocket park and landmark. The museum’s contents were donated to The Morris Museum of Art in Augusta. The College of Coastal Georgia honored the contributions to the Golden Isles art community made by these two remarkable women with a dedication of The Huie-Wilcox Gallery on its campus in 1995.

Women United for Good

Women’s clubs and civic organizations are another way that the women of our community shape life in the Golden Isles. In addition to the works and charitable giving done by our local garden clubs and women’s church groups that we see through home and garden tours and other community events, we have some significant civic organizations that strive to make a positive impact. From beautification projects to programs supporting local charities and initiatives to promote literacy and more, our women give in so many ways.

GFWC (General Federation of Women's Clubs) Brunswick Woman's Club is a member club of the International Federation, which includes nearly 80,000 members in 3000 clubs spanning every state in the U.S. and more than 12 countries. The Brunswick club, which began life in 1913 as the Civic Association of Brunswick, Georgia, then merged into a Woman’s Club in 1917, is dedicated to community improvement by enhancing the lives of others through volunteer service. Their charitable works include a Day of Service, where they have made improvements at Morningstar Children's Services, funding a nursing scholarship at the College of Coastal Georgia, and making band instrument refurbishment donations to both Glynn Academy and Brunswick High School, and the “Soldiers’ Angels” program, sending letters and monthly care packages to a soldier deployed overseas. They also support Honor Flight, Glynn Community Crisis Center, Grace House, Wreaths Across America, Humane Society of South Coastal Georgia, Days for Girls International, Golden Isles Arts and Humanities, One Hundred Miles, House of Hope, and Second Harvest. They supply fleece throws to young children entering shelters at Safe Harbor and make sewing kits and washing kits that are shipped to Haiti on mission trips. 

More specifically, the club has volunteer opportunities in sub-committees for Arts and Culture, Civic Engagement, Education and Libraries, Environment, and Health and Wellness. Examples of their activities include the following: 

GFWC members believe that the study of Arts and Culture enriches the human experience. Art education improves problem solving and critical thinking skills, builds focus and perseverance, and nurtures creativity, confidence, and collaboration. The Arts and Culture Community Service Program has raised funds to contribute to the Brunswick High School and Glynn Academy bands and has selected local high school art students' work to submit to our district and state art competitions. Members have also participated in local art shows, district and state art competitions. They also provide art supplies to Morningstar Children and Family Services and Memory Matters. 

The Civic Engagement and Outreach Community Service Program reminds Club members that they are each part of a larger society and responsible for undertaking actions that will create a better quality of life and foster a sense of community - locally, regionally, nationally, and globally. The four "broad strokes" of this effort include: Citizenship, Crime Prevention, Safety and Disaster Preparedness, the Needy, Hungry, and Homeless; and Our Military Personnel and Veterans. Funds have been raised to contribute to Heifer International, MAP International, which has a facility located in Brunswick, and to Operation Smile. Members have also participated in Christmas at Sea, providing Christmas gifts for the International Seafarers. Contributions have been made to Coastal Honor Flight and Wreaths Across America. Members have attended the naturalization ceremony and presented new citizens with gift bags.

GFWC members promote education in both children and adults, aiming to help others while they also continue to learn. Projects in the Education Community Service Program are designed to foster schools, as well as other educational institutions and opportunities, and to promote literacy, libraries, and the love of a good book. Through these efforts, they encourage the growth of individuals and communities at home and around the world. They encourage members to support educational opportunities in our community and raise funds for nursing scholarships to the College of Coastal Georgia. A nursing scholarship is awarded each year to a non-traditional student attending the College of Coastal Georgia.  They support the STAR (Student and Teacher Award and Recognition) Foundation by providing an annual luncheon to recognize and honor local STAR students and teachers. Members volunteer at local schools and the Marshes of Glynn Library. They contributed funds to the Turning the Page Campaign at the library as well.

The Environment Community Service Program encourages members to become stewards of the earth by working to preserve the world's resources, protect wildlife and domesticated animals, live sustainably, and beautify our communities and enjoy nature. Members have volunteered at the Humane Society of South Coastal Georgia and the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. They sponsor holes at the golf tournament fundraisers held by Keep Golden Isles Beautiful and participate in KGIB recycling and cleanup events. 

