June 2014 DSB

Volume 1 Issue 1
Governor’s Message
Inside this issue:
Charter Members
Remembered
2
Recruiting Younger
Club Members
3
Dayton Is Blooming
4
Xenia to Host High Tea 5
Picture Me Reading
6
Conferences Glimpses 5
Calendar of Events
7
We had a fantastic conference in April with over 150
attendees, and we raised
over $2600.00 for our
Foundation. We also heard
from presenters about
leadership, membership,
and communications. The
entertainment was fun
and varied – something for
everyone. Start planning
now to attend our next
conference in April 2015
hosted by the Monroe, MI
Club and held at Levis
Commons in Perrysburg,
OH.
As we head into summer
we can start thinking outdoor activities…. Club pic-
June 13, 2014
Governor Kathleen Howard
nics
cookouts,
Enim and
neo velit
adsumtrips
odio,to
local wildlife
sanctuaries,
multo,
in commoveo
quibus
walks
in
the
park.
And
as
premotamen erat huic. Occuwe
do
these
activities,
we
ro luxor dolore, ut at praeshould be thinking of ways
mi o opto si sudo, opes
Altrusa might be able to
feugiat
iriureorganizations
valiu.
help those
that are doing great things.
Does the wildlife refuge
need people to help clean
up? Act as docents? Does
the local park need help
raising funds to put in
some more children’s playground equipment?
Or maybe this is a good
time for your club to relax
and just enjoy each other’s
company before the heavier activities of fall.
Whatever you do, be sure
to take time to have fun
together. It is one of the
great gifts of Altrusa membership – the bonding and
friendships we form. At
District Conference in
April, what we heard most
from those clubs who were
staging a comeback was
the importance of bonding
and having fun together.
Having fun together could
well happen during a
hands-on project of some
kind – it doesn’t have to
mean just sitting in chairs
talking.
District Five Conference Highlights
Special Points
of Interest:
• District conference recapped.
• Tips for recruiting younger
members to your club.
• Washington Court House
members assist with
weekly church services at
nursing home.
• Dayton club member
earns emeritus status
Germaine Vonderhaar, Governor Elect and Conference Liaison
A warm welcome was extended to all Altrusa Members at the 59th District
Five Conference by the Xenia Club Members. This
conference was held at
the spacious and roomy
Roberts Centre with
“Pedaling Through our
Communities as Leaders
In Service” as our theme
for the weekend.
(Continued on page 2)
District Five awards winners with Governor Howard
Page 2
DSB District Service Bulletin
District Five Conference Highlights
Dayton at the 56th District
Five Conference in 2011.
the acoustic bucket bass
in this duo.
The Leadership Seminar
on Friday afternoon
“Developing the Courage
To Lead” was presented
by Kay Fittes who is the
founder of “High-Heeled
Success”. She is the author of four books and
served as a consultant
and presenter to a number of businesses, medical and educational communities. The attendees
enjoyed her presentation
and felt empowered to
make some changes in
their professional and personal lives.
Attendees at the Saturday
Luncheon were treated to
a delightful “Herb-al Tea”
which is similar to the Xenia Club’s yearly main
fundraiser “Kathryn
Hagler’s High Tea.” The
Xenia Members served
the attendees their delicious food which everyone
enjoyed. Harp music was
played by Mary Ann Spahr
from Xenia. The speaker
was Xenia Member Carol
Atzbach who is the Chair
of the Greene County Herb
Study Group.
Our Inspiration Service was
very thoughtful and our
Memorial Service followed
with the remembrance of
those Altrusa Members
who are no longer with us,
but we think of them often.
Following a very tasty
breakfast on Saturday
morning Governor Kathleen Howard presided at
the General Business
Meeting. Our Altrusa International Representative
at our Conference was Silvia Silverman who presently is the President Elect
for the 2013-2015 biennium. This is a return visit
for Silvia as she was International Representative in
After the banquet on Saturday evening the program was filled with a
number of items. Several
conference awards were
presented following the
meal. “Ohio River Minstrels” entertained with
bluegrass and gospel music which was played on
the banjo and mandolin
as they sang a variety of
songs some of which John
and Gwenn Noftsger have
composed. Gwenn played
(Continued from page 1)
From left, Carol Hodson,
President Elect, and Connie
Winbigler, Happy Feet Chair,
of the Branch County Club
are presented the Mamie L.
