Minnie L Harding Educational fund
Loans and Scholarships for Women in Colorado Seeking Higher Education
WHO WE ARE
General Federation of women's clubs
The General Federation of Women’s Clubs is a unifying force, bringing
together local women’s clubs, with members dedicated to
strengthening their communities and enhancing the lives of others
through volunteer service since 1890. With nearly 80,000 members in affiliated
clubs in every state and more than a dozen countries, GFWC members
are com
The General Federation of Women’s Clubs is a unifying force, bringing
together local women’s clubs, with members dedicated to
strengthening their communities and enhancing the lives of others
through volunteer service since 1890. With nearly 80,000 members in affiliated
clubs in every state and more than a dozen countries, GFWC members
are community leaders who work locally to create global change by
supporting the arts, preserving natural resources, advancing education,
promoting healthy lifestyles, encouraging civic involvement, and
working toward world peace and understanding. For more
information, please visit www.GFWC.org or call 1-800-443-GFWC
(4392).
GFWC Colorado
GFWC Colorado has been a member of GFWC since 1895. The club members are committed to improving their communities by enhancing the lives of others through volunteer service. GFWC Colorado has 11 clubs throughout the state.
- GFWC Colorado was instrumental in establishing Mesa Verde as a National Park.
Minnie l harding educational fund
Minnie l harding educational fund
We are a loan and scholarship fund organized in 1902, managed and sponsored by GFWC Colorado, that provides interest free loans and scholarships to women who are residents of Colorado seeking higher education.
more about minnie l harding educational fund
The Minnie L. Harding Educational Fund was established in 1902 by Mrs. Harding, the fourth president of the GFWC Colorado Federation of Women’s Clubs, to help women pay for their education. Minnie was dedicated to education throughout her life and served on the Board of Regents for the University of Colorado. Minnie was inducted into the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame in 2016.
Minnie Lahm Harding was born in 1857 to Ohio Rep. Samuel Lahm. She came to Canon City in 1881 to visit friends, and soon married her husband Theodore Harding. He and his brother set up the Hardin Hardware Company. While the Harding men ran the store, Harding rolled up her sleeves and opened the first kindergarten inside a tent at Fifth and
Main streets. She and Theodore had 2 children. Her hard work did not go unnoticed and a few months later she was hired to teach at the newly constructed Washington school. She spent the next 55 years improving the community of Canon City. Minnie Harding was a champion for women and wanted the ambitious ones to be able to attend college, no
matter their economic status. She worked tirelessly for “her girls” despite her own personal tragedies, which included the suicide deaths of both her husband and only son.
Mrs. Harding was a founding member of Friends in Council with 15 members. The group had a long history of cultural opportunities and education for its members, as well as public service and leadership in the community. Minnie Harding was the first recording secretary of this club. Friends in Council was a charter club of the Colorado Federation of Women’s Clubs, which was founded in 1895. In 1900, Mrs. T.M. Harding (Minnie L. Harding) was elected President of the Colorado Federation of Women’s Clubs. In 1902, during the second year of her term, she created a Scholarship and Loan Fund Committee. It was one of the earlier Scholarship Loan Committees formed in the nation. It was started with a $50 donation from Mr. F.A. Reynolds, President of the Fremont County Bank in Cannon City, $20 from Mrs. Sarah Platt Decker and $20 from Mrs. Harding. There are recorded references of a total of $90. Three Students were helped that term. The fund grew from a small beginning of $90 to one that has loaned more than $1 million as of 1987 and helped more than 1,600 Colorado girls achieve a higher education.
Harding’s commitment to education in Colorado included her work as President and life-long member of the Canon City Library Committee, which established the city’s public library. This led to her gubernatorial appointment to the University of Colorado Board of Regents. Only the second woman to serve on the Board, she was subsequently elected
statewide for a six-year term. Harding Hall in Sewall dormitory at CU Boulder, CO. was named in her honor.
