A legacy of service: Atlanta Woman’s Club enriches libraries
For more than a century, the Atlanta Woman’s Club has championed causes that strengthen the community, and their continued support of the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library Foundation and the Fulton County Library System is a shining example of that commitment in action
“Atlanta Woman’s Club has been in existence for 130 years, and we don’t live in the past, but we honor the past and look to the legacy of the women who came before us and made us who we are,” said Peggy Pruett, President of the Atlanta Woman’s Club. “Our club is a working club. We do what we do because we want it to affect our library and the people it serves.”
The Atlanta Woman’s Club has long prioritized education, civic engagement, and philanthropy. Their support of libraries reflects those values, helping to expand access to resources that support readers of all ages. Each year, the Club makes a generous contribution to support the Library System’s Summer Reading program, helping ensure that children, teens, and adults across Fulton County have access to free books, activities, and incentives that inspire a love of reading. The summer reading program helps students avoid summer learning loss and encourages families to connect through storytelling and literacy.
“Through our support of the summer reading program, we hope that exciting branch programs will bring in more readers,” said Sarah June McDavid, long-time Club member. “I believe that children who have positive experiences in a library at an early age are more likely to become lifelong readers and users of libraries.”
In addition to their financial support, Atlanta Woman’s Club members also give their time as active library volunteers. From reading with children to assisting at library events, their presence brings enthusiasm and warmth to branches. In recent years, the Club has supported the “Girls Who Code” afternoon program at the Ponce de Leon branch; provided snacks and treats to staff during National Library Week; and extensively volunteered with the Georgia Public Library Service’s Center for the Blind and Print Disabled.
“I think that for me, the most important thing is to strengthen the connections among us sisters. And then once we are connected, it’s so much easier to work towards a common goal,” said Maria Crane, who co-chairs the Education and Libraries Community Service Project with Aimée Berry. “When the personal connections are strong, then the ideas come out, the commitment to the club is greater and the ideas for opportunities to enrich the community are stronger.”
With the support of donors like the Atlanta Woman’s Club, libraries remain vibrant spaces of learning, connection, and opportunity for all.
Learn more about the Atlanta Woman’s Club at atlwc.org or check out A Light on Peachtree: A History of the Atlanta Woman’s Club from the Fulton County Library System.