Bass award from International President Elect, Silvia
Silverman.
“Our Altrusa
International
Representative at
our Conference was
Silvia Silverman who
presently is the
President Elect for
the 2013-2015
biennium.”
The Foundation Raffle was
truly a success and thanks
to everyone who donated
items for the silent auction
and raffle. Over $2600
will be sent to the Altrusa
International Foundation.
The 2015 “Call to Conference” was presented by
the Altrusa Members of
Monroe, MI, with the
theme, “Blue Light Specials.”
Our final reservation figures were 152 attendees
and 25 clubs.
Our Nomination Committee was elected at this conference; the members are
Diane Hollenbeck, Chair,
along with Megan Angell
and Nikki Eyre. Thank you
for volunteering.
Washington Court House Remembers Charter Members
Vicki Staffan,
Staffan president
of District Five’s chapter in Washington
Court House, OH, contemplates her three
white roses after the
memorial service on
the final day of the District Five conference.
The Ohio chapter has
approximately two doz-
en members after the
trauma of losing three
charter members—
Marjorie Braun, Patti
Briggs and Sue Miller—
Miller
since the start of
2014. Altrusa International of Washington
Court House was chartered 39 years ago, in
September of 1975.
Page 3
DSB District Service Bulletin
Recruiting Younger Club Members
by Natalie Rodriquez
Recruiting younger members is an excellent opportunity to bring new energy and diverse skills into your club and ensure
your club will still be in existence in 40 plus years.
One thing to keep in mind
is that young adults are
busy. Between going
back to school, working
and starting a family, it
may seem that they do
not have time to be an Altrusan. However, they understand that giving back
to their community is important. This being said,
young adults are much
more interested in handson activities rather than
long club meetings.
There may be some
changes your club needs
to make in order to accommodate a young
adult’s lifestyle. Consider
some of the following:
Be flexible and change
your club policies to allow
members to remain in
good standing even if
they are unable to attend
every meeting. If your
club meets twice a
month, only require that
members attend one
meeting per month. Also,
consider changing meeting times to better accommodate young adults. For
example, if your club has
a meeting at 10:00 a.m.
every second Tuesday of
the month, most young
adults will be at work.
You could consider re-
cording meetings to post
on the Internet so members that are unable to
attend can listen to or
view the meeting.
Do not serve a meal at
meetings; rather, serve
light refreshments such
as desserts and soft
drinks. If some existing
club members prefer having a full meal, make it
optional. Give members
two meeting times. For
example, dinner is from
6:00-6:30 p.m. and club
business will be discussed from 6:30-7:00
p.m. Some young adults
do not have the time or
money for a full dinner.
Stick to the agenda.
Young adults are action
based individuals and
their time is valuable.
Therefore, it is important
that club meetings are
quick and efficient. Consider emailing the meeting schedule ahead of
time so that members
know what to expect. Use
a PowerPoint presentation to stay organized and
on topic at meetings.
Mix things up. Be creative and consider holding
meetings at different locations. Discuss club
business while setting up
for a project, over a recreational game, during a
backyard cook-out, or at a
local coffee shop before
work. Meetings do not
always have to be formal
or at the same location. A
change of scenery may
attract members.
When recruiting young
adults, you may find two
different types of young
women. The first type is
single, new in a career,
with no children. These
women are constantly
busy, but understand the
importance of keeping
themselves active in their
communities and careers.
They gravitate toward others like themselves. Seeing someone of a similar
age, lifestyle and enjoying
Altrusa is a convincing
reason to join.
Once your club has two or
three younger members,
you may want to ask them
to team up with your
club’s membership chair,
concentrating on recruiting other young adults.
Once you recruit these
young members, you may
want to encourage them
to invite their friends and
family members to attend
a meeting, or a club
event. Young persons enjoy doing activities in a
group and will feel more
comfortable if they bring
others with them.
The second type of women have families, and enjoy being with them. They
are trying to juggle family
lives with their personal
lives, their jobs, and community service. One suggestion would be to en(Continued on page 7)
“Be flexible and
change your club
policies to allow
members to remain in
good standing even if
they are unable to
attend every meeting.”
Page 4
DSB District Service Bulle n
Dayton Altrusa is Blooming
Dayton club holds Add
an Altrusan program
with spring theme.
After a long, hard winter,
Dayton Altrusans turned
all their thoughts to spring
for their Add an Altrusan
program on April 22.
