Who we are

The Hawthorne Woman’s Club has been known for service to the community since its inception. The first club was called the Priscilla Village Improvement Club which was organized in March 1912. In 1916, the Club incorporated under the name Hawthorne Woman’s Club, Inc. (HWC) and joined the Florida Federation of Women’s Clubs (FFWC). In the beginning, members were the driving force behind cleaning up the town, a feat which included getting pigs and cows off the streets, getting sidewalks laid, erecting a fence around the school property, clearing land around the lake and establishing a park. They volunteered their time and talents to cultural affairs such as sponsoring or acting in the plays held at the Town Hall. For their country during war times they volunteered for Red Cross work and war bond drives. During the Depression, the HWC in cooperation with the Parent Teacher Association raised money to maintain the school for eight months. In 1956 the HWC rented a building in town and with the aid of other organizations, opened a Health Clinic with two nurses in charge. Members of the HWC assisted each week in clerical capacities. Over 1130 people were treated in the following months so the HWC went to work to construct a larger building. With the help of many, the new building was dedicated on August 25, 1957. In 1958 the HWC established a “loan closet” which consisted of sick room equipment. People could borrow what they needed from the closet at no charge. This continued until 1983 when the closet was closed, and the equipment was donated to the fire department. In 1958 the HWC set up a center in a downtown building for a deposit of books serviced by the first bookmobile. Members worked three afternoons a week to check out books to residents. In 1961 the president of the HWC, Mrs. Lotta Littledale Wadsworth, was appointed as the first librarian in Hawthorne with Mrs. Mary Moore, an active member of the HWC as her assistant. In 1969 at an open house and dedication hosted by the HWC and the City Council, our current library was opened and honored Mrs. Wadsworth. Mrs. Moore remained librarian until May 1, 1996. Through the years, the Club has been there when there was a need in our community: sponsoring Girl Scouts, sending children to Special Olympics, providing food baskets on holidays, supporting FFWC Hacienda (a home for girls), and volunteering in our libraries and hospitals. We support our schools by providing scholarships annually for graduating seniors who are continuing their education, and in 1992, the HWC worked with Head Start to initiate our Rockin’ Readers program at Shell Elementary School. We continue our partnership with our local schools and community and are proud of the work done by the HWC.