After 94 years the 12-member Good Cheer Club of Prince George will now cease as an active volunteer group but in their infinite wisdom members knew that by hosting a sustainable endowment fund through the Prince George Community Foundation their name would forever be remembered for their good deeds.
The club, whose motto was to bring good cheer wherever and whenever needed, has provided more than $12,000 to the endowment fund.
"We know that will continue to bring good cheer to many community organizations for at least another 100 years," said Ethel Rhodes, 88, who's been a member of the club for almost 50 years.
"We tried to make it to 100 years, but we just couldn't do it," said Ann Hoyer, 78, a 52-year member of the club. "Knowing we have the endowment fund helped make the decision to close down the club a little easier."
Hoyer likes looking back in the minute books of the early days of the club.
The club has always been a close knit group of friends that kept the membership to under 20.
"In a big group only a select few will work, in a small group everyone will work together," said Hoyer.
Back in the day the group only consisted of ladies who lived in Central Fort George.
"They met in each other's houses," said Rhodes. "And houses then were what? Nine hundred square feet?"
They really didn't have room for more than 20 people, she added.
"Harold Moffat told us that he always knew when it was Good Cheer Club day because when he got home from school he had to take the chairs from his house to whoever was holding the meeting that day," said Hoyer.
Looking through the minute books from years gone by speaks to how times have changed, added Rhodes. The books have been since donated to The Exploration Place so members of the public can have access to historical records as seen through the eyes of those living it.
"You really have to admire those pioneer women," said Hoyer.
Hoyer recalls when she found minutes about one particular incident where the ladies got into trouble for their conduct.
"They were taken to task during a meeting for not formally addressing one another," said Hoyer. "They were getting far too lax in not referring to each other as Mrs. or Miss."
People will notice there are some minutes missing from the archives dating from 1922 to 1925.
"Where they went to nobody knows," said Rhodes.
"But there was a little blurb in one of the books that said something happened and it's something about one particular person but they would not elaborate on the problem," said Hoyer. "We don't know what it was but there was a little bit of intrigue."
Over the years the Good Cheer Club chose small projects to support that would take more effort than money to accomplish.
In the late 50s, early 60s the Aurora school opened to provide services to families with special needs children, in 1967 the school was then known as the Child Development Centre and the Good Cheer Club supported the effort from its very inception.
"I remember they put up the Aurora school in one day - it was all prefab and I think there was nine children there," said Rhodes. "The Good Cheer Club always had a picnic for them at the school year end and we've kept on with the Child Development Centre. We helped them start their lending library for new parents."
And other small projects which benefited the community like beautifying the old civic centre for a special occasion and paying for water so a volunteer could create a skating rink at a local school.
Since the start of the club on March 13, 1922, the members just did what needed doing, said Hoyer.
"Through the war years, they were all involved with that and they watched Prince George grow," said Hoyer.
Hoyer remembers holding rummage sales, best known as garage sales today, and the ladies would collect all the donated woolen items and other volunteers would re-purpose those items into woolen blankets that would be donated back to local schools to raffle off so they could purchase library books.
"Those were the small things we did in the community," said Hoyer.
Longevity seems to run in the Good Cheer Club with Rhodes talking about five members over the years celebrating their 100th birthdays and beyond and more than half the current members of the club are more than 75 years old.
"So the spirit is willing..." laughed Hoyer.
To continue the legacy of the Good Cheer Club, donations are being accepted at the Prince George Community Foundation, lower level of the Coast Inn of the North, 770 Brunswick St.
The Citizen's The Volunteer City series will feature local volunteers each week who have previously received little or no public recognition for their efforts. If you know someone who fits that description, send me a note at [email protected] or give me a call at The Citizen (250-960-2773).
Flip through The Citizen's Volunteer City series, featuring stand-out volunteers in Prince George:
