Monday Club Has Served Prescott 127 Years and Counting

by Blake Herzog

One of Prescott’s longest-lived civic service organizations is one you may not have heard much about.

The Monday Club originated in August 1895, formed as “The Literary Society” by a group of women for “study, mutual consult and a united effort pertaining to education and civic betterment,” according to a club history document.

It renamed itself two years later, and like many “women’s clubs” of its era it won funding from multimillionaire Andrew Carnegie for a library, Prescott’s first, which the club ran for 17 years after it opened in 1903.

The club is honored in the current Prescott City Library and the Sharlot Hall Museum, whose namesake was a member. Today the club remains active in the community and welcomes new members.

President Janette Gann says, “We want women who want to give back and be part of a nurturing sisterhood group and help us improve what we’re doing and help the community more.

As the area grows and people move here who don’t have family, groups like this are really important.”

The club, an affiliate of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs, currently has about 25 members in their 40s through 90s; any woman

18 or older from throughout Greater Prescott can join. The group focuses on several areas of volunteering and philanthropy, starting with domestic violence awareness, education and libraries, health and wellness, support for veterans and the elderly, arts and culture and more.

“It’s not just about giving money, it’s about being out there,” Gann says. Recent projects have included participating in the Empty Bowls event, selling crafts during other festivals, sending bags of candy to residents of the Arizona Pioneers Home, and fundraisers for Stepping Stones

Agencies and Yavapai Exceptional Industries.

The club also has a scholarship fund, administered by Yavapai College, for female students studying for health care professions.

Monday Club meetings are held the third Monday of every month at its clubhouse at 1306 Stetson Road in Prescott, which is also available for rental for private events. For more information about joining the Monday Club or renting the clubhouse contact Gann at Mondayclubprescott@gmail. com or 480.980.1329.