About Us
Our FOUNDERS
Gwendolyn Baker Rodgers
and
Frankie Drayton Thomas
our History
The Charmettes, Incorporated is a national 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that was created to improve the quality of life within our communities. Gwendolyn Baker Rodgers and Frankie Drayton Thomas saw a need for an organization that would bring like-minded young women together to use their skills and talents to impact their community. On June 17, 1951, they invited ten of their friends to join them and created the first chapter of The Charmettes in West Palm Beach, FL.
Our chapters have engaged in programs and activities which provide assistance to individuals and families needing assistance with education, health, scholarship, and community development. The Charmettes, Inc. holds a life membership in the NAACP and is a National Affiliate of the National Council of Negro Women.
Today, The Charmettes, Incorporated is a nationally recognized women’s community service organization, known for getting results and making a difference in the lives of African-Americans and their communities. With 20 chapters active throughout Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., we are poised for even greater accomplishments in the future.
CHAPTER HISTORY
In November 2013, a group of ladies were invited to the home of Charmette Earline Gallmon to learn about The Charmettes, Inc. These ladies became a formal Interest Group when application for membership was submitted in April 2015. The group participated in several community activities over the next few months. The chapter was installed at the 2015 National Convention held in Miami, FL on June 10, 2015.
Our mission
The Charmettes, Incorporated is a sisterhood of dedicated women committed to improving the quality of life within our communities through advocacy, education, service and support for cancer research.
Our Guiding principles
- Our commitment and dedication is to our organization, our members, and to our communities;
- We welcome, value, and support the diversity of skills, expertise, tools and networks of the strong African American women who make up our membership; and
- We recognize the importance and benefits of supporting the eradication of cancer and partnering with historically black colleges and universities and others who share our values and support our mission.