2011 - 2020

2010-2011    We started out the year with a lot of expenses including a new shingle steeple roof costing over $18,000.  Air compressor, two lift station pumps, ceiling tiles, and electrical panel.  Our main fundraiser was bingo. Rentals were down, but our ladies fundraised about $6,500 with an "April in Paris" Fashion Show along with other sales throughout the year.  Continuing projects included recycling items, Christmas Stockings for Meals on Wheels, USO snacks service families at the airport, and providing donations and classroom items for our Adopt-A-Teacher.  In October we  presented one of our past presidents, Martha Wise, with her 50 year Membership Gold Pin, and ended our year with a tree planting in our Memory Garden honoring Pat Bushor for serving three terms as our president.

2011-2012    Sandra Marshall - President’s Project this year was to "spruce up the Clubhouse".  We painted the small ballroom and lobby. New tile and vinyl baseboards were installed in the small ballroom, lobby, large ballroom, ladies restroom entry, and the bingo room.  New blinds were installed in the small ballroom. The lobby was redecorated, two new chairs for the office, and new stools for the kitchen. Plumbing repairs included a new shut off valve to the building and new restroom faucets; Landscaping included pruning of the trees and the removal of a dying oak tree.  New purchases included a new A/C Compressor, Lift Station Pump, and Refrigerator Evaporator. Our main fundraiser, bingo and rentals, were once again down, but our ladies fundraised over $6,800 with a "May Day" Fashion Show and Silent Auction, Nut Sales, Spaghetti Dinner, Xmas Bazaar, Book Sales, and Thrift Store throughout the year. We were rewarded for our efforts by receiving 1st Place for Fundraising in District 4.  Continuing projects included recycling items for which we received 3rd Place in District 4, Christmas Stockings for Meals on Wheels, USO snacks for service families at the airport, and class supplies for our Adopt-A-Teacher.

2012-2013    Sandra Marshall - President, We became a non-smoking club due to complaints from our renters. Our meeting time was adjusted from 10:30 to 11:00 am with lunch at 11:30 and the meeting starting at noon.  The only paid staff was the building maintenance person.  We talked about partnering with the Southside Business Men’s Club, after several meeting we decided not to partner with them.  Worked on fixing up the building to improve our rentals and grow our membership.  Bingo was down again this year. Did not have a fashion show due lack of interest.

2013-2014   Sandra Marshall - President, This year's highlight was the celebration of our 100th birthday in November.  A Gala Dinner & Dance was held on November 9 with net proceeds benefiting Hubbard House, a domestic violence center.

The general meeting was a vocal performing skit presented by the program chairman.  It was closed with Sandra Marshall the president showing the portrait of our first President Mrs. Elizabeth B. Swain and the District 4 Historian giving a proclamation for our one hundred years.  A very special and honored guest was a very vibrant and alert past president Mrs., Olin J. Moseley (105 year old).  She served in 1962 and 1967-1969.  The new building manager made many minor and major improvements to our facilities and property. An article all about our activities and a colored photo of three of our members in front of our clubhouse was featured on the front page of The Florida Times Union Metro sect. on November 9.

Bingo continues to decline. Rentals have increased. Rental fees were raised to $1,000 for a Saturday event.    Painted entranced wall a bright aqua color and move the furniture around giving in a Mid-Century Modern look. A table and a picture were donated to the club.

2014–2015    Sandra Marshall was re-elected to serve as President for the 4th year.  Bingo was closed in August due low attendance.  Rental fees were increased for Saturday events to $1800 plus tax, with lower fees for Friday and Sunday, special rates for week days and packages.  Three new members were Installed at the October meeting.

24 round tables were purchased to rent for $10 each. Front canopy had to be replaced; it was replaced with a black canopy with side curtains on the front poles with club name in white lettering across the top front.

2015-2016    Sandra Marshall was re-elected to serve as President for the 5th year.

Time has moved on quickly, as it habitually does, and with the sale of our club house in June of 2015, we found a "new home" at Embassy Suites on Baymeadows Road. Some of  our donations were Rethreaded (sex trafficking trade), Traumatic Brain Injury,Trinity Rescue Mission, Humane Society, Five Star Vets, Children's Home Society, and Anglewood.

2016-2017     For the 6th straight year, Sandy Marshall was again elected as Club President.  Only one other person, dating back to 1913, who served as President for 12 years from 1926 to 1938, was Mrs. E.I. Gunn.  Congratulations, Sandy, for this prestigious honor.
We have found that Embassy Suites is now home to us and we have settled in nicely. We’ve had a very good year and many successful fund raising events.  To raise money for our charities we raffled off several gift baskets and Save-Around-Books.  We went on a four day fundraising cruise in February to 
Nassau and Freeport.  We contributed funds to the City Rescue Mission, Clara 
White Mission, Community Hospice, United Community Outreach Ministries, Women’s Center of Jacksonville, K-9 for Warriors, Hacienda Girls Ranch, and continued our support for Greenfield Elementary School with a donation, gift card, school supplies, and a food drive.  We also provided funds to the Five Star Vets, bought and wrapped 30 shoeboxes filled with toiletries for Christmas, and gave them the winnings from our 50/50 drawings.  We volunteered at 
Dignity-U-Wear, Community Hospice Thrift Store, and stocked food for the Northeast Florida Food Bank.  We had a brick laid in San Marco Square with Southside Woman’s Club name and date founded, and one for Lakeland, Florida for the GFWC Florida Federation of Women’s Clubs.  We were able to fund three academic scholarships at $1500 each.  We placed first in the District IV Arts & Crafts festival with entries into all 50 categories.  We are keeping up our volunteer spirit with “Women Inspiring Community Spirit.”  It has been a very, very good year. 

