Eureka Woman’s Club marks 125 years with monthly donations

The Eureka Woman’s Club is marking its 125th anniversary in 2026 and kicking off a year of community-focused giving and celebration. Founded on February 2, 1901 as the Monday Club Association of Eureka and renamed the Eureka Woman’s Club in 1923, the organization announced a program of monthly "Gifts of Appreciation" that will deliver $125 each month to local nonprofits supporting Humboldt County residents. The first of those gifts was presented in January 2026 to the Boys and Girls Club of Eureka.

The club, which lists 65 current members, will mark the milestone with a public celebration: The 125th Anniversary Dance with Dr Squid on April 18, 2026 at the club’s Craftsman-style clubhouse at 1531 J Street in downtown Eureka. The historic clubhouse has hosted civic meetings and philanthropic work for generations and remains a visible gathering place in the city core.

The Gifts of Appreciation program amounts to $1,500 in annual support per recipient stream if the monthly amount continues for a year, and it signals a targeted, recurring commitment to grassroots organizations. For small nonprofits operating on tight budgets, predictable smaller grants can be useful for buying program supplies, covering transportation costs, supporting modest outreach, or seeding new initiatives. In a county where local organizations often rely on patchwork funding from grants, donations, and fee income, those modest sums can be leveraged to attract larger grants or sustain volunteer-led programs.

The club’s long affiliations with the California Federation of Women’s Clubs and the General Federation of Women’s Clubs place it within a wider network of civic and philanthropic activity. That national and statewide connectivity historically helped local clubs influence public health, education, and cultural programs; in the current environment, it can help channel broader philanthropic tools and advocacy to Humboldt County. With 65 members, the Eureka Woman’s Club reflects a small but active civic institution continuing to adapt its role from early-20th-century civic reform to 21st-century community support.

For residents and service providers, the anniversary is both a celebration of local civic continuity and a reminder that community-scale philanthropy still matters. The April dance will be an opportunity to see the clubhouse and meet members; the monthly gifts create a repeating touchpoint between the club and nonprofit work across the county.

The takeaway? A century-plus legacy still shows up in small checks and neighborhood gatherings — if you want local nonprofits to stretch further, connect with groups like the Eureka Woman’s Club and consider how steady, even modest, support can make programs more resilient. Our two cents? Turn out for the dance, celebrate the history, and think about how predictable small donations help keep Humboldt County services humming.