Our Service to the Community
Just a Glimpse at Our Civic and Community Involvement
- Endorsement and financial support of the Three Rivers Promise.
- Sponsors college scholarships for over 100 young people to date.
- Supports the Domestic and Sexual Abuse Services (DASAS) and Keystone Place through donations and the Afghan Project to date over 1000 afghans have been donated.
- Hosts the Historic Three Rivers Labor Day Bridge Walk raising money to improve the trails.
- Three Rivers Food Site with volunteers on Tuesdays and Thursdays during the months of February and August, working 9 to noon, assembling boxes of food for clients of the TRFS. The TRFS is located under the back door of Lowry’s Books downtown.
- Donates “Kind News” subscriptions over 56 classrooms in area elementary schools, teaching children respect and care for animals for more than 20 years.
- Worked with local school children to raise funds for the original Carnegie Library in the early 20th century.
- Sponsored and financially supported the Visiting Nurse Program in Three Rivers for over 50 years.
- For 60 years provided free milk to school children who could not afford it.
- Provided the leadership for the establishment of a Family Service Center in the community which evolved into the Community Mental Health Center.
Many of our members are volunteers in other places in town, Red Cross, Hospital Auxiliary, Community Players, Church, Boy Scouts, Girls Scotts, Garden Club, Southwest Michigan Black Historical Society, Recycling, World Faire, Animal Rescue Fund, St. Joseph County 4-H and many others.
Timeline of Community Service
Three Rivers Woman’s Club from 1891 to Now
1979
1979: Saved Carnegie Library Building
Voted to use Club House Fund to save the Carnegie library from demolition and support restoration and establishment of a community and arts center.
1980
1980: Carnegie Center for the Arts is Named
Named the restored building the “Carnegie Center for the Arts” and set up the Carnegie Governing Board Committee to continue monetary support for maintenance and repairs of the “old library building” and coordinate with the work of the Arts Center
1982
1982: Published Cookbook
Published a cookbook celebrating two years of work & funds to restore the Carnegie building and helped a separate CCA Board incorporate.
1986
1986: Support for Reading is Fundamental
Received First Place in Community Improvement Program from Michigan GFWC for efforts “to save and redo the Carnegie Library” and began support for Reading Is Fundamental and Kids ’n Kindness.
1994
1994: Carnegie Center Endowment Fund
Established Endowment Fund for the Carnegie Center for the Arts with donation of $5,000.
2002
2002 to now: Afghan Project
The Afghan Project: knitting/crocheting afghans for the DASAS domestic abuse shelter and KeyStone Place for the homeless.
