Submitted by
Keystone Federated Republican Women
The Keystone Federated Republican Women (KFRW) celebrated their five-year anniversary on July 24 in lieu of their regular meeting format. The KFRW members wore their red club shirts and gathered for a group photo to commemorate this important milestone.
The KFRW formed as a non-profit political organization on July 26, 2018, with sixteen charter (primary) members and four associate members, in a member’s home. On that evening, they chose the club’s name, agreed on annual membership dues, decided on the meeting day and time (still the fourth Monday of each month at 7 p.m.), elected officers and adopted their initial club bylaws. A New Club Application was completed and submitted, along with their dues, to the Florida Federation of Republican Women (FFRW). Their application was approved and they were chartered by the National Federation of Republican Women on Aug. 13, 2018, receiving their official charter at the FFRW Fall Conference in Orlando on Sep. 19, 2018, attended by Lynn Stafford, President, and Karen Knox, then Vice President of Membership.
The National Federation of Republican Women, was founded in 1938, and celebrates their 85th anniversary this year, 2023. It is the largest grassroots Republican women's organization in the country with tens of thousands of active members in local clubs across the nation, and one of the largest grassroots political organizations in the nation. There is a state federation organization (with at least two clubs) in 49 states, North Dakota the lone exception. The Florida Federation of Republican Women was chartered in 1950, now comprising of nearly 50 clubs throughout the state.
One may ask, “Why did it take 68 years to get a club in Jefferson County?”
Lynn Stafford, the President of KFRW, would answer, “She believes it was orchestrated by God, in His timing.”
Stafford attended her first Jefferson County Republican Party meeting on June 19, 2018. Also, in attendance were Beth and Dale Young, up from Melbourne for the week, and Dotty McPherson who was, and still is, the Region 2 District Representative for the FFRW. Before the meeting, Dotty asked if there was any interest among women in Jefferson County in forming a women’s club. That got Stafford thinking…
The next day, she met with Beth Young, as she was the current President of the Brevard Federated Republican Women and oversaw all the FFRW District Representatives, to find out what was involved in forming a club. Stafford then enlisted her good friend, Knox, who both reached out to their friends and other republican women who may also be interested.
Stafford’s message was, “I've never been interested in being politically involved, but since the 2016 election I've felt more and more led to do something in my space...to help expose others to the facts in order to make informed decisions. Just like in the food industry, there is so much deception circulating constantly in the political arena and that can be frustrating. This is my motivation for being more intentional here in Jefferson County.”
After two informational meetings were held in mid-July, they met on July 28, as noted above, and the club was formed.
The only requirement to become a KFRW member, is one must be a registered Republican. Primary (voting) members are women. Associate members are men, or women who are primary members in another club. Interestingly, the KFRW had four charter members who changed their party affiliation from Democrat to Republican to join. They all held onto the fact that in order to vote in the Jefferson County primaries you had to be a registered Democrat. That is no longer the case. In an email received earlier the day of that July meeting, “Can’t come tonight, but I’m now a registered Republican.” Soon after, another changed from NPA (No Party Affiliation) to Republican in order to become a member. And that trend continues to play out today.
One of the FFRW’s slogans is “Paint the State RED” and KFRW club members have been committed in doing their part to make that happen in their own community. In fact, Jefferson County has just recently flipped red (August 17), meaning Jefferson County now has more registered Republican voters than Democrat voters. The month before the KFRW formed, on June 30, 2018, the party affiliation count for Jefferson County registered voters was 5,451 Democrats, 3,050 Republicans, 1,115 No Party Affiliation, and 35 Minor Parties. That was a difference of 2,401 voters between the two major parties!
At the start of 2019, the KFRW had 30 primary and 12 associate members. Today, eight of their charter members are still members of the club and the four associate members are all still members, one now a primary member, after moving to Jefferson County. Currently, the KFRW has 51 primary members and 22 associate members.
Besides supporting and electing conservative Republican candidates, the KFRW is very involved in community outreach with several signature efforts of their own. Community outreach chair, Gretchen Wallace, administers an annual historical/civic themed Essay Contest that awards cash prizes to the top three winners in both high school and middle school categories and actively supports civic education for students in Jefferson County.
Every other November, of the odd years, the KFRW recognizes and honors local veterans by hosting the American Valor Dinner, which features an inspirational speaker and dinner, due to generous sponsors, which allows local veterans to attend at no charge. The KFRW began this event in November of 2019 when they realized that our local veterans were the ones always hosting the events to honor our veterans, themselves! This year, the American Valor Dinner will be Nov. 9 at the Monticello Opera House, with a reservation.
During their anniversary celebration, members enjoyed two delicious cakes and ice cream along with several fun games. Stafford shared the history of how the club started and recognized several members for their key contributions. They held a contest for the “Most Patriotically Dressed” and raffled off the monthly basket “Summer is Hot, Do Something Cool” provided by Dotty McPherson, both of which were won by Janis Morrow.
They ended with a toast from Annaliese Mincy, Vice President of Programs and Public Relations: “Here’s to the first five years and here’s to the next five years!”
If you want to know more about what the women (and men) in red are doing, go to their website (KFRWFL.org) or contact Stafford at Lynn@KFRWFL.org or any of their club members. They meet on the fourth Mondays at 7 p.m. at the American Legion Post 49, located at 1165 S. Water St.