Dora Friendly Club

By Mapril Combs

The Dora Friendly Club is a rural women’s club in eastern Coos County that began in 1932, a time when each valley and settlement in that part of the county had a similar club. At its first meeting in Dora on January 20, 1932, the club had nine charter members, several of whom were related by blood or marriage. The women decided to meet all day, because they walked to and from these meetings. The first by-laws stipulated that members would work on whatever project the hostess chose, whether carding wool, quilting, or canning. The hostess provided lunch. The name was proposed by Grace Durnam, and was selected because it best suited the goals of the club. The name was included in the first by-laws.

Unlike many of those original clubs, the Dora Friendly Club is still going strong. Club committees represent the fire department, church, and library. In 2009, for example, the club was instrumental in raising funds for building a new fire hall and renovating the old Dora School building.

The club sponsors traditional activities that are vital to the continuance of Dora as a community, including breakfasts, potlucks, pie auctions, and the Christmas program. The club also gives a college scholarship to a local student each year. It provides food for bereaved families or those in need, gives victims quilts following house fires, and presents a welcome basket to newcomers. The Dora Friendly Club provides one third of the financial support to the Dora Community Center.

In 2010, there were about twenty-five members of the club.

  • New Dora-Sitkum fire hall (l) and renovated school (r), now the Dora Center, Aug. 2009.

    Dora-Sitkum fire hall, Aug 2009.

    New Dora-Sitkum fire hall (l) and renovated school (r), now the Dora Center, Aug. 2009. Photo Linda Kirk

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Further Reading

Dora Friendly Club History. Dora Public Library