DO EVERYTHING – Share Your Story
When: Sunday, September 24, 3:00-4:30 pm
Where: Frances Willard House, 1730 Chicago Avenue
Free and Open to the Public
Come celebrate women’s history and leadership at the Frances Willard House!
Join us as we commemorate Willard’s 178th birthday with an event highlighting Willard’s “Do Everything” brand of leadership and celebrating the leader in all of us. Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, representative for the 9th District of Illinois, will be the keynote speaker, sharing her journey to leadership.
Following her talk, attendees will be encouraged to share their own stories and experiences of leadership with a StoryCorps interview gathering. For our event, we’ll ask participants to share their stories through StoryCorp’s free app (which we strongly encourage participants download in advance at storycorps.me). We’ll have some guiding questions to help participants get the conversation started.
This family-friendly event will take place on the front lawn of Willard House Museum, and will include light refreshments and cake, thanks to our generous sponsors at First Bank & Trust and Berkshire Hathaway Home Services KoenigRubloff Realty Group.
Although the event is free, please RSVP below to help us with our food count and take the opportunity to order your exclusive event t-shirt! Proceeds go towards supporting museum operations and programming. T-shirt ordering only available until September 10th!
Click here to RSVP and order your t-shirt!
Other News
EVANSTON WILL BE HOME OF NEW CENTER FOR WOMEN’S HISTORY AND LEADERSHIP
August 15, 2017
On Sunday, August 13, 2017 members of the Frances Willard Historical Association (FWHA) voted to re-incorporate as a new non-profit organization, The Center for Women’s History and Leadership. Accompanying this name change, later this fall the new Center will also become the owner of the property and historic buildings in the current Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) Evanston Local Historic District. The Center’s mission will be to honor the leadership of women of the past to inform the present and inspire leaders of the future.
The Frances Willard House Museum and Willard Memorial Library and WCTU Archives will continue as the focal points at the site, with tours, programs and research services expanding. But this change will allow for greater stewardship, increased capacity, and expanded programming for the entire property. The new nonprofit will receive ownership of the Willard House, the WCTU Administration Building, and the two flanking Victorian residences (located at 1724-1732 Chicago Avenue in Evanston) on November 1, 2017.
Glen Madeja, Executive Director of the FWHA, said, “This is a very exciting time and opportunity for a redefinition of the FWHA into an expanded organization. We are very honored that the WCTU, as it approaches it’s 150th anniversary, has entrusted us with ensuring the future of its legacy. Members and leaders of both organizations have been working on this project for over two years. Their goals have been to safeguard the future of the property, ensure the legacy of the WCTU, and provide for proper stewardship of the Willard House Museum and the WCTU Archives so that they remain open to the public and available to researchers long into the future.”
A public celebration of this historic change will be held Sunday, September 24th at the annual Do Everything event, highlighting Willard’s brand of effecting change and celebrating the leader in all of us. This family-friendly event will take place from 3:00-4:30 p.m. on the front lawn of Willard House Museum, and will include light refreshments and a preview of plans for the site.
Featured Collections Object: The Polyglot Petition
Our new display of the Polyglot Petition.
The polyglot petition is considered the first international effort to stop the trafficking of alcohol and opium. “Polyglot” comes from two Greek words: “poly” meaning many and “glot” meaning languages. The petition has signatures from residents of six continents. We would like to thank the Jim and Annanette Harper Family Foundation for their generous support of this display.