Flora Stone Mather 1852-1909

          Born Flora Stone to Amasa and Julia Ann Stone in 1852 in Cleveland, Ohio. Her father was a philanthropist and one of the wealthiest men in the nation that endowed the Home for Aged and Indigent Women in Cleveland. She married her neighbor Samuel Mather in 1881 who also came from one of the wealthiest families in the country and had four children. This was seen as a marriage of love not just economics by those closest to them. Amasa Stone committed suicide in 1883 and Flora took over his philanthropy and also took on her own causes. Flora “focused on the physical, intellectual, cultural and spiritual needs of Cleveland especially the poor, women and children” (Haddad).

          Flora had incredible vision to the needs of her community. She not only started one of Cleveland’s first totally funded settlement house, the Goodrich House, but also funded it for its first ten years. The main purpose of the settlement was to make a better life for the immigrants of the inner city. The Goodrich house has moved and expanded, now called the Goodrich-Gannett Neighborhood Center, and still serves the community.

          Education was very important to Flora, specifically women’s education. At Case Western Reserve University she was the primary benefactress for the College for Women. She donated the Guilford House, a residence hall for women, and dedicated it to her former teacher Linda Guildford. She also donated Haydn Hall. She would frequently visit the residence bringing books for the sparse library and also bringing lectures and musicians that the women would probably never of had the opportunity to see.

          Flora did her work through others, leading by example and shunning publicity. She never sought credit for her work. Her leadership did not come from words but from actions. She has helped transform the lives of many through her donations of not just money but by creating places for the oppressed to grow. Her pastor Dr. Meldrom is quoted as saying “It was easier to ask for money than to thank her” and Flora replied “that as it should be. It is more blessed to give than receive.”  Because she never wanted recognition it was not until 1931 that her name was given to the College for Women making it the Flora Stone Mather College for Women. Some of her other endeavors include: The Home for Aged Women, Children’s Aid Society, Day Nursery Association, Young Men’s and Young Women’s Association, Welfare Federation, and many struggling schools, churches and colleges. Many of these organizations are still helping the Cleveland community.

          Flora died at the age of 57 of breast cancer. At the time she still was in charge of the large fortune of her fathers. She left it to thirty institutions consisting of religious, educational, cultural and welfare. Her family continued to carry out her work.

          At a time when women had very strict guidelines for their behavior Flora Stone Mather used her resources to help educate women and improve the lives of the underprivileged. She led through her influence and spotlighting the importance of health and education.

Works Cited

Goodrich-Gannett Neighborhood Center - Home. Goodrich-Gannett Center. Web. 16 Feb. 2012. <http://www.ggnc.org/>.

Haddad, Gladys. Flora Stone Mather: Daughter of Cleveland's Euclid Avenue & Ohio's Western Reserve. Kent, OH: Kent State UP, 2007. Electronic.

"A MILLIONAIRE'S SUICIDE - LAMENTABLE DEATH OF AMASA STONE, OF CLEVELAND. - Front Page - NYTimes.com." NY Times 12 May 1883. The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. NY Times, 12 May 1883. Web. 16 Feb. 2012. <http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F40C10F73C5511738DDDAB0994DD405B8384F0D3>.

Smith, Helen. "Flora Stone Mather Center for Women: Flora Stone Mather College for Women - a Brief History." Case Western Reserve University - One of the Nation's Top Universities and the Best College in Ohio. Case Western Reserve University. Web. 16 Feb. 2012. <http://www.case.edu/provost/centerforwomen/women/fsm.html>.

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Service Learning Proposal

                                                Service Learning Proposal

1)      Community Partner:

Young Women Leaders Program (YWLP) working with National Organization for Women (NOW)

400 Central Fl. Blvd.

Orlando, Fl. 32816

Contact Maria Roman, maria.roman@ucf.edu (YWLP)

              Kelly Quintero, k.quintero@knights.ucf.edu  (NOW)

     YWLP “promotes middle school girls’ leadership abilities, pairing collegiate women with middle school girls. In mentoring pairs and small groups of Big and Little Sisters, participants focus on learning competence and autonomy, independent thinking, empowerment, self-esteem, and encouraging girls to think about their futures” (“Young Women Leaders Program”). YWLP has assembled a group of strong, intelligent college age women to become “big sisters” to middle school girls to lead them to the path to help them become the best they can be. This is extremely beneficial to the younger girls because it gives them someone that is not too far removed from their situation but has moved on to the next phase of their lives. In doing this the younger girls have positive role models and a person to look to at a time peer pressure is everywhere. This is made possible through a federal grant and work is needed on many levels to continue this funding though fundraisers and meeting the requirements for the grant.

     NOW is a national organization with chapters all over the county. They are focused on the issues that impact women and their lives. It is the largest of all the feminist organizations and has been around for almost fifty years. Their mission “to take action to bring about equality for all women. NOW works to eliminate discrimination and harassment in the workplace, schools, the justice system, and all other sectors of society; secure abortion, birth control and reproductive rights for all women; end all forms of violence against women; eradicate racism, sexism and homophobia; and promote equality and justice in our society”(“NOW”).

2)      Proposal: The proposal is twofold and will address two important issues that women face daily. The proposal will give some background of the issues and how both relate to each other and how NOW and YWLP will benefit from the project. Although the relation to women’s studies is apparent I will provide more details to its relevance.

