Woman's Club serves the town, young and old

The Shafter Woman's Club has been busy with numerous events this past month in their efforts to serve the community.

The club sponsored a student from Shafter High School, Ashley Castillo, to participate in the HOBY program. The Hugh O'Brien Youth Leadership program was founded in 1958 and empowers young people to use their leadership skills in their education and career. The participants attend a conference in which they are given tools to be a good leader and to develop their interpersonal skills. Students walk away with increased self-confidence and the desire to make a difference in their communities.

The Woman's Club also participated in a celebration for longtime member Betty Petrie, who turned 104 recently. SWC members brought birthday cards to their October meeting for Margaret Acosta to deliver to Betty on her birthday. Margaret asked Dolly Hei to contact her friend, Herb Benham, to see if he would be interested in doing an article on Betty for the Bakersfield Californian since she was a veteran and Veterans Day is approaching. As a result, her surprise birthday party became a real event with veterans and reporters in attendance, as well as politicians.

The SWC was also on hand at the Shafter Police Department's Police Night Out event. The club had a booth providing cookies and other baked goods for attendees, free of charge.

The Shafter Woman's Club is a service organization that has been serving the community of Shafter for decades. They help the youth of Shafter by sponsoring candidates for the DYW program, sponsoring students for HOBY and donating money to different clubs in Shafter schools to help them with trips and events that will enrich their lives and educational careers.