Posted by 
by Angie Sellmeyer, GFWC OK McAlester Fortnightly Historian
Coinciding with National Hat Day in January, the volunteers within the General Federation of Women’s Clubs (GFWC) McAlester Fortnightly began celebrating their 120th year of volunteer work in Pittsburg County with this local service project. The brainstorm of Margaret Fields, Casual Gourmet Department Director, volunteers gathered baby yarn from Fortnightly members. Brenda Calahan, Fortnightly President, invited many to attend weekly crochet and knitting sessions to create “Hats for Babies”. Hundreds of hours of diligent needle clicking resulted in 100 baby size hats personally knitted or crocheted by dedicated women in McAlester. Nurses working in the Labor & Delivery unit of McAlester Regional Health Center (MRHC) said, “We are thrilled to accept the hats on behalf of the parents of newborn children especially now with this cold winter we are experiencing.”
National Hat Day is a holiday celebrated on January 15th in the United States to honorand appreciate the usefulness that hats can make. On this day, people are encouraged to wear their favorite hats and celebrate the variety of styles and shapes. Did you know, 10% of a human body is the head? A 10% loss of body heat through an uncovered head is enough to shiver, so make sure you keep your head warm during the colder seasons with a nice hand crocheted or knit beanie.
General Federation of Women’s Clubs (GFWC), is dedicated to enhancing the lives of others through volunteer community service. You can learn more about the volunteer activities our clubwomen are performing in the Pittsburg County, Oklahoma area by contacting GFWC OK McAlester Fortnightly Club President, Brenda Calahan at 918-916-0947.