Women’s group still going strong after 50 years
The San Gabriel Women’s Club celebrated 50 years of supporting local women and nonprofits on October 2 with an afternoon tea at the Wesleyan Independent Living Facility.
“People think that we’re a little group of ladies who just get together and have lunch,” said Sharon Grooms, an active member of the group. “[They think] that we don’t do anything active to help support the community and make people’s lives better for people. It’s a common misconception.”
The San Gabriel Women’s Club was started by stay at home wives, it now has women of all backgrounds. Ms. Grooms is retired and she comes from a hispanic and indigenous background. She joined the group ten years ago when she moved to Williamson County.
“I found the ladies to be very welcoming,” Ms. Grooms said. “They were concerned with issues surrounding women’s rights, the wellbeing of children and feminine security types of projects.”
The San Gabriel Women’s Club helps over 20 nonprofit organizations around Williamson County, including the Georgetown Girl Scouts, Key 2 Free, the Caring Place and Williamson County Advocacy Center. They have an annual scholarship that they give to Georgetown high school seniors and collect donations to be distributed to local organizations. The group also makes sanitary products to be sent to women in developing countries and are politically involved by keeping up with legislative changes in Williamson County. The San Gabriel Women’s Club are particularly concerned with helping women who have been abused raise self-sufficient children.
“We try to help and empower women,” Ms. Grooms said, mentioning that the members also help empower each other. “As we age, husbands pass away sooner than women do. We have become one of those organizations where you watch out for everybody else. We all learn from each other and develop friendships regardless of skin color or socioeconomic background.”
Ms. Grooms considers herself to be one of the more outspoken in the group when it comes to feminism.
“What can I say? The 1970s were the bra burning days,” Ms. Grooms said.
She used to be involved in N.O.W. when she was younger and participated in women’s rights protests. Ms. Grooms said her mother a strong female who had a big influence on her life. She was a nurse who served in World War II and went on to become a director of nurses at San Antonio at Baptist Memorial Hospital.
“The walk of life is for each woman, and each may be different. But essentially, we are all concerned about the future and our children,” Ms. Grooms said. “I want to teach [my granddaughters] that they can be strong and that they can do anything they want to do.”
The San Gabriel Women’s club is currently collecting food to be donated to The Caring Place, the Georgetown Project and the Salvation Army ahead of the holidays. For information on how to donate and how to get involved in the group, visit the group’s Facebook page.