Member of Montana BPW/USA

The History of Great Falls BPW

• The Great Falls Business and Professional Women’s Organization was first organized in 1917 as a business girls’ club, under the sponsorship of the YWCA, and became a part of the National Federation of BPW at the initial federal organization, which was held in St. Louis in July 1919.
  
  
•  Josephine Brown, YWCA Secretary, was the Great Falls representative at that meeting. Esther Powers served as the first President of Great Falls BPW.
  
  
•  In 1921, Great Falls BPW President Hazel Davis organized the Montana State Federation of BPW, and served as its first president.
  
  
•  Throughout the years, the Great Falls BPW has been closely linked to the community and has been involved in many activities, i.. e., promotion of women’s rights, equal pay for equal work, federal aid to education, sponsoring Girls’ State, proper health care for women and children, civil rights, the ERA, just to name a few.
  
  
•  The Great Falls BPW continues its long tradition of helping women understand the career options opened to them. They have been involved in the Expanding Your Horizons program, which exposes young women to non-traditional careers.
  
  
•  The Great Falls BPW continues to offer an annual scholarship for those individuals completing their final year of a four-year educational program.
  
  
•  The Great Falls BPW honors community women through its Young Careerist Program and Woman of Achievement Program. The organization has honored a Woman of Achievement since 1933 and has participated in the Young Careerist Program since 1966.
  
  
•  The latest project the Great Falls BPW has undertaken is its involvement with the women in the Great Falls Pre-Release Program. We offer a workshop (twice a year) to the residents, providing them information on job interviews, how to fill out a resume, and networking with the women.
  
  
•  Many members of the Great Falls BPW have a long history of service at the District and State level, with many past presidents of the Montana Federation, as well as past District Directors. The members still continue that participation, serving as State committee chairs.