The Health and Wellness Community Service Program focuses on improving well-being by addressing three components: nutrition, disease prevention, and physical and emotional care.  This community service program aims to explore various opportunities for awareness and advancement of each of these vital areas. They support local organizations that work to improve the lives of those in need and keep members informed of ways to improve their physical health and quality of life. The Club has sponsored monthly Bingo at Sears Manor Nursing Home as a club project for over thirty years. Members assist residences with bingo cards, serve snacks, hand out prizes, and call the bingo games. They also donate magazines, greeting cards, calendars, and notepads. Members supported the Safe Harbor Blanket Project. Members supported The Well, a Brunswick day center for the homeless, by collecting individual sized toiletries, wash clothes, dental supplies and socks for the center; and donate to the Safe Harbor Blanket Project. Members supported their efforts by sponsoring a hole at Grace House 4th Annual Charity Golf Tournament fundraiser. Grace House is a faith-based charity and 14-bed sober living facility in Brunswick that helps women recover from addiction with the goal of becoming self-sufficient.

Members support and contribute to the Tallulah Falls School, a college preparatory school owned by the Georgia Federation of Women's Clubs and dedicated to providing a quality education for deserving middle school and high school students. They participate in the 8th grade students’ annual visit to the Golden Isles. We sponsor a student and support them through correspondence and small gifts. They supply Tallulah's Closet with clothing and handbags for students to attend their prom. They also participate in the Green Envelope project by sending cards of congratulations and encouragement to the graduating seniors.

To learn more about Brunswick Woman’s Club and becoming a member, email brunswickwc@gmail.com.

The Junior Woman's Club of Brunswick was organized by the Woman's Club of Brunswick in the 1940s and the St. Simons Junior Woman's Club in 1950. The Junior Women’s Association of the Golden Isles was formed as a not-for-profit association of women leaders in 2017. In 2019, the association became Junior League of the Golden Isles, an Affiliating Member of The Association of Junior Leagues International, a non-profit organization whose members have amassed an archive of irrefutable results and an indisputable reputation as thoughtful and influential change agents for the public good. They are now part of a network of over 140,000 women in 291 communities in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Mexico. With roots dating back to 1901, The Junior League constitutes one of the largest, most effective volunteer organizations in the world. JLGI has approximately 100 active members and 120 sustaining members.

The Junior League is an organization founded on principals of women’s empowerment and promoting volunteerism, the development of women and improvement of the community through affection action and leadership of trained volunteers. JLGI supports the Back Pack Buddies program by sponsoring the food and weekly bag packing to provide weekend meals for students in need at Glynn County Schools. In partnership with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Southeast Georgia and the Marshes of Glynn Library System through the Books in the Home - Early Elementary Literacy program, JLGI hosts frequent story times for Pre-K through Second Grade at the local clubs. At each story time, the children are gifted a book and other goodies to take home. JLGI has also created and stocks Confidence Closets at local partner organizations to provide teens in need with access to the hygiene, feminine and laundry products necessary to ensure they have the confidence to attend school and thrive. There are currently 5 Confidence Closets open. In 2021, the group established the Lemmon-Aid scholarship in memory of late member, Shannon Lemmon. The scholarship will be granted to Glynn County students, where Shannon was a dedicated high school teacher. For more information about the club and membership, visit jlgoldenisles.org.

The Brunswick (GA) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated was duly chartered and officers installed in 1966 on Jekyll Island with twelve Charter members. In compliance with the National Headquarters Chapter Establishment requirements, the local group was sponsored by the Savannah Chapter of The Links, Incorporated. Throughout its fifty-seven years of existence, The Links’ program initiatives have been implemented to increase the awareness of cultural and educational opportunities within the communities. Locally, they currently have over 30 active members and continue to support organizations and community activities with monetary contributions, educational forums, and volunteer services opportunities.

The Links, Incorporated’s program facets include Services to Youth, The Arts, National Trends and Services, International Trends and Services, and Health and Human Services. The Brunswick (GA) Chapter Links, Incorporated is committed to leading the way as a champion of change, ensuring that youth are academically successful and engaged in healthy lifestyles. They implement transformational programs that are responsive to the academic, health, cultural, social awareness, career development, and mentoring needs of youth. The Services to Youth facet uses an integrated approach to prepare young people to succeed as healthy citizens in the global workforce and to promote healthy lifestyles within families and communities. The goal of The Arts facet is to produce and support programs to enrich the quality of life of our youth and communities through educational and engaging art experiences. Programming includes arts integration within the chapters and partnerships with like-minded organizations and sowing the seed of creativity deeper in the local community.

