[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 178 (Thursday, December 20, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2365]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF THE GUAM WOMEN'S CLUB

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. ROBERT A. UNDERWOOD

                                of guam

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 19, 2001

  Mr. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, in February 1952, a group of women set 
out to establish a non-profit organization designed to help improve the 
general education, health and welfare of the people of Guam. For the 
past five decades the Guam Women's Club, working on its own and with 
the support of other civic and service organizations, have made great 
contributions towards the betterment of the island of Guam. The club 
was taken under the wing of the Federation of Asian Women's Association 
(FAWA) in 1958. Due mainly to the Guam Women's Club's affiliation, this 
international organization has since held four conferences on Guam.
  Education is one of the Guam Women's Club's paramount concerns. The 
club has awarded high school, college, and university scholarships 
since its inception. Since 1991, three full time scholarships have been 
put in place--awarded annually to deserving students of the University 
of Guam. To acknowledge the value of the teaching profession and to 
honor the island's teachers in both public and private schools, the 
club has held numerous gatherings which came to be known as ``Teachers 
Teas.''
  The club has also been very active in beautification and facility 
improvement campaigns. A GWC project in 1954 initiated the 
establishment of the Guam Museum. GWC was instrumental in the 
construction of facilities such as the public pool in Hagatna. The 
construction of the Padre Palomo Park, for which the club received 
national recognition, the Lalahita Park overlooking the village on 
Umatac, and the beautification of San Ramon Hill were made possible 
through their efforts. The post office petition project they initiated 
culminated to the opening of a post office in Dededo, the island's most 
populous village.
  Through both individual and group efforts, GWC members have been 
directly involved with community and civic undertakings. In 1963, the 
club received national recognition from the General Federation of 
Women's Clubs for their islandwide clean-up campaign. The GWC Hospital 
Committee donates an average 150 hours of volunteer work at the Guam 
Memorial hospital. GWC made significant contributions towards the 
transition of Guam Youth, Inc. to the Guam Recreation Commission--
another project that gained them national recognition.
  GWC additionally actively participates and contributes toward several 
local civic programs and institutions. From support organizations and 
facilities such as the Alee Shelter, Erica's House, Child Care Co-op, 
the Guam Lytico and Bodig Association, St. Domicic's Nursing facility 
and Rainbows for all Children to national organizations such as Crime 
Stoppers, the Salvation Army, the Guam Chapter of the American Red 
Cross, and the American Cancer Society's Guam Unit, the range of GWC's 
efforts and interest seems boundless. GWC is a great contributor to 
holiday projects such as Sugar Plum Tree and the annual Air Force 
Christmas Drop to sparsely populated outlying islands. A benefactor of 
the Guam Symphony Society, GWC is also a major contributor to the local 
public broadcasting stations KPRG and KGTF.
  As the Guam Women's Club--the island's oldest women's club--
celebrates its fiftieth anniversary, I would like to take this 
opportunity to recognize the organization and its members. For 50 
years, GWC has made substantial contributions toward the transformation 
of Guam and its people. I am confident that the island of Guam will 
continue to reap the benefits of GWC's endeavors for many more years to 
come.




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