Federation Motto:

In great things, Unity In Small things, Liberty In all things, Charity

GFWC Temple Terrace Woman's Club History

In 1959 26 very dedicated women decided to form a Federated Club in Temple Terrace, Florida. However, none anticipated the impact that this newly formed Club - named the Temple Terrace Woman’s Club - would have over the years on the quality of life in the City of Temple Terrace.

The citizens of Temple Terrace have benefited from many projects sponsored by the Club such
as:
    Temple Terrace Library
    Business and Residential Directory (The Guide)
    Fire Rescue Vehicle
    Blood Pressure Clinic
    Playground Equipment
    Woodmont Clubhouse
    Gazebo and Riverwalk at Riverhills Park  
which are the result of the vision and energies of these hard working volunteer club members.

At the time the Club was organized it became affiliated with the Florida Federation of Women’s Clubs (FFWC) and a member of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs (GFWC), which is the largest woman’s organization in the world.

The first project undertaken by the newly formed Club was the establishment of a free public library. In less than one year these members were able to open a small library for use by the public.

The Club was instrumental in getting the Omar K. Lightfoot Center completed and in use in the 1960's after The Temple Terrace Optimist Club had difficulty raising funds to complete the project.

After a successful recreations survey was taken in 1964 by the Club, in conjunction with Hillsborough County Planning Commission, the members realized that they have a complete and accurate listing of names, addresses and telephone numbers of the local citizens. From this was born the idea to publish the Business and Residential guide as a community service and principal fund raiser of the Club.

As the local Fire Department grew from volunteers to paid staff, the Club helped raise funds and donated monies for the purchase of much needed equipment. This became an ongoing project.

The first non-denominational Prayer Breakfast was held n 1974 for Club members and guests.  Although originally it only has 34 in attendance it has become an annual event. In 1992 it was opened to the public and has now become the ‘City-Wide Prayer Breakfast’.

One of the outstanding projects undertaken by the Club was getting the City of Temple Terrace to furnish and emergency rescue vehicle which the Club equipped. Fund raising began in 1973 and the vehicle became a realty in 1976. This work with the Fire Department brought about the creation of the Blood Pressure Clinic which was available monthly to all citizens at the Fire Station on Bullard Parkway .

The Temple Terrace Community Arts Festival was spearheaded by the Club in 1977 in conjunction with the City Parks and Recreation Department. The Club has taken a major role in this festival every year since. This festival is held each year in November at Riverhills Park.  

The Woodmont Clubhouse Association, Inc. was organized in 1979 through the leadership within the Club. The old ‘Woodmont Annex’ on the corner of Lockmoor and Woodmont Avenues was the first one-room school house in Temple Terrace. Later it was used by the Parks and Recreation Department for a summer enrichment program. It was in desperate need of repairs. The idea to renovate it and make it useful as a Community Center for civic clubs and the public for meetings and special events became a reality under the auspices of Club members.

When the City of Temple Terrace started a program call ‘Adopt A Park’ in 1982 and asked various clubs and organizations to sponsor a local park, the Club took on the largest park in the City - The Riverhills Park. As a result of this interest many wonderful additions have been made to the park including a gazebo, wood playground equipment, tables, benches and a 1,150 Riverwalk.

Over the year many members of the Club have been recognized for their contributions to the community. Ten members have been honored by the Temple Terrace Chamber of Commerce as ‘Citizen of the Year’. The Club was named as “citizen of the Year’ in 1974 for publishing the Business and Residential Guide as a community service.

The Conservation Department of the Club developed a recycling program for newspapers within the club membership which later led to a program developed for the City. Through the efforts of the chairman, $12,000 in grants was obtain for the City to purchase recycling container for each residence of the City. This program went into effect even before all the laws governing recycling were enacted by the State of Florida.