Dayton Federation of Women's Clubs Records

The Dayton Federation of Women's Clubs was founded in 1907 by Marie J. Kumler. Mrs. Kumler brought together the 11 women's clubs then currently active in the Dayton area in an effort to "unite the club women of Dayton and of Montgomery County, Ohio, for closer cooperation and efficiency in the promotion of their major interests, patriotism, education, philanthropy, and civic betterment and to become better acquainted as clubs and individuals and to help one another in every possible way." The Dayton Federation of Women's Clubs became affiliated with the Ohio and the General Federation of Women's Clubs during that same year. After 82 years, four of the original 11 founding clubs - the Advance, College Women's Club, Friday Afternoon and Women's Literary Clubs - are still functioning.

In 1908, the club began its most enduring project, the Marie J. Kumler Scholarship Loan Fund. This fund, which provides interest free loans to young women for higher education, was established through voluntary penny per week contribution from each club member. The monies raised are loaned to deserving students who are sponsored by a member of the Dayton Federation of Women's Clubs. The first beneficiary, as chosen by Mrs. Kumler, was "a deserving factory girl with artistic ability and womanly traits." In 1927, the club attempted to enlarge the program into a "Marie J. Kumler Memorial School" on the outskirts of Dayton. They purchased a working dairy farm for this purpose and issued donation cards in order to raise funds. Their fundraising fell through, however, and they broke their contract in 1928, returning the land to its original owner. The scholarship fund itself continued and in later years, clubs supporting the fund increased their donations to 52 cents per capita per year. The fund also solicits donations through wills, gifts, trusts and endowments.

Charitable work has always been a part of the DFWC's mandate. In 1929, during the Great Depression, AFWC members convinced NCR to turn its auditorium into a soup kitchen for the needy. Early each morning, the women would travel to the auditorium to cook meals for the needy. Another enduring legacy of the early years of the DFWC, however, is Daybreak House, a home for runaway children. This project started when several Federation members discovered that runaway children in Montgomery County were automatically sent to the county workhouse if they could not prove they had a place to stay overnight. In order to prevent this, the clubwomen began taking stray children into their own homes. This one-on-one approach developed into a club-sponsored shelter that opened in 1975. Currently, one of the DFWC's largest projects is its Daybreak fundraiser, a Doll House and Miniature Show every October. These early projects did not go unrecognized and the DFWC was chosen to host the 33rd Annual GFWC Convention, April 22-29, 1929.

Over the years, the DFWC itself has functioned relatively unchanged. Neither World War I nor World War II disrupted the DFWC routine although the club contributed money and supplies to relief efforts. It has become increasingly involved with the OFWC (through its Division of Blind services) and the GFWC (with its "Free Enterprise" program).

Although its original 1907 constitution was revised in 1963, the club has continued to meet on the first Saturday of each month from September through May. Most importantly, it has continued its important charitable, social, and educational work through an increasing number of women's clubs in the Dayton and Montgomery County area.