Member Jane McBride
created colorful spring
flowers each with a different question about Altrusa. Potential new members and the Club’s newest members took turns
picking a flower. Jane
read the question and
short answer, which were
inside each flower, and
various Club members
elaborated on the an-
swers with lots of information about Altrusa and
the Dayton Club.
were unable to attend. All
the pertinent information
will be shared with them.
The goal of the exercise
was to introduce new recruits to the what, when,
who and why of Altrusa
and at the same time refresh current members on
what Altrusa is all about
and the accomplishments
of the Club. Two potential
members were present
and each received a bouquet of spring flowers.
Two other individuals are
interested in Altrusa, but
In sticking to the spring
theme, each current
member brought something that was blooming
to the meeting and a flower/plant exchange took
place. Everyone left feeling good that spring was
finally here and hoping
that four new buds would
soon blossom into new
Altrusans.
Mary Leonard Receives Emeritus Status
“Mary’s career
achievements, her
passion for Senior
Olympics, and
involvement in
making the Dayton
community better
through Altrusa
activities are
exemplary and a
model for all
Altrusans to follow. “
On May 5, eight Dayton
Club members traveled
to Sycamore Glen assisted living to visit Mary
Leonard and present her
with an emeritus status
certificate. Mary has
been active in Altrusa
since 1974 and served
as President of the Dayton Club from 1988-90.
She has attended many
District conferences and
some International conferences. In 2013, Mary
won the Elizabeth E. Powelson Career Achievement Award and ALTRU-
SA presented her with a
beautiful crystal vase at
the District Five Conference in Tiffin, Ohio.
Most of Mary’s career
was in teaching college
level courses in health
and science. Mary was
the founder of the Senior
Olympics competition in
Dayton and she was on
the committee that
brought Senior Olympics
to the state level in Ohio.
She was also a Senior
Olympics participant until
a car accident in 2005.
Mary stayed active on the
Senior Olympics planning
committee, attended Altrusa meetings, and participated in Club activities
until recent years when
her health limited her involvement.
Mary’s career achievements, her passion for
Senior Olympics, and involvement in making the
Dayton community better
through Altrusa activities
are exemplary and a
model for all Altrusans to
follow.
Two members—both of whom are retired educators--of District Five’s Washington
Court House, OH, chapter assist with weekly church services at Court House Manor
nursing home. Cathy White (center), a 2014 initiate into Altrusa International, and
Alice Craig (right), incoming president of the Washington C.H. club, participate regularly in the Wednesday night services begun 20-plus years ago by Fulton Terry
(left), who in his “day job” is also the director of Fayette County’s Emergency Management Agency. Cathy began looking for a place to volunteer after she joined Altrusa International of Washington Court House earlier this year.
DSB District Service Bulletin
Page 5
Host Club Extends Appreciation to District Five
Conference Attendees
The Xenia Altrusa Club identified the “X-Out Hunger Program” as the host club’s service project for the 59th District Five Conference. This
program is for the benefit of
low income students in the
Xenia Community Schools. It
is a weekend food program.
Students are provided with a
backpack of easy to prepare
food items to take home
over the weekend to help
meet their nutritional needs.
Many of these students
would be without food over
the weekend, if not for this
initiative.
Donated items included oatmeal packets, microwaveable meals, fruit cups, vegeta-
bles, juices and healthy
snacks.
Many District Five clubs
brought items to donate as
well as cash contributions
totaling $135.00.
Members of the Xenia Club
gathered at the Xenia Community Schools’ administrative offices on April 30th, to
sort and count the items
and officially make the donation. Some of the donated
items included:
127 microwavable Chef
Boyardee or Cheesy
Mac meals
236 cereal and granola
bars
201 goldfish and animal
crackers
198 cans of fruits and
vegetables
101 fruit juice boxes
Many other items were also
contributed. These donations will provide much
needed support to children
in need.
The Xenia Club is extremely
grateful for these donations!
336 pudding cups
270 oatmeal packets
Altrusa International of Xenia to Host Annual
Kathryn Hagler High Tea
Altrusa International of
Xenia, Ohio, will be hosting the annual Kathryn
Hagler High Tea on June
28, 2014, from 1:00-2:30
PM. The Tea is the major
fundraising event for the
service organization. The
group focuses on projects that support literacy.
They recently received the
"Community Partner of
the Year Award" through
the Xenia Area Chamber
of Commerce Partners in
Education.
