Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-05
CLUBWOMEN OF THE NATION
Club for Blind Women Is Affiliated With General Federation
Woman Voters Receive Gift-Democratic Women
Resume Program.
BY CORINNE FRAZIER.
N unusual club organization
unique, perhaps, for, so far as

A N unusual club organization
! " unique, perhaps, for, so far as
| a known, 1t is the only one of its
4 kind in the world-hss been
| formed recently in Berkeley,
Calf. 0y Mrs. Edgar N. Pickering of
Oakland, president of the Alameda
County Federation of Women's Clubs
1t is a club composed entirely of blind
women Except for one member, its
secretary, Mrs. Mary CarrolD. It is
known as the East Bay Club for Blind
Women, and is affiliated with the Gen.
eral Federation of Women's Clubs.
Programs calculated to help the blind
| will feature the club work of this new
group, which was admitted to the dis
on December Is. just three months
from the time of its organization.
Mrs. Elford Eddy, the first woman in
the United States to make use of one
OF the dogs for the blind from the
Seeing Eye" organization of Nashville,
Tenn, is the president of the infant
club. Under her direction, with the
! close cooperation of Mrs. Pickering,
the club already has inaugurated as one
Of its projects for 1880 q program for
raising funds to assist the Alameda
County Federation in providing scholar
ships to secure dogs as blind leaders"
| for needy boys and girls. It is the
ambition of the federation to provide
at least one of these dogs a wear to
some blind child, and Mrs Pickering is
counting upon her newly organized club
for blind women as one Of her most
valuable units in this work. Their en-
! thusiasm, born of a personal under
| standing of the tremendous value and
comfort to be derived from these dog
companions, Is squirting them to un-
usually successful effort.
Another ambition of Mrs. Pickerines
county federation which is to be for
warded by the East Bay Club group is
that OF some day prevailing upon the
Government Of the United States to
provide these trained dogs for each
blind soldier of the World War.
II we could see the accomplishment
of this one legislative project" wrote
Mrs. Pickering in a recent letter, I'VE
would feel that we had justified our
! existence. The German government
has done this much for their boys,
even with the heavy burden of post
war financial debt resting on its
/ shoulders. Surely, 1t would not be ask
ing too much Of Uncle Sam to match
their generosity. Our East Bay club
women have pledged themselves to aid
with this project, as have all of the
older clubs in my group"
Greater community welfare" is the
theme Of the Alemeda County FEEDER
alton, and the enrichment Of the lives
OF the blind is the guiding motive of
the East Bay Club.
All of the women who have been
chosen oficers Of the new club are
talented despite their handicap. Miss
Matilda e. Allison, elected vice presi-
dent, takes dictation from IL doctors;
Miss Doris O'Brien, treasurer, is a
gifted musician. and Miss Marie Ward,
corresponding secretary, is an unuS-
ally brilliant student.
! Mrs. Carroll, recording secretary,
who alone has her eyesight, is State
/ teacher for the blind.
y
| A T the December meeting of the ex-
ecutive board of the League of
Women Voters. the organization accept