Pewaukee Woman’s Club celebrates 120 years of community service

Fourteen years ago, Abby Lorenz of southeastern Wisconsin was invited to speak before the Woman’s Club of Pewaukee to discuss fine arts.

Little did she know that once her speech ended, the community service club would consider ending too.

“The president of the club stood up and said, ‘Well, now we are going to decide whether or not we’re going to dissolve the club,’” she said on WPR’s “Wisconsin Today.”

It was at this moment that Lorenz shared her excitement to join as well as invite her friends and family. 

Shortly after, the club doubled its membership through her word-of-mouth efforts. 

This year, the Woman’s Club of Pewaukee has over 100 members and is celebrating 120 years of volunteer service and community enhancement, according to Lorenz. From 2020 to 2022, she also served as president of the state woman’s club.

“I can honestly say that giving back to others is what brings me joy. This is what kind of fills my cup,” she said. 

The history of women’s clubs in the state dates back to 1896, when Wisconsin joined the General Federation of Women’s Clubs . Today, Wisconsin has 43 clubs with more than 1,450 women living the volunteer spirit.

On “Wisconsin Today,” Lorenz spoke further about the ongoing work of the Woman’s Club of Pewaukee.

The following interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

Rob Ferrett:  What does that mean to you to know this line of people who have stewarded the Woman’s Club of Pewaukee through the decades?

Abby Lorenz: It’s an amazing feeling knowing that women, 120 years ago, didn’t even have the right to vote. Now, I’m in front of the club encouraging our members to vote. We are very blessed to have the opportunity to share so many different opportunities for women.

We have what are called community service programs that are internationally known. They are called Arts and Culture, Civic Engagement and Outreach, Education and Libraries, Environment and Health and Wellness.

One of the things that you may not know about the General Federation of Women’s Clubs is that most of the local libraries throughout the state of Wisconsin and even throughout the United States were formed by women in women’s clubs.

It’s very exciting to know that we have a very rich history.

RF: One of the big signature projects you’ve been working on for years now is Dementia Friendly Pewaukee. Tell us a little bit about its goals and impact.

AL: Dementia Friendly Pewaukee is a fairly new community outreach of the Woman’s Club of Pewaukee and the Aging & Disability Resource Center in Waukesha County. We started back in 2010 with a community-wide gathering of our leaders. We called it a coalition. 

We started education through training at local businesses in Pewaukee as well as just the general public. At one time, the Woman’s Club of Pewaukee received training to help someone with dementia, whether it’s someone in your life, or even in the local grocery store or the bank.

Dementia Friendly Pewaukee has quickly grown to hosting two educational workshops annually, as well as having monthly caregivers coffees. This is a peer-to-peer group which enables the caregiver to talk one-on-one with others in the same situation so they share their experiences, their stories. They may get some tips on how to deal with their loved one with dementia. 

While they’re having their monthly meeting, we then meet with the loved ones with dementia. We have partnered with the Pewaukee Area Arts Council and we do art projects with them. I am also a professional pianist and vocalist, so I sing along with people with dementia. 

We get them rocking and rolling, tapping their toes, clapping their hands, making them smile and living in the moment. I know that we are making a difference because our numbers have drastically increased over the past three years. 

RF: Make the case to people listening to say, ‘Hey, this isn’t more work. This is actually something you are going to take something away from and benefit from.’ 

AL: We invite all ages. Many of the women’s clubs are aging, and so we are looking for younger members, perhaps in their 30s, 40s and 50s. I would encourage any women that are interested in finding a new opportunity to make a difference in their communities, to reach out to one of 43 local women’s clubs.  

We completed over 1,500 projects with a total of nearly 98,000 volunteer hours in 2023. We also donated throughout the state of Wisconsin over $365,000. We also do what’s called in-kind donations, which was valued at $152,000.

 We have a lot to be very proud of in the state of Wisconsin.