ABOUT US

In August of 1983 the Maumee Bay Club was chartered at the 48th NANBPWC, Inc Convention held in Norfolk, Virginia. Our Charter members were: Florene Allen, Mary Jane Caldwell, Claudine Flowers, Joyce Frost, Meryl Glenn, Louise Gresham, Beverly Mayo, Lou McQueen, Rose Montgomery, Jamesetta Royster, Delores Scott, Idella Simmons, Laura Young, Gracie Stewart, Marlene Taylor, Anez Thomas, and Donna Washington. MBC provides programming to support the metropolitan city of Toledo, Ohio, and the suburbs of Springfield/Holland, Ohio; Ottawa Hills, Ohio; and Maumee, Ohio. 

 

Our members are African American business and professional women who use collective action to

implement local, regional, and national change. We serve as catalysts for essential programs and services to uplift businesswomen and youth in Toledo, in the North Central District of Ohio, and nationally with our parent organization.

 

Over the years, the club has received numerous certificates of participation and appreciation and awards for outstanding programs, membership, and community service. Notably, the club sponsors an award-winning tour of Historically Black Colleges and Universities for students in grades 9-12 and has even seen students who met on the tour, wind up married and raising a family! We take our direction from the NANBPWC, Inc. initiatives for programming and developing new and exciting offerings for the community in the areas of Leadership, Education, Technology, Health, and Economic Development. 

 

Our Current Activities

In 2023 we again sponsored a Youth Club after taking a hiatus during the pandemic. Under the leadership of 1st VP Jenai Hicklin, the young people are meeting on a bi-weekly basic for training in various youth-centered topics like safety on social media, entrepreneurship, human trafficking and more. The young people also get homework help, access to sports and other physical fitness and they also take cultural enrichment trips. In 2023, the club received a $40,000 grant from the City of Toledo to serve youth during the summer months. We were able to serve 250 youth in the Summer Leadership Series which included a MultiFaith Summer Camp, an Arts and Civic Engagement Camp, A Camping 101 program, an HBCU College Tour and a Back to School family fun day. Overall, the Maumee Bay Club is proud of its contributions to the community and the recognition it has received for its efforts.

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In 2024 The Toledo Community Foundation provided a $23,000 grant to fund the Grassroots Nonprofit Bootcamp. The program provides education and training to the members of five collaborating organizations and MBC members so that they can be better board members and lead nonprofit organizations as businesses. The 48-hour training cohort is the first of its kind for the organization and we look forward to making this one of our signature capacity-building programs for urban residents who want to be empowered to lead change in their communities. 

 

In addition to externally focused programs, our club sisters also spend time learning and growing together through monthly meetings, attending District, Area and National conventions, expressions of Sisterly Love, learning new technology, and taking trips together.