2017-2018      Unbelievable, but guess who was selected as our President for the 2017-2018 year – you got it – Sandy Marshall.  Our club is fortunate for having such a wonderful, kind giving person to lead us again. On the 
national scene, Donald Trump is in his second year of the presidency and the Democrats and the Republicans share nothing except disunity and dissension. The women’s #Me Too movement has taken off against sexual harassment and assault.  Many notable celebrities have had to resign or step down. The Middle East and China occupy our headlines for security, yet the country is doing well financially and economically. In addition to the funds we receive from the Chin Baptist Church, (they bought our Clubhouse), we sold Save-Around Books, raised money by going on a cruise, and visited Brooks House of Rehabilitation. Our charity distribution included donations to City Rescue Mission, Red Cross, Clara White Mission, Community Hospice, United Community Outreach Ministries, Women’s Center of Jacksonville, K-9 for Warriors, Hacienda Girls’s Ranch, and Five Star Vets . We have volunteered at Dignity-U-Wear, Community Hospice, and have stocked food for the Northeast Florida Food Bank.  We were able to continue supporting Greenfield Elementary School with donations, school supplies and a food drive. We were able to fund three scholarships at $1,500 each. Isn’t that a wonderful way of giving back to the community. We have started going to more District 4 meetings and we have had any number of speakers at our meetings in Embassy Suites. We have done exceedingly well in the District 4 and Statewide Arts & Crafts Competition and walked away with a number of 1st place prizes.  All in all, it has been a pretty booming and fruitful year.

2018-2019   A final year for Sandy Marshall as our President, earmarking her tenure for eight consecutive years.  The club’s membership stands at about 37 and we are on a recruiting mission.
The Scholarship Committee honored Sandy with a new scholarship in her name to be used for people who want to return to school after having been out of the workforce for a time.  We have funded four scholarships at $1,500 each. We have an ongoing project of bringing in yarn to make afghans to be donated to the senior citizens in our community.  We had two fund raisers, and in addition to the monthly sum we receive from the Chin Baptist Church, we were able to donate funds to Amyotropic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), FOJA, (Friends of Jacksonville Animals), Red Cross, One Jax, City Rescue Mission, Jericho School of Autism, K-9 for Warriors, St. Johns Riverkeeper, Northeast Florida Fallen Officers, Hope Haven, Duval County Special Olympics, Seniors vs. Crime, Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranch, Empowerment Ranch in Callahan, and Aging True Community Senior Services. Statewide we were able to fund enough for nine cleft lip surgeries for “Operation Smile”. Nationally, the country is heating up for the next presidential election in 2020.  Immigration and the opioid crisis has taken the headlines. Unemployment is at its lowest rate in many years, and the country as a whole is doing well monetarily. We’re making strides with cancer prevention/cure, and an inroad with Alzheimer’s disease.

2019-2020.   With great gratitude we salute Ms. Sandy Marshall who served as President of our Club for eight consecutive years.  This, followed by a new President, Ms. Julie Babcock.  We changed our bylaws so that we are in sync with the district and state for two year terms instead of one.

    It was a busy time on the world and domestic scenes - migration, civil unrest, racism, Britain’s exit from the European Union, college admissions scandals, fire at Notre Dame, droughts, floods, hurricanes, and sea rise. The US Soccer Team won the World Cup.  In 2019 the US House brought impeachment proceedings against the President, Donald Trump.  They were dismissed in the Senate. In the 2020 election, President Trump was defeated by Democrat, Joe Biden. 

    2020 was the worst year imaginable. Due to the world COVID 19 pandemic, it changed the way we worked, lived, worshiped, and socialized. Many,many people died as a result of this virus. Vaccines were approved in record times by the FDA, and distribution began here in Jacksonville during the first week of January, 2021.

    Our Club, who had been at Embassy Suites for over three years, moved to a new location at Deerwood Country Club. We were able to donate  $10,000 to local non-profits and reached our goal of $1200 to fund “Smiles” for children born with cleft lips.  We set up a new scholarship fund to honor Sandy Marshall.  We volunteered to pack meals to help “Fight Hunger”.  We gave to the food bank at UCOM (United Community Outreach Ministry) and to Greenfield Elementary.  We set up a little “Free Library” and campaigned for May Mann Jennings to the  Florida Woman’s Hall of Fame. It was also the 100th anniversary of the 19thamendment giving women the right to vote.