     First we will look at the ERA (Equal Rights Amendment). First written and introduced in 1923 by Alice Paul. It was introduced again every year until finally in 1972 it was passed in both the Senate and the House by the two thirds vote that is required. While one would believe that after fifty years a victory was won it only put the game into overtime. The states then needed to ratify the ERA to have it added to the constitution and now forty years later there are still fifteen states that have not ratified it. Of those fifteen we are in need of only three of them to ratify for the victory and Florida is among those fifteen. Without this amendment there is no constitutional protection for cases that specifically impact women and their rights. What is truly sad is that 76% of Americans believe this is already a Constitutional Amendment which means it does not get the attention it needs and deserves. Senator Nan Rich (D – Broward, Miami-Dade) and Representative Lori Berman (D – Miami-Dade) have sponsored Bills that have been presented for vote during this year’s legislative session. Senate 2012 ERA bill SRC 180 and House 2012 ERA bill HCR 8003 have already picked up a few co-sponsors but it is imperative that all other Senators and Representatives are made aware of the importance of passing these bills. A letter drive to individuals in office will not only make our voices heard in Tallahassee but will also spread awareness to the fact that the ERA is not an amendment and will encourage more participation at all levels. The letters will be drafted and a list obtained of the Representatives and Senators that are not involved yet. We will then table with information on the Bills and give people the opportunity to send a letter to the Senators and House members that represent them.

     Next the grant for YWLP requires participation in Equal Pay Day. By equal pay we are talking that all people are paid equally by their experience and qualifications. This sounds simple and most people take this concept for granted but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. The inequalities of pay not only affect women but also the families that depend on them for financial security whether they are a dual income family or a single mother. In 2010 overall women made approximately $0.77 for every $1.00 a man made, but African American made $0.67 and Latino $0.59. The larger earners were Asian American who made $0.87 but there still is a large gap. Equal Pay Day is a day set aside to bring awareness to the issue. April 17, 2012 is the scheduled day this year. This date not only promotes equality it is also signifies the amount of time that women must work into the year to begin making what men do.  We plan on organizing and holding a bake sale on Equal Pay Day that will bring awareness to this problem along with information so that people can understand in very basic and understandable terms.

     Both the ERA and equality of pay are directly related to Women’s Studies. The fight for the ERA has been ongoing for almost ninety years and the fact that it has not been ratified yet shows the importance of Women’s Studies. By looking at both of the issues and studying how we have gotten here it gives us not only an understanding but lessons in what we must do to achieve not only the ERA and equal pay but also the many other issues we as women face.

     Timeline:

 1. Meetings:

a. Initial – Jan. 31^st

b. Proposal solidification – Feb. 14^th

c. Pre-Spring Break Check-Up – Feb. 28^th

d. March general – Mar. 20^th

i. Review communications manual

ii. Review press release, Facebook event

iii. Review blog and Tumbler for launch

e. Pre-Bake Sale – April 10^th

i. Communications debriefing

ii. Finalize Bake Sale schedule

f. Presentations preparation – April 17^th

2. Events:

a. Allocations for promotional materials

b. Letter-writing campaign

c. Blog launch

d. Facebook event launch

e. Tumbler launch

f. Press release

g. Wage Gap Bake Sale

 

Works Cited

"2012 ERA Bill SRC 180." Florida Senate. Florida Senate. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. <http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2012/180>.

"Equal Pay Day." National Committee on Pay Equity NCPE. National Committee on Pay Equity. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. <http://www.pay-equity.org/day.html>.

"Florida House Of Representatives - HCR 8003 - Equal Rights for Men and Women." Florida House of Representatives - MyFloridaHouse.gov. Florida House of Representatives. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. <http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Bills/billsdetail.aspx?BillId=47039>.

National Organization for Women (NOW). National Organization for Women, 2012. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. <http://www.now.org/>.

"UCF: CAH: Young Women Leaders Program: Schools." UCF: CAH: Women's Studies Program: Mentoring Programs for Faculty. UCF Women's Studies Program. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. <http://womensstudies.cah.ucf.edu/ywlp/schools.php>.

Welcome to Ratify Equal Rights Amendment Florida - Www.RatifyERAFlorida.net. Florida Equal Rights Alliance, 2011. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. <http://www.ratifyeraflorida.net/>.

Word Count - 1047

Hi!

     My name is Kathy Sellers and I am an Interdisciplinary Studies major focusing on women’s studies with a minor in sociology. I have just transferred from SSC making this my first semester at UCF. This is my second time around for college; it’s taken me a few years to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. I was born and raised in Cincinnati and moved to Key West when I was 22 where I eventually met my husband of 21 years, Bob. After deciding we did not want to raise a family in Key West, the school system is not very good and the cost of living is quite high, we had the opportunity to move so we picked Orlando. We have two children, Brittney 20 and Nathan 15. We still try to visit Key West at least once a year, it is still my favorite place and we have family there.

     I spent several years at NationsBank as a customer service manager which I grew to hate because of the focus on sales, then I was the Ecommerce manager for Barnies Coffee but was downsized and then did payroll for a construction company but was laid off in 2010. After that I decided it was time for change and decided to go back to school. I am very lucky; I have had the support and help from my family to be able to do this.

     I received my AA is sociology and until recently I wasn’t sure where to go from there. When I met with a direct connect advisor she helped me throw some ideas around and told me about women’s studies that caught my attention.  After working in the corporate world for quite some time I have seen and experienced many forms of inequality and prejudices. I have been in management positions and had men under me make more money and I have had to prove myself much more than the men around me. I have also experienced negative views in volunteer youth sports activities and boards.  These experiences have made me want to take a path where I can mentor and inspire women to reach their potential and goals, hopefully through some type of nonprofit.

     I am looking forward to what I can take from this class and how I will be able to apply it in whatever path I take. I am also looking for some answers as to why women and men behave the way they do in leadership positions. I am also curious as to why leadership qualities need to be categorized as masculine or feminine.

I have read, understand and agree to the terms of the course and blogging protocol outlined in the syllabus.