Altrusa members chose a
"garden tea" theme this
year. Helen Wickline, of
Wickline's Florist, will be
the presenter. Guests are
welcome to wear their
garden hats and fascinators.
Come experience the
wonderful assortment of
sandwiches, salad, fruit,
cheeses and desserts,
along with the club’s special tea. Come on your
own or with a group of
friends and enjoy this traditional and fun afternoon
outing.
Location: Memorial Presbyterian Church, 343 W.
Ankeney Mill Road, Xenia,
OH 45385
Tickets: $15.00 per person (Available through
June 20, 2014)
Contact Loretta McKee at
(937) 376-4635 if you
are interested in purchasing tickets.
“Many of these
students would be
without food over
the weekend, if not
for this initiative. ”
DSB District Service Bulletin
Page 6
Glimpses of District Five Conference
Cynthia McRill and Suzanne Cline
at the High Tea
Monroe Altrusa invitation to Perrysburg in 2015 with their Blue
Light Special theme.
Exercise Break!
Tiffin Altrusans
Branch County Altrusans Sponsor “Picture Me Reading”
Altrusa International of
Branch County, in their
continuing effort to promote literacy in our
county, sponsored an
essay contest in the
Branch County Schools
during March, which is
reading month. The annual "Picture Me Reading" contest is open to
children K through 12th
grades. Grades K-2
and 3-5 submit a photo
of themselves or a
family member reading
along with 1-3 sentences explaining why
they like to read or why
reading is important to
them. Grades 6-8 and
9-12 take a picture of
themselves or a family
member reading and
write a short essay
(100 words max). 1st
place winners of each
category were awarded
a Kindle PaperWhite
and 2nd place winners
of each category received a $50 gift certificate to Taylor's Books
& More. The contest
began February 10th
and ended March 21st
at noon. Information
and application forms
for the contest were
available at all Branch
County school offices.
DSB District Service Bulletin
Page 7
Governor:
Kathleen Howard
Altrusa International of Tiffin
419-934-1619
[email protected]
July 2014
Begin selection of Make a Difference Day project
July 10: Last day for members to pay membership dues before required to pay reinstatement fees.
August 2014
Editor:
Julie Stratos
Altrusa International of
Branch County
517-677-9655
[email protected]
Leading to a
Better Community
Decide on Foundation Grant Application and who should be filling it out.
Aug 25: Women’s Equality Day
September 2014
•
Review club responsibilities for the visit of District Board member
•
Evaluate the first three months of club activities and attendance; make
changes if they are needed
•
Plan and publicize activity for Make a Difference Day
•
Send copy of club yearbook to District Officers and one cop to the International Office.
Sept 1: Labor Day
Sept 8: Celebrate International Literacy Day
Sept 15: Foundation Grant Applications Due
October 2014
•
Remind treasurer to mail any contributions to the International Foundation
Grant Program
•
File IRS Form 990 by Oct. 15. (If the club has a local foundation, it will need
to file a form 990 also)
Oct. 15: IRS form 990 due
Oct. 18: Fill out Make a Difference Day project proposal on International websit
Oct. 24: United Nations Day
Oct. 25: Make a Difference Day
Recruiting Younger Club Members
by Natalie Rodriquez
(Continued from page 3)
courage members to volunteer for activities as a
family. By encouraging
young members to bring
their children to club
meetings and service
projects, you increase
the chances that they will
be able to participate.
Children can get involved
by helping to collect money, cleaning up snacks
and refreshments, or
passing out raffle tickets
at events.
The most important item
that I can stress, as a
young adult, is to make
sure the young members
of your club have a voice.
Ask for their ideas and
provide them with meaningful participation in
club business and activities. Consider having
committee positions
available for them to participate, or possibly chair,
as soon as they become
members.
Providing opportunities
that utilize the skills of
young members is important. This will keep
them involved and make
them feel part of the club
from the start. Young
adults rely on fast reactions and results. This is
our current society. Everything is at our fingertips. Make your new
members feel needed,
and they will believe that
their decision to join Altrusa was a self-fulfilling
decision.
* Natalie Rodriquez is 26
years old, and the youngest member of Altrusa International of Lorain
County. She has been a
member since September
2012. Natalie presented
the above suggestions
during the Membership/
Revitalization Workshop
at the 2014 District Five
Conference in Xenia,