Communication Builds Our Community

Articles written by Mary Walkup


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  • What To Do When Someone Dies

    Mary Walkup, Contributing Writer|Updated Sep 11, 2021

    Sometimes death comes without warning. The most common causes are heart attacks, and accidents. But sometimes, people just die without warning-in their sleep. We are going about our lives and suddenly, with the unexpected loss of a loved one, everything has changed for us. It changes you forever. The news arrives, and time stops. There are few things in life as devastating as the sudden death of a beloved friend or family member. As your world changes forever and you're...

  • A Life Lived for Others

    Mary Walkup, Contributing Writer|Updated Feb 24, 2021

    Have you ever thought about what it means to be of service? Winston Churchill once said, "We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." We have all been born into the arms of men and women who served us - your mother who bore you, your father whose strong hand picked you up when you fell. Even if the only true gift your parents ever gave you was the gift of life, you have so much to be grateful for. Even if at home only your basic needs were met, you...

  • The Woman's Club of Lake Wales to Hold Virtual Bingo Fundraiser Jan. 17

    Mary Walkup, Contributing Writer|Updated Jan 15, 2021

    Fundraising is beneficial to our community, our club, and its members. Raising capital for a local project, recognized charity, affiliate organization, or an organization's outreach plans and operations, or a facilities maintenance, is an opportunity to make the achievements of an organization known throughout the community. As we work together on a fundraiser, we learn new skills and much more. Successful teamwork fosters cooperation, provides a sense of accomplishment,...

  • The Haunting of a Grand Lady

    Mary Walkup, Contributing Writer|Updated Jan 10, 2021

    It was just another ordinary morning when I opened the doors of the old building. I wasn't even worried about turning on the lights. After all, I'd been here many times before and I could make my way around in the dark because I knew the place so well. Confidently, I moved inside, locking the doors behind me. The hall was dim because the day was cloudy and sunlight only filtered in on a good day when the dilapidated blinds were closed. Unhurriedly, intent on my mission, I...

  • Woman's Club of Lake Wales to Recreate a Century Old Tradition

    Mary Walkup, Contributing Writer|Updated Jan 10, 2021

    It's starting to feel like the Holiday Season! Whatever it may be that gives you that festive feeling – the festive lights being switched on in the city, the first pumpkin pies appearing in the stores or that friend who always seems to put up the tree in the middle of November– for many of us, the festive period is a time to look forward to. However, for some of us, it may not be such a joyous time as we seem to find ourselves at loose ends on that Special Day. Maybe lov...

  • Woman's Club Spreads Message of Holiday Hope

    Mary Walkup, Contributing Writer|Updated Dec 17, 2020

    We all want the Norman Rockwell Christmas with the perfect family gathering of laughter and well-behaved children. We want our homes to look like something out of a magazine. We want to create precious memories with our children that will last a lifetime. These are all good desires, but bad idols. In the blink of an eye, an honorable desire gets out of hand when we put it above the people who come into our lives. Life happens, and in our quest for perfection, we forget that...

  • Save a Piece of Lake Wales History

    Mary Walkup, Contributing Writer|Updated Nov 11, 2020

    Well into the 20th century, bank accounts, credit cards, and household finances were legally left to the control of men. Women's lack of financial freedom was one of General Federation of Women's Club's founder, Jane Cunningham Croly, foundational rallying cries for women across the country. GFWC Clubhouses have come to play a significant role in the preservation of America's historic buildings. Many clubs are situated within historic buildings or were constructed or...

  • Reaching Young Leaders of Tomorrow

    Mary Walkup, Contributing Writer|Updated Nov 11, 2020

    The world's current youth population (people aged 15-20) is around 1.8 billion. Most of this population has the potential to be great leaders, while only a small percentage of this population is encouraged to or provided the resources to learn and practice leadership. This stage of being a youth is when young people are still uncertain about what they like and what they don't. Their opinions are not firmly in place, revisited and revised due to their peers' influence and...

  • Woman's Club Seeks Gardening Volunteers for Lakeshore Triangle Beautification

    Mary Walkup, Contributing Writer|Updated Jul 18, 2020

    Getting outside provides more than a fun break for adults, children and teens. It is also good for your physical and mental health and development. While staying at home and adhering to guidelines and recommendations during the current coronavirus crisis, spending time gardening is a way to nurture health and wellness for yourself and your children. Gardening is a great form of exercise and regular gardening can bring the joys of woodland animals, beautiful butterflies and...

  • GFWC Florida Women's Clubs Volunteer Over 1.2 Million Hours in 2019, a 50% Increase over 2018

    Mary Walkup, Contributing Writer|Updated May 26, 2020

    In the midst of Florida's stay at home order, the clubwomen of GFWC Florida (www.gfwcflorida.org) used online meeting technology to announce the unprecedented accomplishments of their 8,400 volunteer force. Participating in the online celebrations were clubwomen and guests from across the state and dignitaries from the General Federation of Women's Clubs (www.gfwc.org). GFWC Florida club women volunteered over 1.2 million hours in 2019, a 50% increase over 2018, and donated...

