Girls’ Career Institute (GCI) is a program offered by the New Jersey State Federation of Women’s Clubs (NJSFWC) for girls who will complete their junior year of high school. The Woman’s Club of Merchantville and the Evening Membership Department sponsored three delegates from Pennsauken to attend this year’s GCI. Delegates are selected on the basis of interest, community service and participation in school activities.

Ashley Pabon, a senior at Paul VI High School; Amanda Andujar, a senior at Camden County Technical School; and Jennifer Lopez, a senior at Urban Promise, attended the program, held at Douglas Residential Campus at Rutgers University. The girls joined over 170 young women from all over the state and experienced a unique mini-college experience, sampling college life by living in a dorm, eating in the cafeteria, and attending lectures and workshops. They also learned about career choices and how to network with other delegates from all over the state of New Jersey. During free time, there were organized activities, such as swimming, crafts, and after dinner programs.

The GFWC Woman’s Club of Merchantville and the EMD are members of the New Jersey State Federation of Women’s Clubs (NJSFWC) of GFWC, which was founded in 1894 and has been headquartered on the Douglass Residential Campus, formerly Douglass College in New Brunswick since 1966. The Federation is a member of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs, the oldest and largest nonpartisan, nondenominational women’s volunteer service organization in the world. Opportunities are provided to women in education, leadership training and community service through participation in local clubs, enabling members to make a difference in the lives of others, one project at a time. For more information, contact Jan at (609) 410-4650.