Club History

Back in 1913, in what truly was a backwater Gulf Coast fishing village, 32 women with a vision for a better community launched the Woman’s Club of Panama City – the same year that Bay County itself was created. Naysayers probably dismissed those ladies as little more than a sewing and gossip circle. Nothing could have been further from the truth! Even before they could legally vote, these women began lobbying for city ordinances to keep horses tethered to hitching posts, prohibit livestock from roaming the streets, and to outlaw spitting on sidewalks.

In 1922, the Woman’s Club led a city-wide cleanup and beautification effort. These forward-thinking women also established Panama City’s first public library and paid the first county public health nurse’s salary. Ever since that time, the GFWC Woman’s Club of Panama City has made a remarkable difference in this community.  

In support of the international GFWC and GFWC Florida action plans, our members have actively participated in local charities and programs of interest to each CSP (Community Service Program). Our club was instrumental in helping to finance the construction of the Junior Museum in 1967.

In 2000, we became a founding member of the Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC). We have expanded outreach to help local disadvantaged schools and Girls, Inc. with tutoring and school supplies, and funded a scholarship program at Haney Technical College to help women pursue career training.  We work with and collect supplies for local domestic violence programs, food banks and teen outreach programs. We volunteer with our libraries and cultural arts programs, and we are proud of our veterans’ appreciation efforts.  Then, as now, we make a difference every day.