One spring day in 1906, seven ladies met to form the Oviedo Magazine Club. Their purpose was to disperse good reading materials and improve their community. Meeting in their homes, they exchanged magazines, held programs and a social hour. In 1914, the first Clubhouse was built, which also served as the town’s first library. In 1915, they joined the Florida Federation of Women’s Clubs and changed their name to The Oviedo Woman’s Club.

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They joined the General Federation of Women’s Clubs in 1923. With membership increasing, the Clubhouse was no longer adequate, and it was sold. The present Clubhouse was built in 1961 on property donated by former member Mrs. R. L. Croom.  In 2006 the Club celebrated its 100-year anniversary and in 2017 the Club attained 501(c)(3) status. In the ensuing years, the ladies were instrumental in accomplishing many goals within the community.

 

A few of the early projects they undertook were raising funds by penning up the loose pigs; making ice cream and taking turns baking cakes for trainmen stopping in Oviedo; selling government bonds and stamps, and raising over $250,000 to purchase two B-24 “Liberator” aircraft for the war effort.  Clubwomen spearheaded the laying of board and clay sidewalks; planted trees; organized and administered the first organized garbage pick-up; furnished the Memorial and Clinic buildings; contributed to started the city’s first organized sports league for children; sponsored a blood bank; donated the use of the clubhouse for Red Cross work from 1942-1944; donated toward the city’s first rescue vehicle and jaws for life; and organized the first Christmas tree lighting ceremony for the city and its families.

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In the 2024-2025 year alone, the Oviedo Woman’s Club donated $67,500 towards student scholarships and teacher grants; collected and distributed over $10,000 worth of pantry items to local schools; created a project for the GFWC National Day of Service to help address food insecurity & hunger, our first ever “Canstruction” project used 663 cans that were donated to our community food bank; hand-crafted 98 receiving blankets, 155 fleece crochet and tied blankets, and 34 quilts for donation this year through Project Linus; in keeping with our literary beginnings, we collected and donated over 100 books to seven of our local Little Free Libraries; collected, assembled and donated over 120 boxes for boys and girls through Shoe Boxes of Love program; in an effort to support our environment we donated 50 trees to the Arbor Day Foundation to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Great Day in the Country; and we transformed a decorative plant area, installing a butterfly garden to help encourage our local pollinators.