The National Trends and Services facet is tasked with eliminating disparities by reducing barriers to resources through advocacy, education, and service. Their mission is for members to be empowered to raise their voices and transform the communities in which they work. Programs include fighting alcohol and drug abuse, financial literacy, retirement tools, and women’s empowerment workshops. The International Trends and Services facet partners with Helping Hugs, Inc. each year to help facilitate their annual medical mission to Cotes de Fer, Haiti. They also carry out a yearly medical mission to Sunyani, Ghana where medical care and medications are provided to villagers who have little access to medical care. Locally the ITS facet is involved with a LIFE Program that introduces high school students to international business and foreign affairs while encouraging our community students to consider attending the local College of Coastal Georgia. As an incentive to students who participate in the LIFE program and then attend CCGA, a student who meets this criterion is selected to travel and participate with the Links’ medical mission team to Sunyani, Ghana. The Health and Human Services facet was created in response to the chronic health disparities that persist in black communities and result in the decreased life expectancy of African Americans and other people of African ancestry. The goal of HHS is to promote and facilitate programs that support the maintenance of good health and the elimination of chronic health disparities in communities of color through education, health advocacy, and optimal utilization of health resources.

The Links has been a positive force in our community for more than a half-century and these dynamic ladies are nowhere near finished! For more information about The Brunswick (GA) Chapter Links, Incorporated, and membership opportunities, visit brunswickgalinks.org.

Now in its fourth year, the Coastal Georgia chapter of 100 Women Who Care has grown to more than 325 members. This group is not a civic club or service organization in the traditional sense, but their charitable giving is remarkable! If you are a woman with limited time to commit to social activities, but want to help non-profit organizations in our community, this group may be just the right fit for you.

With groups existing around the country, the first chapter of 100 Women Who Care was organized in November 2006 in Jackson, Michigan as an efficient and quick way to raise money for local charities. At their first one-hour meeting, the group of over 100 women each wrote a check for $100 directly to The Center for Family Health, their chosen local charity, raising $12,800 to buy 300 new baby cribs. Motivated by the unique opportunity to make a significant impact in the lives of those in need in our community, five Golden Isles women formed the local chapter. The simple idea behind the organization is that when people join together in a group, they can accomplish more and have a greater impact than a single individual would. Having just completed their third year of giving, our local chapter of 100WWC has more than tripled in size and they have donated more than $300,000 to Glynn County charities. If you include matching grants, this total exceeds $350,000!

Members gather four times per year for a one-hour meeting and select a local charity to be awarded $30,000+. Members of 100WWC may nominate any Glynn County 501(c)3 via email beginning two weeks prior to the meeting. The top three nominations will have the opportunity to present their charity to members in attendance at the meeting. After the three presentations, the members present will vote on which charity to support. If a member is unable to attend the meeting, they may send their $100 check (payee blank) with another member along with a proxy vote. Each member writes a $100 tax-deductible check directly to the winning charity and checks sent with proxy vote will be completed with the name of the winning charity. If you have the ability to spend four hours a year and donate $400/year, 100 Women Who Care invite you to join them to make a difference in our community. For more information and membership details, visit 100womenwhocaressi.com.

Last year, a Golden Isles chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Incorporated became one of the newest chapters in the national organization that was founded in 1938. This group consists of mother members who reside in Camden, Glynn, and McIntosh Counties and uniquely and strategically strengthens children to be the next generation of leaders through leadership development, volunteer service, philanthropic giving, and civic duty. Learn more at jackandjillinc.org.

Also of note are the Pirates of the Spanish Main and the St. Simons Cotillion. These groups provide the opportunity for our daughters to engage in service projects and give back to the community as youth. Founded in 1931 by Howard Coffin, Pirates of the Spanish Main is an all-girls community service organization with a mission to promote the Golden Isles, aid the community, and welcome dignitaries. They have a traditional Rush process for membership. For more information and to see their service projects and events, visit piratesofthespanishmain.org. The St. Simons Cotillion is a social club with stated mission to further a congenial acquaintance and friendship of the membership, which is accomplished by providing two or more social functions each year and assisting with holding a debutante ball every other year. These activities provide members with the opportunity to socialize, enjoy fellowship and celebrate friendship and the seasons. The time-honored tradition of the naming of a Cotillion Debutante Club and their formal presentation at a black-tie event was established in 1988.

As mentioned previously, local garden clubs like Cassina Garden Club, Magnolia Garden Club, and Live Oaks Garden Club, and women’s groups that exist in our churches provide more excellent opportunities for women to gather, socialize, and find ways to give back in the community. You’ll also find lineage societies with chapters in Glynn County that include the National Society Colonial Dames of the 17th Century, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, National Society Southern Dames of America, United Daughters of the Confederacy, and United States Daughters of 1812. More information about these groups can be found at coastalgagensociety.org.

Phenomenal women—we celebrate them. May we know them. May we raise them. May we be them!