The Naples Junior Woman's Club (NJWC) has been a part of the Naples community for the last 72 years by Living The Volunteer Spirit. Started as a sister organization of the Naples Woman's Club, Mary Watkins was the first president of NJWC. Both organizations belong to the General Federation of Women's Clubs, an international organization promoting Unity in Diversity, which has been in existence since 1890. More than 60,000 members make up the General Federation of Women’s Clubs. Locally, Naples Junior Woman’s Club notably built the first children’s playground at Cambier Park.
What is the difference between Naples Junior Woman's Club and Naples Woman's Club? The missions of both 501(c)(3) organizations are very similar in promoting volunteerism and philanthropy amongst their members for the betterment of the Naples community. NJWC members meet in the evening of every second Wednesday of the month and hold fundraisers and social events on weekends or weekday evenings after 5pm to allow for those with careers and/or children to attend. Members of NJWC are provided with member only events, member appreciation events, exposure to many local causes with volunteer opportunities, time to be social and network, as well as all the vast resources the General Federation of Women’s Clubs has on leadership.
The Naples Junior Woman’s Club works to partner with other community nonprofits to assist as volunteers for events, collect donations, or help put together events. In the past, NJWC has helped with food packing at Meals of Hope, helped collect food donations for the Grace Place food pantry, collected and assembled Halloween treat bags that included dental hygiene items for the youth with multiple organizations, and collaborated with the Alliance for Period Supplies of SWFL and the Naples Woman’s Club to collect and assemble period supply bags to have on hand for local schools and other nonprofits in positions to help those in need of supplies. NJWC is committed to continuing to assist the community as needs arise.
Within the club, Naples Junior Woman's Club has four scholarships held at Community Foundation of Collier County for local high school seniors every year. Members of the scholarship committee read through applications collected by Community Foundation of Collier County every March and select four deserving students. Fundraisers put on through the year help to fund these scholarships. NJWC hopes to continue offering the scholarships and possibly even growing the amount given.
Fundraising is naturally an important part of maintaining a 501c3 organization and NJWC relies on its members, sponsors, and the community to make the fundraisers successful. Long time, annual fundraisers of the Naples Junior Woman’s Club include the Derby Dash that takes place every first Saturday in May, Bubble Ball in the late summer/ early fall, and the Halloween Trick-Or-Trolley in October. There is great excitement over a brand-new fundraiser that will take place February 1, 2025! More details will be released leading up to the event.
Fundraisers are not the only events put on by the Naples Junior Woman’s Club for its members and the community. Many of the social events through the year are open to the community. One such social will be November 23, 2024, a casual walk through Baker Park for members, their families, friends, and anyone from the community. The club also hosts a Boos and Brews pumpkin painting in October, and a Galentine’s in February.
Upcoming fundraisers, sponsorship opportunities, social events, and how to apply for membership can be found by connecting with NJWC by:
Website: naplesjuniors.com
Facebook: Naples Junior Woman’s Club
Instagram: naplesjuniors
Email: naplesjunior@gmail.com
Stephanie Pavlik, President, Naples Junior Woman’s Club
Here’s to another 72 years of serving the Naples community and providing a place for members to grow personally and professionally!