  • Woman's Club Encourages All to "Give a Little Kindness"

    Mary Walkup, Contributing Writer|Updated Apr 29, 2020

    "Small gestures in everyday life," like showing compassion and performing random acts of kindness, help us feel loved. During this time of the Covid-19 "Stay at Home" rules that so many are diligently upholding, what happens to those elderly and infirm people who don't have the luxury of being in their own homes with their loved ones around them? They are stuck in a nursing facility where they cannot interact with other residents and everyone looks strange in their masks and g...

  • Local Woman's Club Celebrates All Things Conservation

    Mary Walkup, Contributing Writer|Updated Feb 26, 2020

    The GFWC Woman's Club of Lake Wales will participate in the General Federation of Women's Clubs (GFWC) efforts in Conservation. The GFWC Conservation Community Service Program encourages awareness of our natural resources and caring for the world around us. It offers information and ideas to promote environmental appreciation and protection. The Florida Federation of Women's Club, and particularly the Preservation Committee chairwoman May Mann Jennings, took a deep interest...

  • Club Celebrates 100th Anniversary of Women's Right to Vote Feb. 6

    Mary Walkup, Contributing Writer|Updated Jan 22, 2020

    The GFWC Woman's Club of Lake Wales will participate in the General Federation of Women's Clubs (GFWC) efforts in recognizing the celebration of the centennial of the passage of the 19th Amendment, which prohibits state and federal governments from denying any citizen the right to vote on the basis of their sex. The motion for women's suffrage was first submitted to congress in 1878, but its ratification was the culmination of 72 years of formal organizing and the work of...

  • Woman's Club of Lake Wales Supports the Arts

    Mary Walkup, Contributing Writer|Updated Jan 22, 2020

    GFWC Woman's Club members are very vocal about many things they are passionate about, so why not art? There are many studies - pro and con - regarding the arts in connection with education. However, we dare to ask the question, 'How can being taught and/or encouraged to express yourself through art - be it music, drama, making or painting something - be a bad thing?" Many people today have limited vision when they hear the word "art." They immediately think canvas and paint,...

  • GFWC Woman's Club of Lake Wales Remembers the Ghosts of Christmas Past

    Mary Walkup, Contributing Writer|Updated Dec 26, 2019

    In 1912, the early settlers of what is now Lake Wales, were hearty, adventuresome people, real Pioneers, descendants of their ancestors who traveled via oxen-driven covered wagons and were true to their code of "Ten Tandra Via Est" meaning "The way remains to be tried." They came to Lake Wales by way of long, difficult and sometimes dangerous trips through swamps, overcoming their fears of possible snakes and alligators, travelling through Winter Haven, then Haines City,...

  • GFWC Woman's Club of Lake Wales Honors Veterans Through Service and Community Awareness

    Mary Walkup, Contributing Writer|Updated Nov 21, 2019

    As everyone was preparing to honor Veterans for Veteran's Day, the GFWC Woman's Club of Lake Wales was gearing up to carry on their traditions and dedication to serving the Veterans in the Community through some very special means. On Wednesday, Nov. 6 the Woman's Club House began to smell heavenly with the delicious aromas of spaghetti sauce and garlic bread. The tables were decorated in red, white, and blue and awaited the guest who were to fill them for the "Take A Vet to...

  • Woman's Club Honoring Veterans Nov. 7

    Mary Walkup, Contributing Writer|Updated Nov 6, 2019

    The GFWC Woman's Club of Lake Wales joins the General Federation of Women's Clubs (GFWC) in recognizing all Veterans past and present in recognition of Veterans Day The GFWC Woman's Club of Lake Wales will hold their November General Meeting at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 7 at 275 E Park Avenue, downtown Lake Wales, and all ladies are invited to attend. This meeting is dedicated to honoring our Veterans both fallen and living. The program will be include the Color Guard from...

  • Woman's Club Kicks Off 10 Cents a Door Game to Benefit Operation Smile

    Mary Walkup, Contributing Writer|Updated Oct 22, 2019

    Are you and your friends looking to have a great time for a great cause? Come join the General Federation of Women's Club (GFWC) Woman's Club of Lake Wales every 1st Thursday of the Month at 10:30 a.m. at 275 E Park Avenue, Lake Wales for an informative and meaningful gathering of women with the goal of bettering themselves and their community, as well as the lives of women and children locally and internationally. Lunch is available for a $5 donation. Play the "Ten-Cents-A-Do...

  • Woman's Club of Lake Wales Leads the Way in Conservation Efforts

    Mary Walkup, Contributing Writer|Updated Sep 17, 2019

    There's an old truth about hurricanes: they take out the trees that gardeners don't have the heart to cut down. Like wildfires, they clear the land of deadwood. They fell trees weakened by disease or stunted roots, leaving only the strongest – or the luckiest – when skies clear. Such ruthless pruning reveals which plants can stand up to a 100-mile-an-hour wind. Palm trees hold up beautifully in storms: their limber trunks bend with the wind, which blows right through the...

  • The GFWC Woman's Club of Lake Wales - Women Pioneers in History

    Mary Walkup, Contributing Writer|Updated Sep 5, 2019

    The early settlers of what is now Lake Wales were hearty, adventuresome people, real Pioneers, descendants of their ancestors who traveled via oxen-driven covered wagons and were true to their code of "Ten Tandra Via Est" meaning "The way remains to be tried". Such people included Nellie and her husband, Nile E. Stewart. In October 1912, after a long and difficult, sometimes dangerous trip through swamp, overcoming their fears of possible snakes and alligators, they travelled...