"The Chico Women's Club began in 1913 as the Chico Art Club. Our founding mothers included Annie Bidwell and Margaret March, the first president.
Meetings were held in each other's homes until they built our present clubhouse in 1933. A fire in 1950 destroyed all of the Club's early records. The 1951 yearbook lists 242 members by their husband's first and last names! It also indicates that they were a part of the National Federation of Women which was known for its progressive agenda.
By the 1960's they called themselves the Chico Women's Club and used their own first names. In the 1970's they helped create Caper Acres and restore Bidwell Mansion. They also began hosting the mansion's Holiday Open House and we still do today.
In the 1980's membership began to decline as women became employed, single mothers, and literally on the move. By the millennium only a small group of older women remained. In 2004 a group of younger women joined the club and membership has risen again to over 100. These ninety plus years have seen an expansion of the Club's goals from self-enrichment, to community service and a focus on national and global concerns.
Our programs run from September to June and begin with the tradition of a September Tea at which we welcome new members and celebrate our Club's birthday.
We sponsor a Thursday Night Lecture Series which includes filmed speakers from the Bioneers conferences.
We have joined with five other local women's groups to form a Micro-finance Collaborative which provides loans to Third World women.
We have formed groups for the study of Non-Violent Communication. We host Conversation Cafes at our monthly meetings with a format that moves us from "small talk to big talk".
New in 2007 is a Time Bank to record the exchange of skills and services among our members, a Sustainability Committee which has done an energy audit on our building and will begin support groups called H.E.R.- Households for Environmental Responsibility.
Our annual fundraiser is a Celebration of Women Festival which includes a Performance Showcase of local women talent and an Artisan Faire that displays the work of local women artists, crafters, and body workers. All proceeds fund scholarships and grants to community agencies.
We encourage all area women who share our values, vision and mission to become members of the Club. We maintain contact with each other through our programs, monthly gatherings, weekly e-mails, and a newsletter that is published in alternate months excluding summer.
A Board of Directors is elected each spring. The Board meets the first Wednesday of each month and all members are welcome to attend. We are a non-profit corporation." (
visit link)