GWC Quarterly Meeting, “A Greenwood Icon: The Legacy of Dr. Benjamin E. Mays”, August 18, 2020
Greenwood Women Care’s first Quarterly Meeting via Zoom was held on Tuesday, August 18th. We were welcomed and introduced to both the technology and agenda items of our meeting by Laura Bachinski, GWC Co-Chair.
While not all 129 members could be in attendance, those members and guests that were greatly enjoyed the virtual tour afforded us by Chris Thomas, Director of the Benjamin E. Mays Historical Site. Mamie Nicholson welcomed us to the site, and Rhonda Merritt introduced and accompanied Mr. Thomas on the tour. We were treated to forays into Dr. Mays’s boyhood home, a school like the one-room school he attended, and the museum that honors him. It was inspiring to learn that a man of humble beginnings could aspire to and attain such heights of acclaim and influence. Dr. Mays was the sixth president of Morehead University from 1940-67 and was a mentor to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He is credited with building the foundation of the American civil rights movement and gave the benediction after Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963 and the eulogy at Dr. King’s funeral in 1968.
At the conclusion of the video, Louise Robinson, Chair of the Programs and Education Committee, thanked Mr. Thomas for his tour and hospitality and GWC members who assisted with the video. Mary Woodiwiss announced GWC’s contribution of the children’s book I Have a Dream to the Greenwood County Public Library in Chris Thomas’s honor. Members are invited to help provide book contributions to honor our speakers and can email gwc@greenwoodcf.org for more information.
Laura Stowe, Co-Chair of the Communications Committee, reminded us about our committee structure of six standing committees and recognized Chairs, including three new Chairs. Approximately 50% of our members are currently engaged in our committees. Laura noted that committee descriptions and members can be found on our webpage and encouraged interested members to contact the Chair of any committee to join or learn more.
Trentsie Williams, Co-Chair of the Grants Review and Awards Committee, presented a PowerPoint on the 2020 granting cycle. On October 19th, GWC with host a “Kick Off the Vote” virtual social at 5:30 – 6:30 where granting and voting procedures will be highlighted. Online voting will be open October 19th – October 21st. GWC is expected to grant upwards of $50,000, as directed by Members’s votes.
Mary Woodiwiss, GWC Co-Chair, gave our closing message, highlighting the many ways that GWC has remained active in these past challenging months.
Please remember to watch your inboxes and mailboxes for more news to come!
The link to the full meeting video, which includes the Benjamin E. Mays virtual tour and important GWC updates, is here. (video lasts ~ 40 minutes)
The link to the Benjamin E. Mays virtual tour is here. (video lasts ~ 15 minutes)
