Navy Wives Clubs of America, Inc. is our Country’s only non-profit national organization of Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard enlisted spouses. We were incorporated on June 3, 1936 in Long Beach, California and have grown in chartered clubs throughout the world. NWCA received a Federal Charter from the United States Congress in October 1984. The purpose of NWCA is to unite all sea service enliste
d wives into bonds of mutual friendship, assistance and welfare for their families, bases and communities in which they live. There are currently thirty-three clubs throughout the United States. NWCA’s Regular Membership is open to enlisted spouses of the Navy, Marine Corp and Coast Guard, active duty, retired, widowed or reserve. We also extend membership to Members At Large who are no longer close to a club and we offer an Associate Membership to women not eligible for regular membership, but who are interested in the objectives and aims of the organization, which is educational and charitable. A National Board of Officers governs NWCA and to better facilitate the working of the organization they are divided into four regions. The Eastern, Central, Northwest and Southwest Regions hold Conventions in the spring and there is a National Convention bringing all members together in the fall. The convention purpose is to share specific charitable donations and moneymaking ideas with individual clubs giving annual reports, reviewing bylaws for revisions, discussing new business and holding elections. In addition to working we hold luncheons and dinners honoring their National Officers and Chairmen, renew old friendships, make new ones and have lots of fun. At conventions we also have adopted six resolutions and go on record as opposing drug abuse (1972), opposing child abuse (1973), supporting the aims of the National Foundation for the Blind (1977), supporting the aims and goals of the Sea Services (1983), supporting the United States Flag (1990), and opposing spousal abuse (2000). The Navy Wives Clubs of America, Inc. also has a Scholarship Foundation that was adopted by the 1952 Annual Convention in Key West, Florida and was incorporated in Washington, D.C. on September 18, 1953. Elise Skylstead was instrumental in the inception of the Scholarship Foundation, which is mainly dependent upon the member clubs donations and investment dividends for their support. Endowments or bequests made are permanent memorials to the donors or someone designated by the donor. The Foundation started with two (2) two hundred and fifty dollar ($250) scholarships and since then the NWCA Scholarship Foundation has grown to provide up to thirty (30) scholarship grants annually, up to one thousand dollar ($1000) and one thousand five hundred dollar ($1500) to children of enlisted members of the sea services in need of financial assistance in obtaining college educations, vocational, business or other training which will enable them to make a more valuable contribution to society. The National Organization also provides several other scholarships. There is a Member Scholarship given in the name of Mary Paolozzi who was the founder of NWCA. The NMCCG Scholarship offers two (2) scholarship grants to assist sea service spouses to continue their education and one scholarship is given in memory of Cecelia Clark in gratitude for her gift to NWCA. The Judith Haupt Member’s Child Scholarship is given to a child of an NWCA member who does not carry a military ID card usually because he/she has reached the adult age. The Pauline Langkamp Memorial Scholarship will be awarded to a child (natural, adopted or stepchild) of a Regular, Associate or Member at Large member of NWCA where age and marital status are not factors and without the requirement of a military I.D.
