The Progressive House Club, a local women’s group, alongside the State Center Community College Foundation, granted Fresno City College $310,000 on Jan. 13 in general scholarship funds.

The check presentation ceremony was held on the lot of the Progressive House Club’s clubhouse on Jan. 13 to accept the donation and celebrate their member’s efforts, Lane Haythorn and Dorothy Rune.  

Haythorn was previously an educator for 39 years, and, according to Rune, that was the motivation behind the club’s decision to donate to higher learning. Both women expressed pride in the fact that the foundation’s donation will affect students for years to come and long after the two are through with civic service.

The Progressive House Club has been a donor to FCC for as long as current president Lane Haythorn and treasurer Dorothy Rune can remember, however their latest donation is the largest that the foundation has given toward anything in its history of philanthropy.

The club could normally only afford to donate $500 each year towards scholarships for re-entry students according to Haythorn, but after suffering financial struggles last April, the group decided they would sell their clubhouse back to the owners of the lot and opted to rent out their base of operations instead.

Following the clubhouse’s sale, The Progressive House Club decided to donate the proceeds, which equaled $155,000, to FCC, and SCCCF decided to match the donation for a grand total of $310,000.

“This gift from the Progressive Home Club will forever support our students and honor the legacy of an incredible women’s organization.” stated Rico Guerrero, the SCCCF Executive Director. “We are honored that the Progressive Home Club has invested in our students by providing scholarships that will have a lifelong impact.”

The Progressive House Club has a long history not only in donating to Fresno City College but also in advocacy for many other charitable causes and in spreading their message throughout the nation.

The group became a part of the larger women’s association, the General Federation of Women’s Clubs, in 1941. The federation of clubs has been meeting in their member’s homes for nearly 200 years.

Though membership has faltered in recent years, leading to the group having to give up their ownership of the clubhouse, Rune and Lane both remain firm in their belief that their work is not over yet. “We’re still going. The club is not done,” said Lane.

Both Lane and Rune urge women in the community to come to the club’s weekly meetings Fridays at the Clubhouse on Weldon avenue starting at noon. They say it’s a welcoming environment and though they both have had their chances to leave, they are happy to stay with the club and continue to do their part for their community.