Just the Facts, Ma'am

Tri Club was established in 1959, formed by graduates of Thomas Jefferson, Westwood, and Westhampton Junior Woman's Clubs.

We meet at the West End Community Center, 8102 Ridge Road, Richmond, Virginia, at 10:30 a.m. on the first Thursday of months September through April. In May we hold a luncheon at a venue in the Richmond area.

Tri Club is a federated general woman's club, a member of Lee District, GFWC Virginia and the General Federation of Woman's Clubs (GFWC), one of the world's largest and oldest woman's volunteer community service organizations. Our primary goals are to enhance and promote the educational, civic, cultural, and social welfare of our community through volunteer services and fund-raising.

What We Support

 We donate our abilities, time and funds to many different charities and service groups. These include bingo parties, valentines, and lap blankets for our wounded military veterans at the McGuire Veterans Administration (VA)  Hospital, a scholarship each year to a female student at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College, HOBY , Safe Harbor Shelter, Lamb's Basket, Meals on Wheels, and the Christmas Mothers of Henrico, Richmond, Chesterfield, and Goochland.

Tri Club again adopted a family for the Henrico Christmas Mother Program, and made a donation to Virginia Breast Cancer Foundation in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month. We have  a long-running association with Crestview and Ridge Elementary Schools. 

PCAV: Prevent Child Abuse Virginia

Pinwheels for Prevention
Celebrating Children in our Community during  APRIL
Child Abuse Prevention Month
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Pinwheels are a new symbol of child abuse prevention. They represent the hope, health and happiness that Prevent Child Abuse Virginia desires
for every child in the Commonwealth.
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This is the GFWC Virginia's State
President's Project.

Tri Club members planted pinwheels in front of the West End Community Center after the April meeting of The Tri Club Woman's Club on Thursday, April 5, 2012. Continued on the Projects page.

We Reach Beyond Richmond

We donated funds in support of the purchase of a rescue vehicle for the VA Tech Rescue Squad. This project, entitled Virginia Tech Memorial Fund, was the GFWC Virginia's major project for the 2008-2010 term. The rescue vehicle was given to Va Tech Rescue Squad at the GFWC Virginia Convention in April 2010.

Even further away, we have an "adopted daughter," Belgais Basheer Elsidig, by means of Plan USA. She lives in Sudan.

We continue to stay in touch with William Deng, our April 2010 speaker, and  help him with the Southern Sudan Educate-to-Lead Project with its goal of "building peace, 1 school at a time."  SSP created a school called Total Access  Preparatory Academy (TAPA) at VCU. TAPA offers classes in "English as a Second Language," arithmetic, and basic computer skills.

News about Sudan:  People in the former country of Sudan have accomplished its separation, making Northern Sudan and Southern Sudan two separate countries. Our former Tri Club speaker William Deng comes from what is now called Southern Sudan.

We donated shoes to help Juma Semakula send 30,000 pairs of used shoes to his native country, Uganda, where in rural areas shoes are an unfamiliar luxury.

We always make donations to military personnel in war zones, including pajamas for the wounded, so they don't have to be transported in hospital gowns that flap open in the back. We also send helmet liners for our active soldiers in the war zones.

See instructions about how to knit a helmet liner on our Projects Page.

We welcome guests warmly. If you want to attend and hear one of our great programs, talk with a member you know or get in touch with  Nancy Kindervater, 2nd Vice President, Membership.

The History Corner  - PDF files

• History of Tri Club                                    

• Did You Know?  When WECC was opened, it was operated by volunteers. They set up the tables and chairs and made arrangements for rentals. Our 1st volunteer manager was Lucy Vick, an active member of Tri Club then and now.
  

• Notable GFWC clubwomen include Eleanor Roosevelt, first lady of the United States of America, social reformer, columnist, teacher, and political activist; Jane Addams, founder of Hull House; Julia Ward Howe, author of  "The Battle Hymn of the Republic;" Margaret Chase Smith, the first woman to ever be elected to both Houses of Congress, and the first woman to campaign for the presidential nomination of a major political party; and Nellie Tayloe Ross, the first female governor and the first woman to be appointed Director of the United States Mint.

We will hold a tea on Sunday, May 6, honoring Deloris Apsley as she ends her term as President of Lee District. The tea will be held at the West End Community Center.  Hope Royer, the  GFWC Virginia President, will be honored by her club GFWC Kanawha Woman's Club.