2023-2024 President's Report

Blue Stocking Club Annual Report

May 2, 2024

My term as the 2023-24 Blue Stocking Club President began on May 4, 2023, after being duly sworn in by Sustainer, Mary Lynn Satterwhite.

As a brief “year-in-review”, I offer these highlights:

Realizing how important Girls, Inc. was to this community, Blue Stocking Club members voted unanimously to support the organization’s expansion project to construct a new gymnasium and community center. With just a letter writing campaign to Actives and Sustainers, members collectively raised $28,100 which allowed us to secure a naming opportunity. We are proud for visitors and users to see The Blue Stocking Kitchen.

The Executive Committee met on August 31, 2023, at Machiavelli’s Restaurant to plan the year ahead and the new slate of officers and chairmen easily transitioned into their assigned roles. The Membership Committee conducted orientation for the Club’s four new members on August 30 at The Virginian, providing them with the history of our organization, and information regarding the Club’s past projects and current focus areas.

Throughout the year, we were educated on various topics which were informative and meaningful. Last September, we met at the Bristol Train Station and heard from Foundation President, Dan Bieger, and Bristol Chamber President, Beth Rhinehart regarding the Train Station’s history and the work being done to restore passenger rail transit to Bristol. October’s meeting took us to the United Way of Bristol’s office where President, Lisa Cofer, explained the many programs and services provided by that organization. At that meeting, members donated 481 personal hygiene items, laundry supplies and other items for Bristol Faith in Action.

In November, we visited the newly opened facility at Girl’s, Inc. and toured, in person, The Blue Stocking Kitchen to witness what our dollars provided. Together, members donated 102 items for the “stock the kitchen” effort, and we were told about Girls, Inc. programs and community impact by Executive Director, Callie Cunningham. In December, we treated ourselves to a delightful Christmas luncheon at The Virginian and were entertained with festive experts from A Christmas Carol performed by the Theatre Bristol cast. This year’s Blue Stocking Club Christmas Stocking benefitted CASA for Kids to support their Bristol Office, and a remarkable and generous amount of $6,510 was collected. Also, 96 boxes of cereal were donated by members for the Bristol Emergency Food Pantry.

In January, we travelled to the YWCA of Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia where Executive Director, Kathy Waugh, and her staff presented important information about the various programs and services being administered throughout Bristol and the surrounding area to improve the lives of young girls. We also heard from Healing Hands Director, Helen Scott, regarding their cupcake fundraiser and the Executive Committee met afterwards to carry on Club business.

February’s meeting took us to the Bristol YMCA where instructors, Chris Whitt and Daniel Crockett, gave us excellent training on personal self-defense techniques. In March, we conducted our annual business meeting at The Reserve, followed by the April meeting held at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum. There, we elected new officers for the 2024-25 year and voted to invite seven new members into the Club. We viewed the 100 Years of Blue Stocking in Seven Minutes video, enjoying the interviews with many of our Sustainers highlighting their fond memories of their time in the Club. Members generously donated food items and towels for Bristol’s Family Promise. May’s meeting, held at State Street Methodist Church, culminated the year with the official installation of officers by Sustainer, Mary Lynn Satterwhite and the passing of the BSC bell to incoming President, Andrea Ford. To end the year on a fun note, the Special Events Committee planned a well-attended Cinco de Mayo social at the Birthplace of Country Music Museum on May 5th.

We were pleased that our active members contributed hundreds of hours of volunteerism to Appalachian Literacy Initiative, the Birthplace of Country Music, Bristol Faith in Action, Healing Hands Health Center and the YWCA Bridal Shop. Additionally, members gathered at Second Harvest Food Bank to assemble food boxes for distribution to needy families. The Club voted to fully support the Healing Hands Sweets for the Sweets Cupcake Fundraiser where it is estimated that our Actives and Sustainers donated over 70 hours of volunteer hours to that cause.

Meetings this year also included a “Reflection” from the President at the close of each meeting. Topics included the history of the Club’s flower, the origin of Thanksgiving, New Year’s Resolutions, Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day. A Christmas poem was read in December, and we learned about the history of Volunteerism. Additionally, this year, the Club was honored and delighted to nominate Barbara Smith for the YWCA Tribute to Women Award for her outstanding commitment, dedication and loyalty to her church and numerous non-profit organizations. The President and Corresponding Secretary sent 61 thank you notes, sympathy cards, get well cards and personal notes during the year on behalf of the Club.

While this past year has been productive and fun, it also brought our Club members some somber moments saying goodbye to four active, loyal and dedicated Sustainers: Joan Crockett, Anne King Fleming, B.J. Ellis and Louise Bowdoin. Although gone, they will never be forgotten as their contributions to the Blue Stocking Club were immeasurable over the years. These four amazing women will be long remembered for their leadership, strength and determination to abide by the Blue Stocking mission to advance charitable work for the improvement and betterment of Bristol and the surrounding region. So appropriate that our Club flowers remind us…Forget-Me-Not.

It has been an honor and a privilege to serve as the 2023-24 President of the Blue Stocking Club, an organization I find to be blessed with enormously generous, caring, kind and dedicated women. It has been a pleasure witnessing how a small group of motivated, like-minded humanitarians, who care about their community, can make such a positive impact on Bristol’s well-being.

Ronan D. King