The weekly Kiwanis meeting was held 12:05 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 29, in the Windrow meeting room with 18 members and four guests. President Chris Eaton presided, Korina Loudon gave the prayer and Ed Ritter was the finemaster.
The program was given by Carrie Hausdrild, account manager with American Red Cross, and Kay Ritter, Betty Wallace and Betty Jungst with the Creston Bloodmobile. They discussed the Red Cross blood donation program that supplies 40 percent of blood needs. Some 14,000 units of blood and blood products are needed daily in the U.S. The local bloodmobile holds five blood drives each year at Trinity Lutheran Church. The Creston Kiwanis Club donated $300 to the bloodmobile to help their program.
The pork chop dinner will be from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Sept. 14 at McKinley Park. The dinner was discussed with tickets available for members to sell now and work/shift sign-up sheets were passed around for members to volunteer.
The Kiwanis Club “Keep a Kid Warm” coat giveaway will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 26, at First United Methodist Church on the corner of N. Elm and W. Howard streets, in Creston.
The Christmas wreath fundraising program will be offered again this year with sales in October and delivery in November.
Next meeting will be from noon to 1 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 5, in the Windrow meeting room. New members always welcome.
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Union County Genealogical Society
President Jane Briley presided over the Aug. 28 meeting of Union County Genealogical Society.
Members are continuing to transcribe cemetery records. Briley presented scrapbooks with information to be included in the new website which should be operational in December. A committee of Roger, Lynn Schlaht and Briley will meet to inventory and write descriptions of the items that will be available for sale through the new website. Officers Briley, Tessa Hull, Jackie Shafar and Schlaht will meet with Roger before the next meeting to discuss membership levels.
Tickets for the upcoming cemetery walk that will be held 5:30 p.m. Sept. 23 at Graceland Cemetery were distributed for members to sell. The cost is $10 per individual and can be purchased from any society member. Five individuals who are buried within the cemetery will be depicted by actors who will give background information and describe their contributions to our county.
Members reminisced about recently deceased life-member Bernard Shea. He was remembered as a passionate genealogist and local historian who will be sadly missed by the society.
The next meeting will be 6 p.m. Sept. 25 at Gibson Memorial Library. Roger will give the program on NavigatingAncestry.com. Roll call will be on an interesting thing found on the website.
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Iowa Alpha Sigma
Iowa Alpha Sigma Master Chapter met 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 24, at the home of Marilyn Larimore, with six members present. Roll call was answered with a discussion of the eclipse. Minutes of the last formal meeting and two social gatherings were read and approved.
The only communication reported was the receipt of the new attendance sheets, In the absence of the treasurer, no financial report was given nor bills presented. Committee reports concluded there are no immediate plans for socials, service projects or ways and means activities.
The next meeting will be held at the home of Norma Putnam with Marilyn Blazek as hostess.
Following the conclusion of the business meeting, Marilyn presented an interesting program covering a variety of topics beginning with helpful hints for a more blissful sleep and maintaining a healthy body, and ending with moving accounts of the power of love, acts of kindness and saved by silence which demonstrated how an unexplained simple incident can save a life.
Members repeated the closing ritual and joined hands for the Mizpah. Delicious refreshments were enjoyed as members visited and socialized.
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GRMC Hospital Auxiliary Board
Nancy, Bev, Tammy, Lois, Carolyn, Sandy, Ann, Jordan, Luke and Rhonda were present for the Aug. 14 meeting of the Greater Regional Medical Center (GRMC) Hospital Auxiliary Board. Approval was given for the agenda, minutes and financial report.
A bakeless bake sale was put on hold. The jewelry sale will be Sept. 7.
In July, two sections of the Safe Sitter class were successfully held in the education center. Marcia has been approved to replace Patty as the teacher coordinator of the sitter class. Patty will be moving.
Kathy Eblen may be a new volunteer. Volunteer training will be held late September or early October.
In the administrator’s report, Monte highlighted the three primary objectives for GRMC: access, quality and engagement.
Access – opened the urgent care clinic, continue to recruit the right providers (currently seeking staff in internal medicine and ortho). Already helping Clarke County residents receive additional healthcare in the fields of ortho and ENT. Property has already been secured in Greenfield, Mount Ayr and Corning for the expansion of primary and specialty care in these communities. Part of the goal is to help keep the surrounding communities viable while providing a service to those who live in these communities, including the GRMC employees who reside there.
Quality – GRMC strives to be a source of the highest quality care. The DMV accrediting body has been contracted to survey employees every one, two or three years, as needed, to help insure that the patient care is top notch.
Engagement – Employee engagement is extremely important to the success of GRMC.
Luke reported that lighting updates are being done at Crest Ridge. Other projects being considered include new furniture and the parking lot.
Next meeting will be Sept. 11.
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GRMC Auxiliary Gift Shop Buying Committee
Nancy called the meeting to order Aug. 14 with Lois, Nancy, Jordan and Rhonda in attendance. Approvals were given for the agenda, minutes and financial report.
Digital screens are being added to several areas of GRMC. It was discussed if the committee wanted to post on these screens. Information would need to be current and updated regularly, as would their online presence. What items to highlight and the display case by surgery were also discussed.
Jordan indicated that neither Kelly’s nor Hy-Vee answered his inquiry concerning the shop taking orders for flowers.
Clothing items with the GRMC logo will be available for order in the gift shop. Order forms and payroll deduction sheets will be available.
There is a need to carry newborn items in the shop. Onesies are on order.
Velma and Phyllis are resigning from the gift shop volunteer list. New volunteers are needed.
Jordan is to set up a meeting with Mary at PB&J.
Jordan presented some Halloween candy gift packs that could be sold in the shop. The group declined the offer.
The jewelry sale is Sept. 7.
Next meeting will be Sept. 11.
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Ladies Lakeshore Auxiliary
Ladies Lakeshore Auxiliary met Aug. 30.
Canasta winners were Sherry Parrott, first; Gwen Sandeman, second; and Barb Bills, third.
Rose Blakesley won the door prize.
Sharon Gile will host cards and chatter Wednesday, Sept. 6.
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Friends of the Library
Friends of the Library (FOL) met Aug. 21 with Emily Cook, Starr Cure, Judy Hoakison, Cari Jack, Kay Raymond, Julie Schieffer, Karen Walter and guests, Assistant and Children’s Librarian Sue Teutsch and Connie Maxson, board of trustees and member of the capital campaign, present.
Maxson updated FOL on the capital campaign and thanked FOL for support of the library and community.
The agenda and minutes were approved as written. The treasurer’s report was placed on file for audit.
A note was received from Donna Walsh, teen coordinator, thanking FOL for the teen summer reading program donation.
Ten students had fun at the recent free scrapbooking program. Special thanks to Barb Coenen and Val Caputo for their contributions. The winter scrapbooking event will be held Saturday and Sunday, February 24-25, at Quilts and Other Notions Creative Center.
Plans are being finalized for the used book sale to be held Sept. 15-16. The new location is the O’Riley Center, 417 Wyoming St., in Creston. Hours are 3 to 7 p.m. Friday. Friends of the Library are admitted free and non-members are charged a $3 fee. Memberships may be purchased at the door. Saturday hours are from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The next meeting will be 6 p.m. Sept. 18 at the library.